As depressing as that is, that’s not to say that there’s no space for joy; for beauty and connection within our collective femininity. But, we must actively interrogate the source of that joy and question the terms of our connections.

Toxic masculinity – the extreme and damaging manifestation of traditional masculine ideas – poisons the well of connection. It breeds a culture of possessiveness, control and emotional unavailability. Men who have been taught to equate vulnerability with weakness often find themselves unable to form healthy, reciprocal relationships.

It’s a narrative that not only divides, but pits genders against each other. In its less violent, but no less insidious form, it teaches men to see women – not as equals – but as remedies for their own loneliness. Women become something to be used; a means to fill the void left by a lifetime of being told to stand apart (or as punishment for another woman’s wrong doing, in my case). And so the cycle continues. With connection on one side and isolation on the other, there’s a chasm that grows wider with every whisper of division.