In a Post Opinions column she maintained over a half a decade, Christine Emba explored questions of sex, gender, and social norms, among other topics within American values. But in 2023, her longform essay on the vacuum around what it means to be a man truly struck a nerve. It brought thousands of responses from readers, was picked up by TV outlets, podcasts, and politicians, and became the Opinions’ department top story by engagement for the year (as well as driving hundreds of new subscriptions to The Post).
“Men are lost. Here’s a map out of the wilderness,” as Emba’s essay was headlined, dove into an increasingly urgent issue — the unmooring and radicalization of young men — that mainstream outlets and organizations have struggled to capture holistically. The piece was deeply reported, combining interviews with young men and expert commentary, and marshaling history, sociology, and cultural criticism to explain how the debate over masculinity has shifted over time. Emba’s innovation was to not just thoughtfully diagnose the problem, but to begin to offer some attempts at a solution – and to talk frankly about just why it’s been so hard for people outside the far right wing to feel comfortable speaking up and offering young men a positive model.
Described as “heroic” by US Senator Chris Murphy, “landmark” by author and researcher Richard Reeves, and “a masterful synthesis of the crisis of masculinity,” by New York Magazine writer Jonathan Chait, Emba’s essay sparked conversation in communities across the political spectrum.
