New standards for masculinity are stacked against men’s health

<figure> <img alt="Cialis, Medication Produced By Eli Lilly &amp; Co To Treat Erectile Dysfunction, Acts In The Same Way As Viagra: By Blocking Phosphodiesterase Type 5 Pde 5, An Enzyme Which Normally Limits The Blood Flow To The Penis And Relaxes The Muscles Reponsible For Erection. (Photo By BSIP/UIG Via Getty Images)" data-caption="" data-portal-copyright="Photo: Getty Images" data-has-syndication-rights="1" src="https://platform.theverge.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/gettyimages-151060900.jpg?quality=90&#038;strip=all&#038;crop=0,0,100,100" /> <figcaption> </figcaption> </figure> <p class="wp-block-paragraph"><em>This is </em><a href="https://www.theverge.com/optimizer-newsletter" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Optimizer</a><em>, a weekly newsletter sent from </em>Verge<em> senior reviewer</em> <a href="https://www.theverge.com/authors/victoria-song" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><em>Victoria Song</em></a><em> that dissects and discusses the latest gizmos and potions that swear they're going to change your life. Opt in for </em>Optimizer <em><a href="https://www.theverge.com/newsletters" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">here</a>.</em></p> <p class="has-drop-cap wp-block-paragraph">Whenever the algorithm serves up a steaming pile of looksmaxxing, I flash back to <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=85HT4Om6JT4">an old sketch</a> from <em>That Mitchell and Webb Look</em>. An ordinary woman is told by a commercial narrator that she's "leaking, hairy, aging, overweight, and everything hurts." Women, the smug narrator says, <em>for god's sake, sort yourselves out </em>by buying roughly $300 of products. After a jump cut, an average man is told to shave and get drunk, guitars blari …</p> <p><a href="https://www.theverge.com/column/993135/optimizer-cialis-tadalafil-mens-health">Read the full story at The Verge.</a></p>