Ep. 1 - Masculinity & Femininity Today: What’s Changing and What’s Not

In the first CivilTalk Session, Topacio Altaus and Craig Shoemaker explore masculinity and femininity — what’s changing, what remains, and where modern culture has created confusion, tension, or imbalance. Rather than debating gender roles, the conversation focuses on how expectations around strength, vulnerability, provision, independence, emotional expression, and identity have evolved, and how those shifts are showing up in relationships, dating, parenting, and personal fulfillment.

Drawing from lived experience, generational contrast, and emotional intelligence frameworks, they discuss the pressures men face around performance, usefulness, and emotional containment, alongside the challenges women navigate around independence, safety, softness, and being fully seen. The session examines where traditional models of masculinity and femininity still serve connection, where they fall short, and how extremes — rigidity on one end or erasure on the other — can leave people disconnected from themselves and each other.

Supported by Clarion, CivilTalk’s real-time conversational AI, the session surfaces emotional and conversational dynamics as they unfold, offering deeper insight into tone, responsiveness, and moments of alignment or friction. CivilTalk Sessions model how complex, culturally charged topics can be explored with curiosity, honesty, and civility — without debate, defensiveness, or the need to arrive at a single “right” answer.

About CivilTalk:
CivilTalk is a platform dedicated to fostering healthier communication through emotional intelligence, curiosity, and civility. Through guided conversations, technology, and education, we help individuals and organizations navigate complex dialogue with greater understanding and awareness.