acts out his masculinity, implying that he is neither hard nor aggressive enough. (The phallic overtones of the derogation are so obvious that further comment is not needed.) To insult a man, simply call him a woman. In contrast, women are often praised for being soft—thus revealing how low women are held in some men’s esteem and how deeply these men fear being identified as feminine. This fear of being called a woman can quickly spill over into misogyny, the hatred of things associated with women.