We’re Afraid We Have to Cancel Men: Toxic Masculinity in Turkish TV Series

When we take a look at the dramas we see on the screen; women need to fight “toxic masculinity” to reveal their own strength. Therefore, for a long time, Turkish television has regarded the construction of masculinity, centered around various forms of violence, as sacred. The situation has escalated to the point where almost every main male character in these series is constantly shouting, psychologically abusive, inflicting financial hardship, selfish, a mama’s boy, domineering, cruel, jealous, and disappearing at the first sign of trouble. A new hero archetype is nearly being created. More accurately, heroes are turning into anti-men. Just like in real life… The purpose of these anti-men is to generate hatred on screen through various forms of violence, while women realize their own strength. The more hatred (haters) they have, the higher the ratings get. This creates an oxymoronic situation. On one hand, the audience says, “Cancel these men,” but on the other hand, they can’t stop watching and tune in specifically for these characters.

Cursing Captain Ali Was Like a Form of Meditation

In fact, this construction of toxic masculinity was initiated by the legendary Turkish TV series Forbidden Love, which aired on Kanal D from 2008 to 2010. The series has broken rating records every time it has been rerun over the past 14 years and will be broadcast again by the channel every Thursday this summer. Behlül, Bihter’s forbidden lover, was an irresponsible, selfish, cowardly, and psychologically abusive ‘anti-hero.’ However, Kıvanç Tatlıtuğ’s good looks made viewers overlook everything.

Despite their anger towards Behlül, viewers kept tuning in. Behlül constantly ran away, but as a bonus, he brought in high ratings. He continues to fulfill this role successfully. Who can forget Time Goes By, which aired from 2010 to 2013? It vividly depicted the chaos and violence created by a father through the eyes of a young child. Captain Ali; cheated on his wife Cemile, inflicted physical, psychological, and financial abuse on his children, moved in with his mistress and kicked his children out, managing to drive the audience into fits of rage. During its broadcast, cursing Ali became a sort of meditation for viewers. Meanwhile, Cemile was learning to stand tall and discovering her own strength.

Toxic Masculinity in Turkish TV Series: Rewriting the Rules of Masculinity

Emir Kozcuoğlu from Endless Love, Kendal from Black Rose, Harun from Broken Pieces, Sancar from The Ambassador’s Daughter… This list goes on. However, this male prototype has increased significantly in the last few years. They appear in almost every single series. The defining trait of these men is that they only appreciate what they have after they lose it. When it’s within reach, they see it as worthless; when it’s out of reach, it becomes precious to them. When they can’t get what they want, they resort to insults, humiliation, and hitting below the belt, rewriting the rules of traditional masculinity. If someone had said 15 years ago that the main male character of a series would have these traits, both the audience, the producers, and the channels would have rejected it. However, looking at Türkiye’s highest-rated series today, we see that this has become the winning formula.

There is an App to Virtually Slap Fatih

In Türkiye, the name Fatih used to bring to mind Fatih Sultan Mehmet, who conquered Istanbul. Now, when the name Fatih is mentioned, women say, “Damn you, Fatih!” at once. This is because One Love’s uncontrollable, angry, spoiled, disrespectful mama’s boy Fatih manages to irritate viewers every week. There’s even an app where women can vent their frustration by virtually slapping Fatih. One Love began with the promise of portraying the union of two families through the marriage of a conservative family’s son and a secular family’s daughter. It aimed to show how differences could be tolerated and both sides could understand each other with tolerance. The show successfully accomplished this, creating a diverse audience demographic that spans from Germany to Russia, from mansions to prisons. The result was women discovering their own strength, but the journey was filled with toxic masculinity.

Timur’s Selfishness Empowered Bahar

This season’s highest-rated series was Blooming Lady. Bahar, who had given up her medical career and tirelessly devoted herself to her husband, children, and mother-in-law, needed a liver transplant due to a sudden illness. Coincidentally, her husband Timur, who treated her poorly, refused to share a bed with her, and used her like a servant, had a liver that was a perfect match for the transplant. However, the selfish, scheming, deceitful mama’s boy Timur refused to donate his liver to his wife, Bahar. This decision skyrocketed the series’ popularity, as it featured a strong female character rising against a worthless man. Bahar would experience an awakening and learn to put herself first. And that’s exactly what happened. As Bahar slowly discovered her own strength, Timur continued to hide behind lies, belittle Bahar, and undermine her at work. When the truth finally came out, Timur tried to weasel his way out and test Bahar’s patience once again. As housewife Bahar transformed into Doctor Bahar, she often couldn’t believe her own progress and would say, “Good job, Bahar.” What truly empowered her was Timur’s pure selfishness.

Reha: The Mentor of Toxicity for Fatih

In the series I Am Mother, Karsu got married at a very young age and had three children. Karsu, who had never worked in her life, escaped her unhappiness through her children. That was until her husband Reha’s betrayal. The main character of the series, Reha, practically wrote the book on how to be a truly terrible man. He constantly yelled, placed himself above everything in the world, was financially abusive, cheated, was a mama’s boy, got bored easily, favored some of his children over others, and demanded to be treated as sacred. Reha was almost like a mentor to Fatih from One Love. Reha was the kind of husband every woman should run away from at first sight. Karsu realized this too late, but she did not surrender afterward. Reha’s actions only made her stronger. Even though she sacrificed her happiness for it, in the end, there was a strong Karsu on the screen.

Think about Dr. Neslihan Soysalan’s husband, Serhan from the series Wild Heart. He is the manager of a hospital, and a father. However, there is profound unhappiness at home. Serhan is a man who cheats, is focused only on getting what he wants, can choose evil without a second thought, is capable of violence, can kidnap children, and uses his love for Neslihan to justify all of his e actions. In short, he embodies a deeply entrenched form of toxic masculinity that should be avoided at all costs. However, as Serhan continues his behavior, Neslihan only grows stronger.

Turkish Series: A Mirror to Reality

The hidden weapon of the Turkish series is women who come to realize their strength. In these fictional narratives, women often have to endure evil, humiliation, and neglect to discover their power. This portrayal of male characters reveals the harsh realities to the audience. The transformation of a hero into an anti-hero reflects real-life scenarios. Unfortunately, Türkiye has been ruled by “toxic masculinity” for many years. These men appear not only in series but everywhere in society, with the series serving as a mirror to reality.

Written by Oya Doğan, the article We’re Afraid We Have to Cancel Men: Toxic Masculinity in Turkish TV Series was featured in Episode Magazine’s NATPE Budapest 2024 issue.