With Kavanaugh in the news seen a few takes on “what (handsiness/“taking advantage”/date rape) meant in the early ‘80s” that key off period teen movies - Grease, Revenge of the Nerds, Sixteen Candles

Know what I haven’t seen mentioned but’s pretty interesting to think about in that context? Back to the Future

Where it’s clearly presented as a wrong, but specifically a wrong of already-obsolete 50s masculinity in the figure of Biff.

And a matter between male peers – it’s an explicit, central plot point that interrupting Biff’s attack on Lorraine with violence is how Marty’s dad becomes a proper man, who earns a happy marriage with her

A proper new-model man, not a businessman or engineer but a media creative, not a swaggering jock or cringing geek but a smooth tennis player

And then the ultimate resolution to the saga where Marty himself earns his girlfriend by giving up his hothead ways and not getting in car racing dick measuring contests, while Doc finds an intelligent professional woman to be his equal while also bearing him 2 sons

That’s pretty much the story of Gen X pop-masculinity right there