Sizzling steaks and manly molds: Exploring the meanings of meat and masculinities in young men's lives.

Eating (red) meat and masculinity are historically and culturally associated, leading to the stereotype "real men eat meat" in western societies. Existing literature primarily examines men's motivations, justifications, and attitudes toward meat consumption; however, there is limited understanding of the themes that emerging adult men associate with their meat consumption and how these themes relate to their masculine identity. This study employed semi-structured interviews with thirty men aged 18 to 29, living in Flanders, Belgium.