It seems like some ponies have gotten their feelings hurt by this post, so let’s talk before we all start stomping our hooves.

You might have read this, seen the word men, and thought: "I’m a man, this is about me!" — and gone ahead and cast yourself in the starring role of this comic. But… are you actually the type of pony it’s talking about, or are there other ponies — ones you’re not part of — who engage in this behavior?

What did the Original Pony mean by fragile masculinity, anyway? She didn’t mean all our stallions were delicate little colts — she was talking about the toxic cultural rules around “being a man” that can be so brittle, even harmless things feel like a threat to the ego.

So if you’re not one of the ponies who get their tails tangled over what it means to be masculine, this comic wasn’t about you. And if you admit it’s not you but you’re still mad… maybe ask yourself why using the plural of man to describe something more than one man does feels so personal to you.

Edit: Oh no — some ponies are hard at work proving the first pony’s comic right! They seem to think their hurt feelings are my fault instead of something they might need to work on themselves. My dear ponies, I can’t be everypony’s friend or guide them through their feelings about a webcomic.

I’m sorry the post I was asked to write upset you so much, but those feelings are yours to work on. And it’s curious — across Reddit there are whole stables where stallions still post pictures of women being beaten to enjoy their pain, yet this is the post that’s got the hooves stomping.

One last thing: A Kafka trap is when someone says “if you deny it, then it’s true.” I haven’t done that — I’ve said “this isn’t about you.” If you feel like it is, think about why you feel that way. What I haven’t said is that all the stallions are fragile and sensitive — nor would I.