Toxic masculinity has new faces everywhere, every day. Trump, Putin, Orbán, Bolsonaro—weird figures who became global role models. Their ranks grow daily, including women like Giorgia Meloni and Alice Weidel, who embrace their brand of machismo. Even tech leaders Musk and Zuckerberg(!) now champion this “lost legacy” of virile energy, claiming society needs its return.
Reasons for pessimism abound. Yet art has delivered an essential message through a pivotal moment Italian culture has just experienced.
Sanremo Festival transcends a mere music competition. Italy’s cultural heartbeat draws over 10 million viewers and captures more than 60% of the market share. It sparks conversations, launches memes, and drives social media trends. Its performances, fashion statements, and inevitable controversies set the rhythm of Italian life for one week. Sanremo shapes our national identity.
At the 2025 edition, one artist, in particular, captured the country’s heart. Lucio Corsi, a curious mix of David Bowie and Elton John, took the stage with a song about Fragility. And captivated a nation.
His song Volevo essere un duro (“I Wanted to Be a Badass”) emerged as an anthem. And his choices amplified his message beyond his powerful lyrics. During the festival’s duet night, rather than partnering with a celebrity to boost votes, Corsi innovated. He sang the classic Nel blu dipinto di blu with Topo Gigio, the beloved puppet that enchanted Italian childhood.
The public embraced him, yet he missed out on first place by 0.4% to the winner, Olly. In the aftermath, the public crowned him the moral champion, and his message of gentleness reached straight to young hearts.
This was his true triumph.
Through Lucio Corsi, I glimpse Hope. Hope that new generations will break free from a stubborn past. A past, now present, ruled by populist “strongmen” who preach force and control as universal answers. Who feed on resentment and praise brutality for “greater causes.”
What these leaders miss is their own absurdity. They will stand far weaker to the future generations than the multiple and extraordinary Lucios, who will hopefully come.
