The Life of Legendary MASH* Actor Alan Alda

The essay fit Alda’s public support for feminism and the Equal Rights Amendment. To supporters, “testosterone poisoning” worked as a satirical way to criticize rigid ideas about masculinity and the damage they could cause.

But the phrase also made him controversial among critics who saw it as an attack on men. Instead of fading as a magazine joke, it followed him as shorthand for both his feminist reputation and the backlash that came with it.