Masculinity has become an unfashionable concept of late, called into question by Grayson Perry – who, recently examined its purpose for his book The Descent of Man. Earlier in the year on Channel 4, he said it was “decorative” and “counterproductive”, before adding that Bear Grylls “celebrates a masculinity that is useless”.

Such snobbery against machismo is commonplace now. From the playground to modern life, expressions of testosterone are frowned upon. “Lad culture“ is dirty and dangerous; physical fighting practically banned, with men told to "walk away" from conflict and “be the bigger man”. Now we must solve all our problems through a chat and cup of tea.

But the truth is that masculinity is useful. This primitive instinct has a protective function and – this year alone – I’ve never been more grateful for the very trait that has, and will, help nations battle against evil forces. Masculinity has, arguably, inspired immense bravery from the public.

Over time, the very existence of masculinity has been challenged. Many seem to think that it is socially constructed – make believe, even – and can be encouraged or discouraged through our everyday interactions. This is in spite of a wealth of literature that shows people are the product of nature and nurture; and by virtue of being male; the average man is gifted with a huge dollop of masculine traits at birth.

The famous men and women who aren’t afraid to speak their mind Show all 10 1 /10 The famous men and women who aren’t afraid to speak their mind The famous men and women who aren’t afraid to speak their mind Leonardo DiCaprio On climate change: 'Climate change is real, it is happening right now. It is the most urgent threat facing our entire species and we need to work collectively together and stop procrastinating.' Getty The famous men and women who aren’t afraid to speak their mind Chrissy Teigen 'I will never stop talking about how horrible Donald Trump is. Even after he loses, I will set an alert to my phone to remind me to not stop.’ Getty The famous men and women who aren’t afraid to speak their mind Nicki Minaj On the war on drugs and US prison system: “What it has become is not a war on drugs. It has become slavery. Or something crazier. When I see how many people are in jail, I feel like, ‘Wait a minute. Our government is aware of these statistics and thinks it’s OK’ The sentences are inhumane.” Christopher Polk/Getty Images for A+E Networks The famous men and women who aren’t afraid to speak their mind Emily Ratajkowski 'I am not shamed or apologetic of what my body might represent to you. It’s the body I was given. I'm no less worthy of making political points about feminism or fighting for the reclaiming of female sexuality because of it.' Andrew Toth/Getty Images The famous men and women who aren’t afraid to speak their mind Jesse Williams On racial equality: ‘Now what we've been doing is looking at the data and we know that police somehow manage to de-escalate, disarm and not kill white people every day. So what's going to happen is we are going to have equal rights and justice in our own country or we will restructure their function and ours.’ Getty The famous men and women who aren’t afraid to speak their mind Zendaya On claiming a magazine photoshopped her: ‘Had a new shoot come out today and was shocked when I found my 19 year old hips and torso quite manipulated. These are the things that make women self conscious, that create the unrealistic ideals of beauty that we have.’ Getty The famous men and women who aren’t afraid to speak their mind Jennifer Lawrence ‘I’m over trying to find the "adorable" way to state my opinion and still be likable! F**k that. I don't think I've ever worked for a man in charge who spent time contemplating what angle he should use to have his voice heard. It's just heard.' AFP/Getty Images The famous men and women who aren’t afraid to speak their mind John Legend On Black Lives Matter: 'We should not have to jump through hoops to prove black people shouldn’t be shot by police during routine traffic stops. So many people work so hard to find a reason why executing a human being during a traffic stop is ok. IT’S NOT OK.' Getty The famous men and women who aren’t afraid to speak their mind Amandla Stenberg On cultural appropriation: 'What would America be like if we loved black people as much as we loved black culture?' Getty Images The famous men and women who aren’t afraid to speak their mind Maisie Williams On feminism: “I [also] feel like we should stop calling feminists ‘feminists’ and just start calling people who aren’t feminist ‘sexist’ – and then everyone else is just human. You are either a normal person or a sexist. People get a label because they’re bad.' Chris Jackson/Getty Images

Masculinity, like many psychological phenomenons, is a spectrum thing; men differ in levels of it, as do women. Alpha males are the product of high levels of testosterone, which increases aggression. This, contrary to popular opinion, is a useful trait: it makes people brave, reactive and better in battle. Testosterone has been known to make people territorial too. Scientists have found that footballers demonstrate a substantial rise in the stuff before playing a home game. It even has important organisational structures in the male brain, and can help with spatial ability, which proves useful in combat and many other jobs.

All in all, it is great to be macho. And I wish our society celebrated, and encouraged, masculinity – instead of sneering at its expression. I blame the Perrys of this world for denying masculinity as a biological construct, and trying to mesh women and men together. The very same people who will tell you that differences make society stronger – though cannot apply it as a psychological rule. The fact is that plenty of scientific literature shows that from hormones, to cortical thickness, to strength and stamina, we vary overall.

Boys must be boys, and masculinity must be allowed to flourish, especially in this time. More than ever we are coming up against violent forces. Male traits, like aggression, clearly confer an advantage in combat. That is not to say that women cannot exhibit these characteristics; there are many who have proved remarkable in battle – the Female Fighters of Kurdistan, for instance – nor that women cannot exhibit prowess in a different way. Only that masculinity shouldn't be discouraged.

In truth, it is a great thing, that I’m increasingly indebted too. When I walked through a fight several years ago, never was I more grateful to see four macho coppers burst onto the scene; I'll never forget the man who protected me from another on a walk through Oxford Street last year. With such atrocities taking place all the time, I thank my lucky stars for the brave souls who want to stop it.