Punching up or punching down, in this context, is figurative.

Punching up refers to making critiques aimed at those who hold more power, authority, or privilege in society. This approach is generally seen as targeting those "above" the speaker in the social hierarchy, such as wealthy individuals, politicians, or dominant cultural groups. The intent is to challenge or question the status quo and hold those with power accountable.

Punching down, on the other hand, involves making critiques at the expense of those who have less power, status, or privilege. This can be seen as exploiting or reinforcing existing social inequalities and is often criticized for being harmful or perpetuating stereotypes against marginalized or vulnerable groups.

The problem with these concepts with gender relations is that people assume that your punching up when you're talking about men. The assumption that men are privileged relative to women is problematic. While there are more men than women at the top, this typically represents a very small proportion of men. There are also more men at the bottom (homeless, institutionalized and incarcerated). The assumption that you are actually punching up is really difficult to justify if you look at all of the fact. Instead of punching up, it becomes justifying double standards.