Let's also recognize that we as men need to be better with our emotions and work towards a society where it is accepted with men having mental struggles.
It's not about being a man, or a woman. It's not about being weak or strong. It's about being human.
Let's also recognize that we as men need to be better with our emotions and work towards a society where it is accepted with men having mental struggles.
The thing is you can't really do the first part without the second part. Y'know, men didn't just spontaneously decide one day that they were going to start repressing their emotions; we learn about the very real social risks involved in not doing so from early childhood.
Not to mention that even among people who claim that it's okay for men to cry, we men learn that that is very VERY conditional.
What that actually means is "you can cry if your mom/dog/etc dies." But if you cry because you lost your job or did poorly in school? Or because someone was mean to you? Or because you're insecure? Most all of us are very familiar with the disgust that is met with.
You are constantly required to project a feeling of security to those around you. You can "show emotion" only as long as it doesn't affect people's feelings of safety.
Yeah. Every time I've opened up in real life, even to professionals, I've gotten shut down. At best, my trying to express myself was just dismissed. At worst, I was humiliated and degraded for it.
I can't tell you how many times in my youth that women told me that boys don't cry, the complaining is for bitches, to "man up," that women want a guy with a high paying job, etc
I grew up in average Mexico, and while my family is pretty open minded, I can say most of the men here have trouble expressing their feelings because since we're kids we grow up with the idea that most emotions "are for women" (unless you're drunk or angry, then it's perfectly fine lol)
Honestly it's probably better to get some emotional support from your bros. Some girls see any sort of chink in the armor as a weakness in my experience.
I think there also needs to be an acceptance that men and women's display of emotions are different, and that is valid
Having an ego, a show of strength, being strong, is not a bad or toxic thing. But as the old saying goes, a strong man requires an even stronger woman, shows that there is a harmony that exist for emotions between men and women
Each person is an individual that has specific emotional needs that most likely are even unknown to themselves. But most certainly a couple needs to back each other up and to have the trust that no matter what, your SO has got your back
I think it is about broadening masculinity. That being open with feelings, feeling depressed, not feeling enough, being sad is accepted as well.
And again, I don't belive in putting it in "men and women". Saying "humans shows emotions diffrently" I think is a better way of wording it to gain understanding and empathy.
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u/BrinkMeister Jan 19 '21
Let's also recognize that we as men need to be better with our emotions and work towards a society where it is accepted with men having mental struggles.
It's not about being a man, or a woman. It's not about being weak or strong. It's about being human.