Man Down

Man up! Be strong. Boys don’t cry. Never be afraid. Protect. Provide. Get ripped. Get girls. Make the first move. Be aggressive. Suppress your emotions. Swallow them. Bury them. Move on. Society creates an image of man that young boys try to fit it. Masculinity takes the form of a cage intended to keep men from exploring their whole humanity, with all that comes with it. Branding emotions as weakness and all forms of weakness as unmanly. In a society that creates a twisted, toxic masculinity and puts it on a pedestal, every man that doesn’t fit in is supposed to feel like a failure. Talking about your feelings as a man feels like walking on thin ice, always ready to break into the cold waters of emasculation. As a result, men are less likely than women to seek help when dealing with psychological issues, and more likely to die by suicide. Enough. We are connected to everything but ourselves. How can we still live our lives dictated by these outdated gender norms? Let’s stop seeing men as a monolith, and celebrate masculinity in all it’s forms. Vulnerable, loving, and teary-eyed.