It’s Okay To Feel

The definition of the word ’emasculated’ is; “a man deprived of his male role or identity”. But what is a mans true ‘identity?’ A massive issue throughout society is that men struggle to connect with their emotions as they feel it emasculates them. Not every man, but majority of them.

Above, we have an Advertisement from a man named Patrick Huang. It is advertising his idea about a “crying gym” for men as men struggle with opening up and being vulnerable with their emotions. Men have been constructed by society to put a wall up and protect the people around them, whilst doing this they are constantly hiding their true emotions and pushing their feelings aside. This then creates an even bigger issue … men don’t open up and speak their true emotions. We have all this talk about feminism, which I understand, but what about men?

I’m the type of person to ask anyone, any question, at any time. That’s just who I am. I’ve always asked my guy mates why they find it so hard to open up and the response I get is almost identical every time. “If I open up, then people can hurt me. If I hide my emotions then I don’t have to care about anything unless I know it’s worth it.” This I understand completely but it gets to a point where they aren’t expressing their emotions so much that they end up not even knowing how to feel anymore.

My ex boyfriend once said to me “you will never see me cry, no matter how upset I am. I’m a boy, what else do you expect?” I never understood why he thought like this. Just because he was a boy, he couldn’t cry in front of me? What logic is that? Then it clicked, he thought it would make him look less ‘strong’ and more vulnerable. This is the sad truth hidden in this Advertisement.

Over many years, society has conformed men into a certain stereotype. Men have to put on a brave face and hide their emotions. This stereotype has destroyed so many mens lives, it has stopped men from communicating. In fact, in 2017, 75% of individuals who died by suicide were all men. If this doesn’t prove something, then I don’t know what does.

I think that it is a massive issue, that men struggle with talking about their emotions. We are all human and have a right to be emotional. I always say that I am not an emotional person, because I know I’m not. But at the end of the day if something is affecting me I will always go and talk it out to my best friend because sometimes I just need to get things off my chest. This is something that very few men in my life do. It really is a sad reality because no matter who the individual is, if they are in my life, I will always be there to talk too. Men just need to start communicating more.

This Advertisement shows multiple meanings. It shows that men need to begin to openly connect with their emotions. But the underlying message is the stereotype that society has constructed for men, which is that if they show their emotions then they will be emasculated. This stereotype shows how society conforms individuals, which negatively affects the lives of many.

It’s the 21st Century, everyone is pushing boundaries and questioning norms within society. So, to any man that needs to hear this right now, you have every right to open up and connect with your emotions.

Be You, R.