Women have always been called hysterical for crying over things and men have always been told to ‘man up’ if they even let a single tear escape their eyes. We are human beings and having feelings like experiencing grief, happiness e.t.c is normal. So what if a person is bawling their eyes out at a movie? Isn’t it supposed to invoke an emotional response out of you? It just means the creators did a good job and doesn’t reflect anything about your emotional state.
However, men are always put down when they show even a hint of emotion while expressing anger in violent ways is seen as manly. I have seen men punching walls, throwing things around when they get angry instead of addressing them in a healthy way. Most of the time, it is because they have been conditioned to react that way and don’t know a better way.
The following story just goes to show how young a person can be when this sort of brainwashing starts and how it can negatively affect their future. Rather than helping them, these men become emotionally stunted in the long run.
Source: Facebook
I’m a phlebotomist, almost all I do all day is drawing blood. I don’t know if the woman was his mother, aunt, sister, etc for sure as I don’t like to assume stuff like that without knowing for sure. But during the blood draw the kid did a really good job of holding it together. I hope my words helped him. He seemed to light up a bit after but was still visibly nervous even after it was all done.
I definitely see feminism as a force that wants to allow men to be who they are and to form emotional bonds without stigmas. And yes, I think this has really negative consequences for all genders. It’s absolutely important to understand that boys and men are victims of s**ual a**ault. And it’s crucial to understand that most perpetrators, are men themselves. It all leads to a pretty bad place. -Lyra Balearica
Hopefully, with times we get to see a change in society when it comes to toxic masculinity but we still have a long way to go.