Dear society, men can cry
We live in a society where men are pictured as strong and powerful. We are living in the age of feminism where as soon as a man breaks down, we don’t even take a second to call him feminine. Living in a patriarchal society, our upbringing has taught us that since men have to protect their families, they have to be strong. This idea, if not directly, then in a subliminal way, has taught us that men have to be strong and emotionless beings because expressing emotions in form of crying is considered weak. I want to ask, "Aren't men human?" If girls can cry, then why not guys? Why do we restrict them from showing their emotions?
Our country is free from British slavery but is still a slave of stigmas and taboos. We stand for equality and yet don't preach the same. Why do we tell our boys from the very beginning to suppress their emotions? They are told not to cry because nobody would like to see a boy crying. Not showing emotions is a part of the gender roles assigned to men by society. Gradually, boys start to negate their feelings and when they do so, their feelings start to bottle up inside them which kills them from within. But they cannot cry it out because they are told "Men don't cry".
Real men do cry. Real men do feel. Real men talk and grieve and walk with vulnerable hearts instead of clenched-tight ones.
If we allow our boys to cry and express their emotions there will be less of aggression in men and it will ultimately help to solve social issues like domestic violence, increasing cases of suicides etc. Why do we see crying as a sign of weakness? What we need to understand is that it is mere a way to express oneself. It makes one stronger, and helps one stand strongly to face things.
Women are more comfortable in conveying their emotions because society accepts them to be emotional. On the other hand, a man crying is an alien concept for society. If people see a man crying, they will mock him, make fun of him and sort of ostracise him. We need to understand that the idea of suppressing emotions is not at all manly, it is harmful.
This is high time to make a brave new world. A world where boys stand with an emotional vocabulary they aren’t terrified to use, where boys honor and value their emotional lives as rich windows to their souls, where boys unclench those precious, magnificent hearts.
Where men can be real men. So let's break this taboo and set ourselves free from it.
MEN CAN CRY AND STILL BE MEN.
Author - Akansha Jain
akansha2198@gmail.com
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