It’s been a topic on my mind lately and I want dot get the input and insight from Reece Anderson who works deep in the space of self-leadership and mental health.
Though there appears to have been a positive shift in the space of mental health especially surrounding men’s mental health. It would seem that there is work to be done and I cannot help but feel that how we define masculinity does not positively influence the outcomes of mental health for a lost of men.
Often, when we think of masculinity, we think of ‘manly men’. You know, the ones that don’t cry. The men who don’t display emotion. The men who show their emotion through lifting weights, playing sports, being brash in the pub watching their favourite sports after playing their favourite sports. We think of violence and brawls in bars. We think of male temper tantrums as a result of insufficient skills in articulating emotions. We think of the words, terms and phrases “You run like a girl; don’t be a girl; don’t be a pussy; real men don’t cry; harden the fuck up” etc.
Although we are now seeing more men expressing their emotion and even letting out a few tears and a good cry on social media, we are yet to define masculinity that encapsulates an element of softness. We are yet to embrace masculinity as a trait that also seeks to provide and protect, share and invite, create warmth and kindness whilst expressing emotion all the same.
I so appreciate Reece’s inputs and wisdom on the topic and I feel it’s a conversation that society needs to continue to have so that we can have a spectrum on masculinity and definitions of which feel like a good fit for all men.
