– Ishani Kapur, XII
Real Men don’t cry – a stereotypical mindset that restricts men to express themselves since it is believed that crying would make them look meek, afraid and submissive, still exists in the patriarchal society we live in. But why is that? Are they not human beings? Isn’t being vulnerable at times a form of strength?
This thought process begins from a very young age when knowingly or unknowingly adults stop boys from crying and give remarks like “Be a man”, “Don’t behave like a cry baby”, “Are you a girl or what? “These types of thoughts get ingrained in boys from the very beginning and they make it a practice to not cry in public as it would be seen as a sign of weakness. A lot of people still believe in this way of thinking but in my opinion, these are pointless statements that put constraints on men to vocally express what they are feeling. In fact, in contrast to this, I believe that being vulnerable is a sign of strength that shows that we are after all creatures with normal emotions. For instance, recently, the tennis GOAT, Roger Federer played his last match at the Laver Cup in London and being in a professional set up for one last time made him very emotional and he started crying. He didn’t fear anybody. He emoted what he felt like and I feel this was because of the way he was raised. He was taught to be free, to express himself which reflected in his game too and this is what makes him special isn’t it?
Let’s change our way of thinking because emotions are what make us humans different and unique. Irrespective of gender, one should make it a point to express what one is feeling because that would not only help others to understand what’s going on but will also help a person to be free and after a point detach from what happened and move on. This could be the basis of overcoming our mental issues.