Toxic Masculinity • 4 / 6

Cry me a river.💧

From a young age, boys are taught to have a fear for tears. 

They're told to suppress their emotions and to hold their tears in, because 'big boys don't cry.' 

Whether it's from falling and getting hurt, being scared, or being sad - phrases like this are often used to get boys to toughen up and stop being upset about something. 

Other similar phrases are 'take it like a man' or 'be a man,' amongst many others. 

These phrases are very limiting and harmful. 

These phrases have a negative effect on boys' self-worth and self-image because they're taught that crying isn't masculine. 

They also stunt the emotional development in boys. 

Boys are taught that there's a very limited range of "acceptable" emotion - anger being at the top. 

Boys who are taught these traditional gender norms have a harder time opening up in relationships later in life. 

They've been taught their whole life to push down their feelings so it's painful to express their true emotions. 

They're also less likely to seek out help when they need it because that's another sign of weakness and not something "real men" do. 

I'm no expert, but last I checked crying and showing emotion is your body's natural response to certain situations — whether they're sad or happy tears — which has nothing to do with gender. 

Sometimes you just need a good cry. 

And that's okay. #itsoktocry 

Tears are healthy and normal.