This post is a recommended read! As someone who is majoring in psychology, I have taken classes that focus specifically on gender differences as a result of societal expectations and how harmful these expectations can be. I absolutely love creating an atmosphere that openly discusses the impact that “masculinity” can have on the way a man decides to portray emotion. Cheers to eliminating the perpetuation of toxic masculinity.
I wasn’t too keen on the exercise that I found myself participating in. To begin with, this was a new set of men that I had just acquainted myself with a few weeks prior. But there I found myself, staring eye to eye with a guy that I barely even knew. At that moment, all I knew is that I wanted to hug him…. and that simple desire brought me more shame than I had felt in a long time.
The exercise wasn’t the least bit complex. In fact, I didn’t expect it to trigger the emotions that it did. Yet at that moment, I felt safe and grateful, and I wanted to hug him…. and I wasn’t sure how to feel about that.
I had run across information about Everyman (a group that helps destigmatize men’s emotional processes and vulnerability) earlier that year on Instagram. Throughout my life, I…
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