Everybody has their niche in society. Everybody has a role to play, and men are no different. For centuries, men have been depicted as strong, emotionless protectors who are meant to sacrifice for the greater good of the family. However, times have changed, and some of those depictions might also have changed as well. We asked Mayfair students their thoughts on the societal norms that men face on a day to day basis, mainly whether they should always provide (mainly for a first date) as well as if they are able to shed a tear every now and again.
Men have always been depicted as providers, and for the most part our interviewees would agree with this. According to our interviewees, men should be the ones to provide on the first date, as well as other dates due to the concept of men being providers. However, one of our interviewees made an interesting point: the one who organizes the date should be the one who pays, which wouldn’t perpetually shift the responsibility onto one side of the relationship.
While men have been depicted as strong and persevering no matter the circumstances, sometimes it’s nice to be able to shed a tear from time to time, and many of our interviewees agreed with this statement. While some stayed strong with the emotionless, strong man image, most said that there are times where a man should be able to release their emotions rather than bottling them up, which could have even worse consequences. From a young age, men are taught that emotions like sadness shouldn’t be felt and that they should be suppressed. This flawed teaching is what has led to the classic “angry men” stereotype, as since men are never taught how to properly manage feelings of sadness, it surfaces as anger, which may have negative consequences on oneself and those around you.
Many say that men have it easy, and while I am not trying to win an argument, hopefully this has opened your eyes to the things that men face in their day to day lives.
Image Courtesy: Wikimedia Commons
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