Hey guys, it’s Sarah. The past week or so, I couldn’t help but notice a pattern (a patten that I once never gave much thought to, apparently) and that is the immense lack of emotions shown by men. This is something I fail to understand and I’m sure I’m not alone here. Now this is something I simply cannot stop thinking about. Because I’m a girl who doesn’t have the emotional range of a teaspoon? Maybe.
But I feel (see? I’m already showing the emotion here) it’s bigger. Let’s dive right in. It’s time for some straight talk.
The fear of being judged is by far the biggest reason men feel the need to hide their emotions. Apparently, they fear the more vulnerable they are, the less masculine they will appear. I, for one, simply do not understand the logic in that statement. In fact, I have recently challenged my best guy friend to express himself freely, saying aloud what he’s feeling, regardless of whether or not, God forbid, someone will overhear and step on his masculinity trait.
One study found that women cry five times as often as men.
I find this to be very believable based on my personal experience alone.
I don’t need to confirm this study comes from a legit source (even though I did) to acknowledge men show emotions differently.
So, why do they? Well for one, we can blame society, people, and media. When’s the last time you watched a film where a boy crying was taught to “toughen up”? I would assume holding back tears and hiding true feelings would ultimately lead to ‘’bottling up’’ emotions. Truth be told, I recently asked a male friend of mine his take on all of this bologna. Interesting enough, he went on to explain not only is it difficult to show emotion or cry, sometimes it’s a matter of not knowing how.
There’s also the fact that men (like women) are complex creatures and extremely hard to read. I mean c’mon, It can’t just be my superb lack of social understanding. The whole “men are simple” statement can take a seat in the back.
So listen up men- don’t be afraid. Don’t be intimidated to show your real, authentic emotions. Shed a tear when your asshole roommate won’t give you a break. Cry it out after that heart wrenching movie that you now regret paying for. Because guess what? Your feelings matter and they are just as valid as the girl sitting next to you.
And as far as me and anyone else trying to understand and make sense of it all, let’s stop trying to understand everything. Some things aren’t meant to be understood, just accepted.
