[Sinbi Kim]

• “A man cries only three times in his lifetime.” This is what most men are told in my country. There is a tendency to dismiss men’s emotional expression as embarrassing. Why is that? Why must men hide their feelings to stay “manly enough.” 

 

Tears were a symbol of weakness. Because of this, there were men who had been carrying the unbearable weight for too long on their shoulders but still couldn’t shed tears. Despite being kicked and pushed from place to place, even if they wanted to be comforted and rely on someone, they had to walk around with an uncomfortable expression like a person suffering from constipation without even crying.

 

This is only some of the things that men are deprived of. What is wrong with men expressing how they feel? According to Berkley’s report, regardless of whether gender differences in adult behavior arise from conscious or unconscious psychological processes, one thing is clear: Boys grow up in a world inhabited by a narrower range of emotions, one in which their experiences of anger are noticed, inferred, and potentially even cultivated. This leaves other emotions—particularly the more vulnerable emotions—sorely ignored or missing in their growing minds.

 

I will leave this with a quote to think about. “Boys grow up in a world inhabited by a narrower range of emotions” ―Dr. June Gruber and Dr. Jessica Borelli

 

Have you experienced it yourself? Did you notice this often? What do you think about this quote?

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