It’s not a surprise that men probably feel as though they can’t exhibit emotion like us women do. If watching a football game, you might see a manager shout ‘man the fuck up Jimmy, ya wee shite’ (imagine this being said in a Scottish accent) across the pitch, to a young boy who can feel a surge of tears coming on. Whereas, perhaps in the same situation, a young girl player might be offered a shoulder to cry on if she were to hurt herself.

 

No questions asked really is it? It’s as if society has created this idea of gender. Males are to be robust, both physically and mentally. And if they’re not? Well then they’re a pussy, of course.

 

A YouGov survey from 2015, indicates that women do actually cry more. With some who took part in the survey, admitting they had cried at least once a day in the past 12 months. In comparison to men, who cry significantly less as they age.  

 

Well, visualize this. A man (let’s call him Dave) feels as though he cannot unveil his anguish. Dave keeps his tears and worries to himself, and wears an untroubled mask to work, family occasions etc. People around him are none of the wiser. Until Dave stops going to work, stops keeping in touch with his loved ones. He can’t wear his mask anymore.

 

In the UK, there was 6639 suicides in 2015 according to statistics from Samaritans.  Male suicides were 3 times higher than the female suicide rate, with the majority of the men being 40-44 years old.

 

With this being said, is it not time to say fuck gender stereotypes, let us all stand together and cry and talk about our problems, no matter how big or small? If you are worried about somebody, speak to them before it is too late. Even though you might judge their shoes as they might not be to your taste, you haven’t walked an inch in them.

 

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