Really, since when does crying make a man less of a man? Emma Watson questioned the idea that, for generations, taught many boys that showing sadness, fear, or vulnerability was something they had to hide in order to appear “strong”.
The actress spoke about the subject in 2015, during a conversation for International Women’s Day held at Facebook’s London headquarters, as part of her HeForShe campaign for UN Women. There, she explained that gender inequality also affects men, especially when they are expected to repress what they feel.
“It troubles me, this idea that men can’t cry. They can’t express themselves, they can’t talk about how they really feel”, Watson said, before summarizing it in a very simple idea: being able to express emotions “is what makes you human, not what makes you a girl”.
Because crying should never be understood as a lack of strength, much less as something exclusive to women. Feeling fear, sadness, emotion, or simply needing to let it out is part of being human. Perhaps it’s time to leave behind that old “men don’t cry” idea that so often ends up teaching them to stay silent precisely when they most need to speak. ❤️
