As far back as I can remember I have always heard little boys being told that men don't cry. If boys got upset about something they were called sissy and a host of other unflattering names. Boys and girls alike were thought that real men didn't express emotions probably didn't have them either. Men aren't as emotional as women they suck it up.
My uncle is a fireman. Big, strong, tough. There was a picture of him on the front page of the newspaper once a fire blazing behind him, he's in full uniform and in his arms he's carrying an old lady out of the burning building. The caption for the picture was "Granny's Hero" the word hero was huge. He's my favourite uncle and has always been a hero to me. He rode a motorcycle when I was younger. He is a man of few words. A man's man. I have seen him cry.
I was 11 or 12 and it scared me a little. I knew he had a gentle side, this is the guy who took me to the dentist and held my hand when everyone before him had already thrown up their hands. I always felt brave with him. So to see him him that broken was hard. His wife and unborn child had died from complications. I can look back now and see how strong he actually was. He didn't suck in his grief and pretend away his pain. He didn't choose a destructive path abandoning the 2 year old who had just lost his mother. He stepped up even when I'm sure he would have rather disappeared for a while.
What re your examples of masculinity, see what everyone else has to say. Visit Morgan for the link-up.
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