Ian Marine “Is the Mask of Masculinity Necessary? ” What is the mask of masculinity? It’s not a macho man mask used in a wrestling match. It’s definitely not a Halloween mask or a football helmet. For those of you who don’t know, the mask of masculinity is the mask boys and men wear to call themselves a man. It’s the mask that men hide behind, the mask that they don’t want taken off to reveal what is really going on inside. However, this mask is not a necessity. You are reading about the cause and effect that this masculine mask holds ND my proposal to change the way we as boys or men deal with insecurities or emotions.

Now everyone has had those traumatizing days where you Just feel like running away from the world and curling up into a ball in a small dark room to evade all your problems with emotional distress or maybe Just an issue that’s been bothering you for quite some time now. I want to express how important it is to talk to our children at a young age to instill in their minds that it is k to be emotional, it is k to cry, and it is k to discuss problems of insecurities or problems from school, eke a bully, an instructor or a counselor.

We’ve all been victims of the infamous line from the boys, “Everything is fine, there is nothing going on with me that you need to concern yourself with. ” Young boys are famous for this line or something along the same meaner, when we are young and in our youth we tend to wear the mask of masculinity that our fathers wear. If no father is present then we seem to branch out to the closest male figure in our childhood and that becomes the man or men we carry alongside us for the rest of our lives.

Speaking from experience I have bottled up emotions and in all honesty, it hasn’t allowed me to ever deal with them. I would sort of Just, well, shrug them to the side and carry on. I myself have been guilty of the infamous line, “leave me alone I’m fine. ” I even found myself turning to alcohol in excess because I was unable to cope. I used the alcohol to hide from everything, but when I would wake up in the morning, the problem would still be there. Not only would it be there, but it would be there with a vengeance; almost like a splinter lodged in so deep that it wouldn’t be movable.

I also found that when I felt pressed to discuss an issue, I would stray away and avoid it even more. It pushed me far from my comfort zone and I really felt uneasy. It created a vicious cycle that had followed me for so many years. I avoided it, lied about it, brushed it aside and that had haunted me until I began talking to people about my emotional issues. Instead of using a crutch to get us through we need to discuss these problems with a trusted source. I see the mask as being that crutch and in my experience the mask as well as the alcohol was the mask.

For me it started as a child and I think that is the crucial part of our lives that we absorb things like a sponge. It is this part of our lives that need the most attention, the time for listening, the time tort no Judgment and the time to allow chi Eider to express themselves trebly without having the feeling of insecurity or feeling like it contradicts the mask of masculinity that men wear. It is strongly recommended that we pay close attention to detour the youth from this mask that interferes with our emotional state of being.

It is far better to discuss NY problem or emotion at hand rather than to hold on to it allowing it to grow into an inevitably bigger problem which in the end will erupt like a volcano filled with emotions. The emotions could be anger, sadness, depression, insecurity issues, and in some cases, unfortunately it’s violence. This mask of masculinity is absurd and I find it to be detrimental to the youth in today’s society. When we are young and brought into believing that men should not cry, or men are big and strong and men are tough guys, men have no feelings we are being misled.

Now don’t get me wrong, men are physical and yes, they are the macho of the two genders walking around today but men do have emotions Just as well as women. Men however, hide behind the mask to keep the title of being masculine. Vive given my perspective on the matter along with my own personal experiences and I can conclude that it is not necessary for men to show no mercy, no fear, and no emotion and Just hide it all behind the title of masculinity. This so called mask only hides us from the truth and it leads to bigger problems if it is left unspoken of.