A recent Reels by online community and page Yuvaa (@WeAreYuvaa) highlighted toxic masculinity, emphasising how crucial it is for men to emote.
Men usually hear phrases like ‘men don’t cry’ and ‘mard ko dard nahi hota’, which is both constricting and restrictive.
“Earlier, I believed I shouldn’t express myself and suffered from anxiety about work till I finally took therapy. There’s a big stigma about men going for therapy because of the notion that men shouldn’t speak about their emotions,” says Yash Pise, head of business at Yuvaa and the face of this Reels.
Both sides
Till he was 23, Yash was a typical angry young man. “When you have so much anger within you, you take out your emotions by shouting because men don’t cry,” he says.
If a man tears up while watching a movie, if he wears pink, he is always judged as being less than a man, says Yash. “Even with things like taking time off from work, people say a man needs to earn or he’s weak,” he adds. “Stigmas like these can’t be removed in one day. It’s a long process to unlearn and then learn things.”
When Yash quit the job he hated, his dad took a while to understand where he was coming from. But finally he accepted his son’s decision to quit and also his need for therapy.
{{/usCountry}}When Yash quit the job he hated, his dad took a while to understand where he was coming from. But finally he accepted his son’s decision to quit and also his need for therapy.
{{/usCountry}}Gen Z for the win
“When you say you’re in therapy, people ask if you have a ‘mental bimari’. That’s perhaps the main problem in India,” says the 27-year-old.
Fortunately, Gen Z is likely to ensure that these toxic assumptions change soon. “Gen Z isn’t a rebel without a cause. They are also empathetic,” Yash explains. “When I was growing up, there was no conversation about toxic masculinity. Gen Z believes in equality at a younger age.”
Who should be the next HT Brunch Social Media Star Of The Week? Nominate using the hashtag #BrunchSocialMediaStarOTW or email htbrunch@hindustantimes.com
Follow @kkuenzang on Twitter and Instagram
From HT Brunch, January 16, 2022
Follow us on twitter.com/HTBrunch
Connect with us on facebook.com/hindustantimesbrunch