What Does it Mean to Be “Men Enough”?

Justin Baldoni’s Ted Talk is one of the best I’ve seen lately, and it touches a very important topic: the mask of masculinity.

I am fortunate enough to have many good male friends, to whom I can talk about anything I want to and just be myself without wearing a mask.

But it’s not a common situation. And it hasn’t been always like this either.

Our society often promotes and cherishes the image of an ideal man that is physically strong, emotionally tough, dominant, goal-oriented and highly competitive.

All traits that I’ve never really related too much to, whereas I’ve always been more familiar with more feminine traits such as thoughtfulness, empathy and vulnerability.

Growing up, I struggled with that part of myself.

It didn’t allow me to fit in the alpha male character in many situations, so I used to be ashamed about it.

I used to think it was my greatest weakness. Until I realized it was my greatest strength.

Vulnerability is indeed the source of true courage, creativity, healthy relationships and many other beautiful things about life.

So I made peace with my feminine energy and I stopped believing in genders: the idea of a separation between “men” and “women” is very limiting.

I believe that each one of us is made of a different mix of both feminine and masculine energy, and we should embrace our balance fully, as it has been given to us.

Still too many of us are trapped by wearing masks on one or the other side of the spectrum, repressing parts of ourselves just to fit in the image we have been sold about how we should or shouldn’t behave or look like.

These masks are heavy to carry and they have no purpose but reinforcing a cultural illusion.

Let’s drop them together by having this conversation! 👊