Fictional men telling you it's okay to have emotions and struggle is appealing because real men do not typically speak about these values. Boys are constantly surrounded by a maelstrom of toxic masculinity. Anything that helps them cultivate a positive inner voice and healthy self image is fine by me.
I wish they would honestly stop with the Toxic masculinity and gender stereotypes, boys can and should be kind and compassionate and also be taught that self care is important, not be scolded for doing these things. Strange that we live in a world where being a boy who takes care of themselves causes you to get shit for it.
Luckily things seem to be changing for the better in recent times.
Not without substantial pushback but we're shifting in the correct direction
And to those that think it only comes from men, I've been in the receiving end of that kind of crap from both men and women in my life.
And to those that need to hear it, sometimes you have to cut your relatives out of your life because of their toxicity. Be they your parents, your grandparents, or even your siblings. It hurts, but you will be happier without them constantly being toxic to you.
And to those that think it only comes from men, I’ve been in the receiving end of that kind of crap from both men and women in my life.
I've gotten it from both, especially teachers in school. "Riley why are you crying, see this is what I'm telling you, you're clearly not a boy, boys don't cry that much". My school was interesting because they were trying to be ""trans-inclusive"" but ended up pushing toxic gender stereotypes onto people.
They also were enbyphobic too (didn't believe in or care about NonBinary gender).