Some moments in life you are so overcome with emotion that you can’t help but tear up. The first time you lose a sports championship in school, the disappointment can be too much to bear. On the other hand, the moment you hold the trophy in your hand — a result of hours and hours of practice and hard work — you shed tears of well-deserved joy. As you grow up, there are only more of these moments to cherish, or to look back and learn from. Think of the day when you cleared your SATs, when you graduated from college, when you held your baby in your arms for the first time...
But did you end up crying at these moments or did you bottle up the emotions? Men, sometimes, lose out on living life to the fullest because “men don’t cry”. That crying is a sign of weakness has become an enduring male stereotype that has been passed down generations.
Thankfully, today the conversation is changing. Many male role models are setting healthier examples for the current generations of men. Take, for example, Sachin Tendulkar — one of the most prolific cricketers in the world — who talked about how shedding tears in front of the nation made him feel more human.
6 years ago, I remember crying in front of the nation. Shedding tears made me feel human, made me feel complete. Tears only make us stronger. This film by @GilletteIndia is #ShavingStereotypes about being #ManEnough. pic.twitter.com/iaMXlp1upE
— Sachin Tendulkar (@sachin_rt) November 19, 2019
It’s a welcome change, after all why should men be denied the many benefits of crying? When men are encouraged to express their pain through tears, it can change lives.
Take recent ad film by Gillette which brought forth the real life story of Lt Col MK Sinha SM (Retd), a gallantry medal awardee who was grievously injured in battle. Watch his incredible, and heartening, road to recovery in the video below.
As the video above shows, Lt Col MK Sinha (Retd) found a real breakthrough in his recovery when his father, who is his biggest hero, encouraged him to shed a few tears. His biggest learnings from his ordeal was that, “showing what you really feel doesn’t make you less of a man.” Today as a part of their Achiever’s Academy, Gillette is paving the way for a new understanding of manliness and strength. In Colonel Sinha’s own words, “men can cry, even soldiers can cry.”
This is a partnered post.
This is a partnered post with #shavingstereotypes.