People Hating On A Picture Of A Dad And His Son Get Shut Down Big Time
Toxic masculinity. Let's talk about it. For what seems like forever, there has been this kind of stigma against men being emotional and open with themselves and who they are. They have to fit this kind of mold of a manly man, red-blooded, not really close to anyone.
We've somehow tricked ourselves into thinking that violence is a good way to know if someone is powerful, that expressing emotions is weakness, and that we, men especially, have to present this kind of hardness.
When You Say It Out Loud, It Seems Dumb, Right?
Like, it's gotten to a point where men and women are going to make fun of a guy for wanting to order a fruity drink at the bar, which is stupid because they're delicious.
So very delicious.
Like, Do We Really Need Powerful Yogurt?
Do we need to live in a world where even the food we eat has to be gendered so that men don't feel like their masculinity is threatened because they wanted to eat some yogurt?
I don't think we do.
Do We Need Man-Sized Tissues?
It's wild that these are just things about living in the world that we don't even think twice about.
We just see it and assume that it's normal, but it's so far from that.
Sometimes, We Forget How Deep The Issue Goes
When you think about it, the issue is so much deeper than gendered products and not being able to drink a hurricane.
It affects the way that men relate to one another and the people in their lives who love them.
Eric Owens Posted This Picture On Facebook And Faced Serious Backlash
It's a collection of pictures of him and his son who still loves to get curled up with his dad at the age of 18.
There should be nothing wrong with this. It's just love and affection between a father and son.
Of Course, Facebook Had Issues
People were saying that this kind of affection wouldn't be a problem if it was between a mother and a daughter because women are just more emotional...
There are issues with that, too, but here we are.
Others Refused To Believe This Is Bonding
Some people were so offended by this show of affection that they refused to accept that this was bonding in any way because they weren't doing anything.
Are they supposed to only bond while working on cars? Hunting? Talking about girls? Please.
There Is Just A Lot Wrong With This One
I don't know many women who like to grab each other by the hair and slap each other's butts, but this person clearly has a very skewed idea of how people interact with one another.
Hopefully, she was taught proper manners after!
Of Course, Not Everyone Was So Critical
Thank goodness there were people in the comments who were pointing out that there was nothing wrong with this expression of love between father and son.
In fact, it should be normal.
Some Reflected On How They Wish They'd Experienced This
Living in a world where you can't show the kind of connection and love you feel for your family to them is a really sad world to live in.
Not everyone is so lucky.
A Similar Debate Erupted On Twitter
Sons and fathers rallied in the comments to share their most precious memories of these moments with their loved ones with no shame and not worrying about how manly it made them.
I'm not crying, you're crying!
There Were Tons Of Photos
You can see in these pictures the joy that comes from fostering that relationship and not being afraid to be open and emotional with one another.
It's a beautiful thing.
Look At The Love In His Eyes
Hopefully, these boys will grow up to be men who are more well-rounded in their emotions and will therefore make better friends and partners, and solidify those bonds they have with family.
They definitely will.
Love The Matching Shirts
We've come a long way in changing the way society thinks about men and masculinity.
We still have a lot of work to do, and we should try to do it together.
That Looks Like A Great Hug
It was only two years ago that the American Psychological Association released its first guidelines on how to help men who have been taught to conform to these ideas of masculinity.
Better late than never!
It's Important To Celebrate Successes
We go through so many things in life that we should be proud of and so many things that are going to make us sad.
The last thing anyone should worry about is how leaning on the people you love is going to look.
It's Nice To Be Believed In, Isn't It?
It doesn't just end with showing love to families.
These cultural lessons put boys at risk for troubles at school, discipline issues, and even issues as terrible as addiction and heart disease.
What's So Terrible About This?
That dad is looking at his son so lovingly. We should be so lucky to have that kind of support in our lives.
The kind of love that watches and supports.
This Picture Will Be A Treasured Memory
We simply need to start by talking about it more and not shying away from those tough conversations that we need to have with the people in our life about toxic masculinity.
Toxic masculinity is NOT okay.
Let People Love Their Dads!
There should be no shame in a man posting a picture of his son, grown or young, loving his dad in a way that's tangible and emotional and open, don't you think?
This is perfect love between a father and a son.
