When we tell someone to 'Man up' we’re also telling them there’s such a thing. But who decides what a real man is? And why?
What would happen if we stopped trying to define what a 'real man' is?
The reality is, men can be a lot of things.
Sure, the old idea of being ‘manly’ might be one of them, but it’s not all of them.
That idea comes from years of men being told how to act.
But there are so many ways to be a man.
What Are The Typical Traits Of A Man
Men can be kind, generous, sporty, respectful, proud, funny, musical, smart, vulnerable, creative, poetic, or whatever.
They can be happy, courageous, strong, sad, confident, scared, or literally just however they choose to be.
When you hear about this idea that you should ‘Man up’, you’re really just hearing a tired old idea that men are supposed to act in a certain way.
But that keeps you in a box, stops you from doing things you enjoy, and restricts what you’re capable of.
Instead of trying to figure out what a supposed real man is, and then putting pressure on ourselves to live up to that, we could just think about what sort of human we want to be.
Next time somebody says ‘Man up’, despite the pressure you might be feeling to do it, you can try to ignore it and do what makes you personally happy instead.
