Many women do not fully comprehend the depth of men’s emotions. The modern mainstream narrative has reduced men to little more than primitive beasts. This is a tragically reductive and insulting perspective, for it forgets that men are humans too - beneath their strong exterior lies a profound well of emotion. Some of the greatest love letters and poetry in history were penned by men. The fact that men have expressed such tender feelings privately with those they felt safe with, demonstrates what is possible when emotional vulnerability is met with acceptance.
Our modern society remains far from compassionate towards male emotions. From birth, men are told to "man up", "keep it together", and that "boys don’t cry". Rarely are they allowed to explore healthy forms of emotional expression. For many men, articulating their feelings becomes an alien concept after being repeatedly signalled that such expression is "wrong" - especially in forms that feel natural to them. Now, our supposedly "progressive" world demands emotional transparency - but only in forms deemed acceptable by society’s standards. This is not true acceptance. Social media may praise men for crying but castigates them for expressing pain through anger. Yet, for many men, anger is merely the mask that pain wears when healthy emotional expression has never been modelled. All forms of emotional expression are natural - deserving of understanding and compassion.
Over time, men become adept at managing the external façade of their emotions while suppressing their internal struggles. Although they may feel deeply, they often do not act on those feelings. This does not mean the emotions are not there. However, this form of emotional suppression is unhealthy and often leads to unexpected outbursts - not due to inherent violence, but as a result of pain or severe loneliness.
If you have ever witnessed a man endure heartbreak, you will understand the depth of his emotions. Men may be quieter in their affections, but their silence should not be mistaken for indifference. Just because they are unaccustomed to verbalising how they feel - does not mean their feelings are shallow or non-existent. Men notice the small details - they cherish the little things that matter to us. Amid grief, they are burdened with a thousand swirling thoughts and emotions - yet they are often left voiceless to express them. They are unsettled by the very notion of revealing their vulnerability - for the world has taught them that to do so is unsafe.
Men are the ones often misunderstood, invalidated, and overlooked - their pain lingering in the shadows, unseen. To love men well is to listen with a caring and open heart - to offer them a space where they can finally release all that they have held within. After all, like us, they just want to be seen.