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Awareness
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Entire studies can be done to help identify the origins of masculinity, and how it is defined in varying societies or cultures but today we will address what we already know; how societal definitions of masculinity affect behavior in boys and men, how societal norms contribute to developing a healthy or toxic masculinity, and how this affects men and those that love them.
In my opinion, while the definitions of masculinity vary from one culture to another one thing remains constant; how masculinity is defined in each of these is right as much as it is wrong. In each, common masculinity traits exist that are good, e.g., a man has physical strength, is a protector, analytical and wise. (This of course does not mean other genders are not, these are just often associated with men). On the other hand, common traits around masculinity as defined by societal norms exist that are detrimental to a man’s wellbeing. These norms come in the form of intentional and subconscious messages boys and men receive repeatedly over the span of their life, e.g., men must not show emotion or cry – that’s for girls, men are made of steel - ignore physical pain or discomfort, or men don’t talk about their emotions and anxieties – they “deal with it” and move on. These beliefs are far from the truth yet completely correlated to the fact that “close to 60 percent of men don't regularly see a doctor, going only when they are seriously ill” per the Cleveland Clinic.
The CDC states “women are 33 percent more likely to visit the doctor than men and are 100 percent better at maintaining screening and preventive care”. Do we see this pattern among the men in our lives? The CDC also states, “men are more than likely to live 5 years less than women, live with more years of bad health and have higher suicide rates” and this will remain the same unless societal norms on masculinity change and asking for help is normalized among men and their counterparts. However, as it stands, men are not committed to taking care of their whole selves and their reasoning mostly includes being too busy, fear of getting alarming health news, discomfort with screenings specific to men, or their belief that “a man just deals with it on his own”. It’s time to change the definition of masculinity and what it means to man-up! Rather than saying man-up to make a man not express what he is feeling, let’s begin using “man-up” as a reminder to men that it is ok to seek medical attention and protect their whole self against evidential and most common detriments; these being mental health conditions, suicide, prostate cancer, testicular cancer, and heart disease.
We want healthy men that hold on to the positive traits that contribute to their masculinity but that are also able to reject the fear of opening up about their anxieties around physical and mental health. Therefore, for the entire month of November, we at CFF are observing Movember to bring awareness around Men’s Health. You may see some of your colleagues growing out their mustaches and beards, but don’t you fret, we have not hit the reverse button on our evolutionary development but are simply raising awareness around Men’s health through NO-SHAVE NOVEMBER. Tell the men in your life to grow out their mustache and beard as best they can during this month and when they ask why, know the door is now open to have this such important conversation of men’s physical and mental care.
Written by: Edgard Martinez,
Equity, Diversity & Inclusion Manager
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