This week’s prompt is:
“Learning to wear a mask (that word already embedded in the term “masculinity”) is the first lesson in patriarchal masculinity that a boy learns. He learns that his core feelings cannot be expressed if they do not conform to the acceptable behaviors sexism defines as male. Asked to give up the true self in order to realize the patriarchal ideal, boys learn self-betrayal early and are rewarded for these acts of soul murder.”
― bell hooks, The Will to Change: Men, Masculinity, and Love
I was lucky, especially considering the country and time I grew up.
But I als feel that it’s changing a lot. Younger people are much more open and better at communicating their feelings.