We hear the phrase “guys don’t cry” quite commonly, which forces men to act in a certain way regardless of their emotions. The perception that crying is a sign of weakness rather than vulnerability is problematic in and of itself. Then, it is extremely toxic to condemn men for experiencing these emotions, which are completely natural. Filmmaker Zoya Akhtar recently addressed modern masculinity in a Bumble video that is currently trending on the internet.
She used the analogy of a football stadium while discussing dating and emotionally available men to explain how men’s sentiments vary from simply living in a society where being expressive is viewed as a threat to gender norms.
Akhtar recalled a time when she saw Brazil fans weeping wildly after their team’s defeat to France while watching a game between the two nations.
In this brief clip, while speaking to Jim Sarbh, she analyzes the incident and how men are more likely to express their emotions through sports than in other scenarios.
“Somewhere I felt like ‘is this a space for them to be emotional freely? Is this a space where they get to express it without any judgement?'”
Zoya Akhtar
Naturally, a lot of people reacted to the thread to praise the filmmaker and highlight the reality that, despite being an unfortunate reality, it is true in our society.
Along with addressing the emotional aspects, Zoya Akhtar also outlined the kind of genuine chivalry she conforms to. The director rightly stressed that genuine acts of chivalry don’t involve men opening doors but rather calling out other men for toxic behaviour.
The typical concept of masculinity must be shunned in today’s shifting times when defying gender conventions is so prevalent. And the more inclusive version of masculinity needs to be acknowledged and valued.