Men have spoken up about the pressures of being male as a new study suggests that half of men find it difficult to open up about their feelings.
A new video shows men talking candidly about the sense of duty they feel to be the ‘strong silent type’ rather than showing their vulnerabilities.
The release comes as a survey has found that 45 percent of men say they do not feel comfortable sharing their feelings, while one in five feels pressured to be a ‘man’s man’.
The survey of 1,000 men was conducted ahead of the Being A Man Festival, an event hosted by London’s Southbank Centre examining the idea of masculinity.
The video was created by event sponsors Gillette.
In it a series of men from different backgrounds open up about what the term ‘being a man’ means to them.
A video campaign from Gillette shows men discussing what the notion of ‘being a man’ means to them
‘I struggle with being a man, let’s be real,’ says one man.
‘How do you look at yourself in the mirror and be comfortable with the face that looks back at you?’
Another explains that he often sees young men lacking ‘permission’ to speak about their vulnerable sides.
Some said they felt a duty to be ‘strong and silent’ as new research suggests men struggle to open up about their feelings
Comic Jack Rooke is among those featured. He speaks optimistically about a future in which men can identify themselves within a wider spectrum than typically male traits.
‘I’m hoping that the future of being a man is really enabling people to not feel like you have to be the strong, silent type. Or not feel like you have to like football, or that you have to like women, or you have to like the pub.
‘There’s nothing wrong with those three things. But it’s just, I suppose, broadening the scope of what we define men as.’
Comic Jack Rooke says he is hopeful that in future men will be able to identify themselves according to a wide range of traits
The video comes as the idea of masculinity and what it means to be a man has come under increased scrutiny amid a tirade of sexual harassment allegations against men in positions of authority from Hollywood to Westminster.
Organisers of the Being A Man Festival have said the study’s findings highlight some of the difficulties with traditional perceptions of what it means to be a man.
‘These findings lay bare the weighty expectations of masculinity that many of us still struggle to shake off and highlight the need for more spaces like Being a Man festival, where men can share their stories openly and challenge outdated assumptions, rather than bottling up feelings which, as men, we know can have more serious consequences,’ said Ted Hodgkinson, senior programmer at the Southbank Centre.
The event runs from Friday 24 to Sunday 26 November.