“When I was younger, I was cute,” he says. “When I got older, I became a threat in the eyes of others. To feel that you’re perceived as a threat – in school, walking down the street – it eats you alive. It’s soul-sucking. It’s draining. It’s anxiety-producing. It etches away from the love that you have for yourself.” I felt this in my bones

I love to see this. Genuinely warms my heart. Raising emotionally healthy, well adjusted young humans who can advocate for themselves, express their emotions, and relate to others in a healthy way is vital. And it feels like we raise young men in a way that sets them up to fail in these ways.

This isn’t a comparison to the severity of issues women face. I just think its one of MANY issues that culturally need to be addressed with respect to gender and socialization. Boys and young men deserve to be raises in a way that facilitates feeling valuable, having healthy self esteem, and feeling safe in expressing emotions.