I would like to start this post by saying that I am in a privileged position. I don't have many things to worry about, was born into a country with many loving people and I don't have to suffer from racial inequality or other, similar issues.

However, that hasn't stopped me from having my own, fair share of issues on this world, and today I will talk about one of them which has affected me a lot, as well as many other people like me.

Many men my age have been pressured by this society into showing a certain work ethic and presenting everything in a certain way so that some of the most important things about us, the things that make us human - like the ability to express emotions - have been lost. I have personally been conditioned over time into trying to be a person that I am not and have never been, because society told me I needed to be a certain way to "be a real man", and that I had to be specific things instead of myself. As a result, me and many other men have never in their lives been able to properly express what they feel or who they are, out of shame for not reaching the goals that others have set out of us against our will.

In other words, this society has put forward expectations towards men - and anyone, really - that are unrealistic and genuinely harm the people affected by it to the point where many of us have forgotten how to cry, how to feel and deal with pain or stand by their opinions without feeling shame.

These gender roles that we've built up over time have proven to be harmful, and are actively used by some to push their own narrative or opinion because we have been conditioned to believe that "the man" is supposed to be this emotionless, hard-working machine that is strong and unforgiving - leaving out the most important parts of being human.

Cis men aren't the only one affected however, as these gender roles that have been set out by society also affect many other people. One example comes from an article I've read recently, where a young girl was accused of being transgender and not belonging in the sport they were participating in, because the person that accused the child thought they weren't "female enough". Transgender people also often have to struggle with fitting into the different proposed gender-roles by society, often not being accepted for who they are and rather being downplayed by people which haven't realised their role in this entire construct, and/or what they've been doing wrong for their entire lives.

My goal with this post is to remind you - the reader - of the issues that are getting worse on this planet regarding gender identity and the societal norms, as I believe we've not yet fully realised the bad psychological effects of what these contstructs mean for us. In a way, it is also so that I can have a place where I can let out the frustrations I have about the mere existence of this system - a vent, if you will.

I hope you find what I said useful,
Cheers.