“We teach our “tough boys” not to cry, but instead we should teach them not to make women in their lives cry.” What a powerful statement. As a woman who is deeply concerned about women’s issues, I think one of the most important things I can do to advance women’s state in this country is to teach my son to respect women.
If, as a society, we taught men that women were to be respected, that their voices mattered, that their opinions mattered, perhaps we could change the dominant culture: which is one where abuse and domestic violence prevail, where boys and men are allowed to rape women and get away with it, where women are objectified, where young girls are sexualized. Achieving equality starts with changing the narrative, changing the way we look at women.
It is important for my son to know that women are to be respected, that their voices matter, that they are human beings, not objects. It is important to allow our sons to display their emotions, to talk about their feelings. We have to teach them that it is not always about them, that women are not prizes. We have to teach them to be good men. We have to teach boys how to become good husbands and dads.
I hate it when I hear someone say to a boy, “Boys don’t do this.” or “Boys don’t cry.” I think about when my son cries. He cries because he has a legitimate reason. He may cry because he is sad, frustrated, in pain, angry. If we teach boys to keep those feelings bottled up inside, what happens when they no longer feel? When they are de-sensitized? That is exactly what this video invites us to think about… so, I invite you to share and watch it, and think about how we can change the narrative so that our boys understand it is ok to express their feelings, because it is OK for boys to cry.
‘Boys Don’t Cry’ is a short film directed by Vinil Mathew and produced by Alex Kuruvilla, Managing Director, Conde Nast India. Watching this video broke my heart. Boys are humans, with feelings, they should be allowed to express themselves. This video makes a powerful point about domestic violence. #VogueEmpower #StartWithTheBoys #MadhuriDixit Start with the boys.
What do you think about the video? Did you like it? How do you think we can change the culture and raise a generation of boys that respect women?
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