"Tough Guise" Melissa Monsalve

     Watching "Tough Guise" what stood out to me the most was the statement about how masculinity is like a box that traps men in. The concept of confinement is most befitting when describing masculinity because men are given strict rules to abide by in over to remain "masculine". What makes it worse is that society and the media reinforces stringent masculinity by showing that any deviance from the societal established norm leads to ridicule, which in turn leads to loss of confidence, friendships, and sense of self. 

     Coming from a cultural background with high value in "macho men" I am very familiar with men who are members of my family being very stolid and emotionless. I'm also familiar with the "tough guise".My family has a long line of relationships with domestic violence, my parents included. My parents and other male family members of mine grew up seeing men beat women and the men in my family learned in turn that violence is power in relationships. Coming from that background though, it made it even more surprising for me as a child to see my father cry. I, too, grew up believe that men don't cry. I felt uncomfortable and didn't know what to do or say. All I did was watch in silence. What this realization shows me is that even us women reinforce masculinity in the way we view, act, and speak to men. 

     I would hope that one day this train of thought changes so that men don't have to feel so pressured into being something that restricts their human emotions so much because it's not healthy. But the question then is how do you go about changing everyone's train of thought that, although it is based in antiquated practices, it keeps evolving for the worst? And how do you change people's perceptions?