Machismo 40x30
What does it mean to be Macho, to be a man. Suppressing emotions, being an island, being dominant with no weakness. Throughout my maturation I have learned so many contradictory things about Machismo. Confusion and fear were prevalent in my adolescence about living up to these asinine standards that I set for myself. I would see friends coming out to reveal their true selves, risking persecution and disenfranchisement from the norm. I saw self sacrifice from my mother, I saw my father cry. I saw things that revealed true strength through vulnerability. I was terrified, weak. My wife taught me to communicate, to love unconditionally and admit fault, my Baby Girl taught me to wear nail polish, to rock the unicorn stickers and drape myself in pink. The antiquated phrase “be a man!” is more like “stay a boy” That's where I was without generations of women who taught me the truth, taught me to be STRONG.
What does it mean to be Macho, to be a man. Suppressing emotions, being an island, being dominant with no weakness. Throughout my maturation I have learned so many contradictory things about Machismo. Confusion and fear were prevalent in my adolescence about living up to these asinine standards that I set for myself. I would see friends coming out to reveal their true selves, risking persecution and disenfranchisement from the norm. I saw self sacrifice from my mother, I saw my father cry. I saw things that revealed true strength through vulnerability. I was terrified, weak. My wife taught me to communicate, to love unconditionally and admit fault, my Baby Girl taught me to wear nail polish, to rock the unicorn stickers and drape myself in pink. The antiquated phrase “be a man!” is more like “stay a boy” That's where I was without generations of women who taught me the truth, taught me to be STRONG.