Since the dawn of time men have been looked down upon for showing emotional vulnerability. They have been scolded for expressing their feelings and many are taught at a young age that it is a sign of weakness.
Even with all the progression modern day society has made the world continues to equate emotionally forthcoming men with femininity. Nowadays it is mainly done by women on popular social media apps such as Twitter and it is typically disguised in trendy terms such as “sassy” and “zesty.” It is done to make men feel less than, but young adult men are pushing back and one way they are doing it is through Valentine’s Day.
18-year-old Myles Anthony Johnson of Claflin University feels as if society has done a disservice to men by desensitizing them from the festivities of February 14th. In an interview he passionately explains how he feels as a society we are taught “only the women deserve love, only the women deserve gifts” on holidays such as Valentine’s Day. Myles believes love should extend both ways. He goes as far as saying that he wants to be taken out and splurged on.
When asked if men have been neglected on Valentine’s day in specific he hastily responded “ABSOLUTELY!” He went on to list a slew of examples backing his answer, he says advertisements and websites “cater to women” and push a “for her” agenda.
Although Myles’s point of view is becoming increasingly popular as the years progress, not all men are 100% in agreement. When Jared Holiday of Florida A&M University was asked if he believed men should be pampered on Valentine’s Day he unenthusiastically explained how he’s “not really looking for anything” and inadvertently gives support to Myles’s claim when shared that in his environment growing up it was never about the man being “pampered” but more so the woman.
In any topic of discussion there will always be moderates such as 18-year-old Jeremiah Coleman-Smith who is currently in a relationship at Florida A&M University. When asked the same question as Jared he simply says “it should be mutual”, but proceeds to add to his claim stating that “as a man, I’m going to go above and beyond,” further asserting gender roles into the love based holiday.
The overall consensus is that all men want some form of appreciation or acknowledgment this Tuesday, some just a bit more than others.