Masculinity: There's Another Way

When I imagine what a man should be, my first instinct is to picture one of Ernest Hemingway’s characters: the definition of a man’s man. Whether it was battling a giant fish or fighting a bull at the festival of San Fermin, Hemingway’s characters portrayed what he defined as courage and bravery; to him, men were supposed to be tough, not letting emotions guide their principles. Take this quote from him for example:

It is not bad. And pain does not matter to a man.

To Hemingway, the very concept of life was that living was an aggressive act. To live was to be in constant battle. Now, this resonated with many men, especially those in the post-war 1920s that found it best to bottle up their emotions. And then it happened again after World War II– the best way to deal with PTSD? Don’t talk about it; after all, you’re supposed to be tough.

This glorification of what a strong man is supposed to be is certainly appealing to a lot of men. I personally have enjoyed reading Hemingway’s work and it is easy to get sucked into his concept of masculinity. However, there is one small issue: Hemingway himself suffered greatly from mental illness and eventually ended his own life. While one can analyze this tragic end, I will never know what it must have felt like to have participated and lived through two of the most horrific wars this Earth has ever seen. The purpose of this blog is to highlight the benefits of the concept of masculinity shifting in nature.

The first shift starts with expressing emotion. Thankfully, there has been a massive push for awareness towards mental health, especially for men. While past generations saw a man’s emotions as a sign of weakness, it is now an act of courage to seek help. There have been great strides in the acceptance of men dealing properly with emotions, overall creating more self awareness. We hear the term “toxic masculinity” thrown out a lot. At the end of the day, I want to show men that their own mindset can hold them back to exploring life. Life is not a battle, but rather an experience– emotions are meant to be felt; life is meant to be lived. I want to show men that there is another way. And this is where the concept of self-care comes into play.

If the first shift is embracing emotion and self-awareness, the second shift is the concept of self-care. While most men are prone to take care of their bodies in the gym, becoming the “strong and tough” man they are supposed to become, men are still less likely to take proper care of the rest of their bodies. One huge reason is lack of education. Men are pounded with advertisements that say hygiene should be cheap and should smell somewhere between gasoline and dirt in order to be seen as “attractive.” Furthermore, most men would be caught dead wearing a facial mask.

You see, the problem with this advertisement is that it portrays self-care as extrinsic motivation: men need to be clean so that women will like them. The reality of taking proper care of your body is that it should be intrinsically beneficial. When we take care of ourselves properly, we not only boost our self-esteem, but we are also taking care of our bodies from the health perspective. A man can go to the gym five days a week, but he will never have a healthy body if he does not have healthy skin. Once again, I want to show men that there is another way when it comes to skincare.

Men’s skincare is still widely considered “overly feminine” or is seen as “pampering.” It is GM Revolution’s mission to educate men on the benefits of taking care of their skin as an organ in order to prevent skin damage and premature aging. But aside from the physical benefits, “pampering” yourself is really just about taking care of yourself and giving your body the love it deserves. We have heard from countless men that use our products that they are able to relax in a way that most men have never experienced. When we intentionally take care of ourselves, we are taking strides to get in touch with our self-awareness and dedicate time for self-improvement. Ultimately, self-care is a journey on improving the way we live and the way we experience life. So, for all the men reading this, I will not shame you, but when you look at the 3-in-1 shampoo, conditioner, and body wash in your shower tonight, I want you to think “there is another way.”