Subscribe to Next Gen Men’s newsletter, Future of Masculinity, a mental space where our readers get to do the work—of examining, unpacking, learning, unlearning, and questioning—together as a community.
The connotation of “mama’s boy” has generally been negative, irrespective of which scenario people are referring to. “Mama’s boy” has historically been used as an insult, typically challenging the masculinity of the boy or man to whom it is applied.
We’re going to break down the term “mama’s boy” and consider whether it’s a term that can be reclaimed, or if it should be abandoned altogether.
Read MoreMany of us struggle with criticizing, belittling, and judging ourselves. We’ll tell ourselves negative stories like “I’m stupid”, “I’m not good enough” or “I don’t deserve them”. But does our negative self-talk truly serve us and our communities in our journey toward equity? Does trashing ourselves lend itself well to belonging, connection, or taking an active role in improving our communities? Probably not — so what’s the alternative?
Read MoreEmotional literacy is something we’ve been learning a lot more about over the past few months here at Next Gen Men.
So what is emotional literacy, and how might it benefit men? Additionally, how might men help others by levelling up their emotional literacy skills? Let’s get into it!
Read MoreWhen I asked my friend Jon whether or not the messages he’d received about how to “be a man” had impacted the amount of happiness and joy he had felt throughout his life, his simple answer was “yes”. Throughout our conversation, two major themes emerged: 1) the feeling of “never being good enough” and 2) struggles in relationships.
And boy, oh boy. We could write a lot about how patriarchal masculinity impacts men’s chances at healthy, loving, close, relationships with their friends, families, and partners.
Let’s get into it.
Read MoreSupporting a friend through a breakup can be tough, but you can help your friend heal AND strengthen your friendship if you can be there for them. Here are our suggestions for how you can support your friend to move forward in a healthy way after a romantic relationship ends.
Read More
