On Thursday, March 29th, Justin Baldoni took the trip with his ever-so-kind mother to speak to the students of The Ohio State University about what masculinity meant to him and the overwhelming amount of toxic masculinity flooding our society. Of course, I had seen Jane the Virgin, his TED talk and watched a million of his interviews, but I would never have believed anyone had they told me that an attractive Hollywood actor would open my eyes to such a relevant topic. It seems weird for a girl to sit back and think about what masculinity means; it's just never been on my radar.

Our conditioned views of masculinity usually fall along the lines of a strong and typically aggressive man.

I guess it makes sense when you figure that those are two of the characteristics that we associate the most with men in general. Growing up, boys who did not meet these requirements would often be teased and bullied and told to "man up." This is such an interesting concept from the other side.

If you don't fit in with the "norms" of girl standards, you just get ostracized, and that's pretty much the end of it. I also feel like there is more versatility with what kind of girl you can be. You can fall into a lot of different factions but still be considered relatively normal. But sometimes it feels as though there are only two kinds of guys: those who fit in and those who do not. I'm not sure if one is better than the other, but I know that neither is right.

But what does your genetic makeup have to do with how you should act every hour of the day?

Kids can be mean, but when we allow those preconceived notions to flourish, we run into even more severe issues. As boys grow into men, they are told to suppress their emotions and only like guy things like sports, beer, and girls. Basically, a gender of Buffalo Wild Wings. And if you aren't, then you can kiss your manliness score goodbye.

So guys continue to put up this front, sticking to only the three key topics and only occasionally straying. Basically, guys aren't allowed to have feelings, and if they do, it's in their best interest not to show them, unless they want to be considered weak. But this is honestly this is such a bizarre concept to me.

If guys are trying to impress girls with their so-called "manliness," why do they think this is what we want? No girl actually enjoys staring at her phone wondering why he isn't responding or why he's being rude or what their relationship is. Communication is key, and if you think that being open about your feelings makes you less of a man, you should know that you are just wrong,

Justin discussed "bros before hoes" aka the favorite phrase of guys who are looking for an excuse to be an ass to girls.

We've all heard it a million times, and as I get older, I realize just exactly how stupid the phrase is. I think it's funny that this phrase is still playing a major role as we all reach our twenties. Do people still not realize that this is not a valid reason to treat a girl like trash? If your relationship with your "bros" does not go beyond the three key topics, how well do you actually know that person?

Justin shed light on the idea of toxic masculinity, reminding us that it's okay for guys to have and express their feelings. It's not "gay" to have real and honest conversations with your friends because everyone is dealing with their own problems, and they're just as hesitant as you to start the conversation. Encourage your friends to share with you what is bothering them.

Thank you Justin for being man enough to share your message with our school.

Being closed off is not synonymous with being a man.