What does the phrase “Man Enough” mean to you? Does it make you think of medium rare steaks, leather jackets, bulging muscles and an unbreakable ego? What about toughness, bravery or strength?
If so, Justin Baldoni created the #ManEnough movement to change that.
Though you may know actor Justin Baldoni for his role as Rafael Solano on hit TV show Jane the Virgin, Baldoni’s used his fame to encourage men to open up about their emotions.
#ManEnough is a concept directed toward men who society has brainwashed to think that vulnerability is synonymous with weakness.
According to the movement’s website, www.wearemanenough.com the goal is to create “a unique space where men, no matter their race, creed, sexual orientation and identity, political stance or socio-economic status can come together to express their thoughts and feelings freely.”
A concept spanning societies and cultures is that emotionally vulnerable men are perceived as weak. In specific, Latin machismo culture serves as a concrete example of society forcing the “tough guy” façade on men.
According to Paulina Villegas, New York Times Writer of Where Machismo Is Entrenched, Focus Moves to the Trenches, Mexico’s President Enrique Peña Nieto said that machismo culture “ultimately and truly generates violence against women.”
To combat fragile masculinity facing an enormous amount of cultures, Baldoni launched his movement after his TED Talk in October of 2017. The main vessel of the movement is the Man Enough website, which is packed with a plethora of written and video resources that are categorized as “Essential Information for a Redefined Man.”
Baldoni’s site boasts a culturally and professionally diverse panel that features men such as Broadway actor Javier Munoz, former UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva and transgender activist Aydian Dowling.
Topics explored on the website include the stigma around men verbalizing their emotions, the pressures of body image and even the responsibility of men to support women who are victims of sexual assault.
Justin Baldoni's mission can be summed up in a challenge that he posed to male identifying listeners of his October 2017 TED Talk.
“Are you brave enough to be vulnerable?"