Feminism: How It Wrecked The Emotions Of Men Creating a Hierarchy Rather Then Change

Often we hear that men should not cry, or that men do not feel, and if they do, they must hide those emotions.

Something so wrecking to an individual's way of thinking.

If you cry, you're weak. If you're angry, you're violent. If you treat women right, you're a suck-up. If you're secure and strong, you have too big of an ego, but if you feel self-doubt, you're insecure and worthless. If you work out too much, then you're trying too hard, but if you don't work out enough, then you're not a "man."

Where do we draw the line? These rhetorics get passed on and on, like a plague of expectation and judgment, suffocating men before they even find themselves.

As someone who has a younger brother almost in his teenage years, it hurts to see the damage WE as a society have created. Not only a brother, but think of the men in your life you hold dear—a father, a husband, an uncle, a friend. The ones I hold dear, I want them to feel safe, to be vulnerable, to express their feelings, their sorrows, their past. Why is it that because they are "men," they do not feel? Why is it that they must put on a cover that eats them up from the inside out?

Too often, men hold back from expressing themselves because of these suffocating stereotypes. And yet, instead of offering them space, society attacks them—labeling them as oppressors, villains, problems that must be fixed. Women, in their pain and struggle, sometimes lash out at men, belittling their emotions and dismissing their battles. But how can we call for change while silencing half the population? How can we preach about breaking shackles while forging new ones?

Men are left navigating a world where they feel useless, where they are told they are either too much or not enough. Women claim independence, stating they don’t need a man to hold the door open for them, but when men follow through and respect that boundary, they are seen as rude, as ungentlemanly. They are expected to be both strong and soft, confident but not arrogant, providers but not controlling. The contradictions pile up, leaving men stranded, wondering how they are supposed to exist in a society that constantly shifts the goalposts.

Feminism, once a movement rooted in equality, has evolved into a hierarchy that places one above the other, rather than striving for balance. What was meant to empower has now divided, turning cooperation into competition and mutual understanding into resentment. It has become less about fairness and more about control—who holds more power, who is more deserving, and who should be heard while the other is silenced. The conversation has shifted from seeking justice to assigning blame, creating a society where men feel their voices are unwelcome and their struggles invalid. Instead of breaking down barriers for all, it has created new ones, where men are often viewed as obstacles rather than individuals with struggles of their own. They are expected to constantly prove their worth while simultaneously being told they are the root of societal problems, making it nearly impossible for them to exist without scrutiny.

But isn’t the point of fighting for equality to ensure that both men and women thrive? To uplift, not to destroy? The real enemy is not men, nor women—it is the expectations, the unchecked narratives, the cycle of pain that keeps repeating.

Men deserve to cry, to hurt, to heal. They deserve love, respect, and understanding, just as women do.

And to the men most important in my life, I want you to know that you are safe.

w.a