A review: "We are man enough"

Let's be real. I'm not a professional reviewer and critiquer of media. This is just going to be my thoughts and reactions to this website: www.wearemanenough.com.

If you're looking for role models who are men attempting to create a better world for themselves and the people around them, this is a great starting point. They do a great job of asking the initial questions that men should be asking of each other. Questions like, "What does it mean to be a man? Why is that the meaning? Why is it so hard for men to be vulnerable? What do we do next?" They come up with lots of different answers, and a lot of the conversation around the dinner table seems to be more intellectual. And I think that's an ok place to start. For me, the harder work is to be
vulnerable with other men and then feel supported and be supportive. And maybe the men at the dinner table were doing that just by sharing their stories, but to me it's not nearly enough. However, men supporting each other in their vulnerability is a direct confrontation of masculine gender norms which is a direct action of dismantling internalized dominance and patriarchy.

Source: Justin Baldoni's Instagram

Just when I started getting tired of the fairly surface level conversation of the dinner table, there are scenes where Justin is talking with his dad, Sam, at the driving range. I think it's a great tactic to for men to initially engage in something comfortable and fun, and then try talking about "real" stuff. It's a seriously touching and awesome moment when Justin and Sam finally embrace. It got me thinking how unusual this is though. It seems like Justin and Sam had some foundation in order to get to that place. This could have been years in the making. And I want you all to keep that in mind. This won't happen overnight.


Another aspect of that relationship that stood out to me is how Justin acknowledges that his dad was actually a great role model when it comes to masculinity, but he still grew up in a very traditional and harmful patriarchal way. This makes me think about what primes men to engage and explore healthy masculinities when given the chance. I know for sure that our fathers are huge influences, but I'm not sure how anymore. And it certainly isn't enough in some cases to overwhelm the other influences we have that come from society. This pattern should make it clear to us that problematic masculinities is a systemic process that combines an almost infinite amount of individual influences. And to me, that's why building community is such an important aspect of healthy masculinities. The higher the capacity for men to counter daily societal messages with each other, the better we will be at confronting systems of oppression.

I'm glad that there is now a willingness and capacity for these kinds of conversations to be actualized with a bit of celebrity power. The ability to get Anderson Silva, arguably the greatest UFC fighter to play the sport, to talk about body image is actually incredible. I do think this is a great first step, and I'm excited to watch future episodes. Go check it out.