Artist Levni Yilmaz asks “Does anyone else think it’s a confusing time to be a man?”
In this video, artist Levni Yilmaz talks about how what he thought being a man was supposed to be like as as a kid, and how it is completely different than his experience as an adult.
Gender roles are changing, women are more equal, and masculinity isn’t as simple as hunting + beer + cool car or being Don Draper. Yilmaz is mostly happy about this, but the question “What is a man?” with its shifting, fluid definition is becoming harder and harder to answer.
What do you think? Does Levni Yilmaz’s video resonate with you? Is “manhood” different from what you understood it to be when you were younger? How has your view changed?
When I was young I thought manhood meant being aggressive, intolerant, and showing a disregard for anyone’s happiness but my own. I know now that the complete opposite is true. A real man is thoughtful, introspective, and puts everyone’s feelings ahead of their own. Fulfilment doesn’t come from fast cars and sexual conquest fuelled by unending supplies of alcohol. Fulfilment comes from finding yourself, sharing that with others, and giving of yourself any way you can.