2020 is almost upon us but you wouldn't think that looking at Muse Luxe's winter line.
The brand's latest collection features a sweatshirt and hoodie which has 'Boys don't cry' written on the side.
Now, here's the problem. For too long, society has been teaching young boys not to express their emotions unless it's rage and look where that has gotten us. The inability to reveal emotions such as love, compassion and pain under the premise of it being weak has lead to violent inhibitions and overall mental health issues for men.
Let's not even get into the debate of how these terms, including 'don't act like a girl' are insulting to women by implying them as the weaker, inferior lot. These terms place shame on the value of vulnerability, which is human. Last we checked, men are human and should be allowed to behave as such.
The past decade has seen several debates on the subject of toxic masculinity and the dangers of perpetuating these stereotypes. We've talked about its link to domestic violence in married couples. We've talked about the rise in suicide rates and depression because men can't express their emotions. And we've come a long way from letting phrases like 'man up' or 'mard ko dard nahi hota' or 'boys will be boys' define society. Same goes for 'boys don't cry.'
Fashion like this is outdated and ignorant to the times. Like we said, the new year's nearly here so lets leave the sexist stereotypes behind; we're done with the reinforcement of such tropes. Let boys cry, they will grow up to be better men.
Clothing brand Muse Luxe thinks it's okay to say boys don't cry, but we don't