When John Legend was in high school,Erika bella porn movie Le bambole del Fuhrer (1995) he loved playing music and performing with his friends. Yet he sensed these passions didn't make him a man in the traditional sense of the word.
"Obviously in high school, sports culture is so dominant, and the most popular kids are usually the athletes, particularly for men," says Legend. "So it’s hard to feel as confident about yourself if you’re not at the top of that food chain, if you’re not the biggest, the fastest, the strongest."
SEE ALSO: Why Lady Gaga and her mom want you to take this 'mental health first aid' classIn order to conquer that social hierarchy, some young men might be tempted to embrace toxic masculinity—a version of manhood that has no tolerance for vulnerability. But Legend has another idea: "encourage young men to love themselves and love who they are."
"It’s hard to feel as confident about yourself if you’re not at the top of that food chain."
That's why the Grammy- and Oscar-winning songwriter teamed up with Axe to launch a program that helps high school boys develop a more inclusive and expressive definition of masculinity.
"Senior Orientation" will initially connect Legend and the poet Carlos Andrés Gómez with several high school seniors in Columbus, Ohio. Legend and Gómez will mentor the students and help them develop artistic performances. The program will culminate in a school event this fall where Legend, Gómez, and their mentored students will perform.
"It’s encouraging creativity, encouraging individuality, rejecting things like bullying and behaviors that belittle other people," Legend says, describing his vision for inclusive masculinity.
The program uses a curriculum developed by Gómez, a former teacher and social worker, to help teen boys identify the messages they hear about masculinity and guide them in developing their own unique definition.
Axe, the men's grooming brand once known for its wildly macho ads, has been preaching the virtues of inclusive masculinity since launching its "Find Your Magic" campaign, with Legend's support, last year. In May, the brand unveiled an ad reassuring its customers that they weren't alone in secretly questioning masculine stereotypes.
When Legend thinks of toxic masculinity, he thinks of boys and men who bully and belittle others because of their own fears or insecurities. While that phenomenon is timeless, it feels particularly relevant these days as President Trump uses the presidential pulpit to scold and intimidate his enemies, and neo-Nazis and white supremacists arm themselves with weapons at public gatherings to defend Confederate monuments.
"I think [fear] is the case with a lot of toxic masculinity," he says. "It’s fear of powerlessness, fear of being replaced or displaced or not being dominant and then lashing out in a way that is violent ... And I think there’s some sense of grievance that you see particularly with those who are marching in Charlottesville where they feel like something’s been taken from them and they’re trying in the most heinous ways and the most toxic ways to reclaim some position in society."
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
It's a long way from trying to dismantle toxic masculinity in one Ohio high school to changing an entire culture, but "Senior Orientation" is a pilot effort that Axe hopes to eventually replicate at schools across the country (though Legend won't personally show up at every campus where it's adopted).
Gómez says that instead of shaming boys for behavior that could be characterized as toxic masculinity, the goal is to help them embrace and express traits or qualities they feel are stifled because of traditional stereotypes. That could mean crying in public, painting with watercolors, or wearing a pastel-colored shirt. Gómez, a self-described "emo poet," knows that some boys and men are skeptical of challenging masculine norms because they think it means constantly expressing their emotions.
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
"That’s the cool thing," Gómez jokes, "You don’t have to be me."
But Gómez says his response often raises a terrifying question for some skeptics who then wonder, "Well, who am I supposed to be?"
That is something that only a boy or man can answer for himself, but Gómez says the point of dismantling toxic masculinity in your own life is freeing yourself from the "suffocating" idea that you can only be one kind of man.
"I think so many young people are figuring out who they want to be," says Legend.
"The more we encourage young men to love themselves and love who they are and be confident in themselves, they won’t need to bully anybody and they won’t need to belittle other people to feel good about themselves."
Topics Activism Gender Social Good Celebrities Racial Justice
‘NCIS’ showrunner Gary Glasberg dies at 50Volkswagen's long'Star Trek' cast and crew takes a public stand against Donald TrumpInside Twitter's office for the first debate live streamAustralia's largest free WiThis teen couldn't find a date for homecoming so he decided to ask himselfYouTube wants to make nice with the music biz, taps label exec Lyor CohenThese colourful eGary Johnson had a second 'Aleppo moment' and it was painfulCartoon Network announces end of 'Adventure Time' two years aheadUber is refunding surge5 major changes that make 'Civilization VI' feel like a better gameSamsung to begin selling Galaxy Note7 in India before Diwali'You're the Worst' is coming back for Season 4Shocking images of police shooting Aboriginal man swarm social mediaKoala tries its best to cling onto branch in the midst of intense stormsIrish bar has a creative solution for people constantly writing on its toilet doors'No Man's Sky' under investigation for 'misleading' adThis teen couldn't find a date for homecoming so he decided to ask himselfiPhone 8 sounds like it'll share design similarities with the iPhone 4 Best Echo Pop deal: Save 32% on Valentine's Day bundle Your political views help determine which science books you buy SpaceX's launch today could revolutionize the industry: Watch it live Trump White House reveals it's 'not familiar' with well The Best Books of 2024, According to Friends of the Review: Part One by The Paris Review Spanish Journals by Catherine Lacey Netflix's 'One Day' review: A magnificent ode to long love Six Handbags by Simon Wu NYT's The Mini crossword answers for February 8 Happy Hundredth Birthday, Flannery O'Connor! by Jamie Quatro Prof. Dr. A. I. in Conversation with Tadeusz Dąbrowski by Piotr Czerski Trump's climate order puts 'China first' in clean energy Making of a Poem: Emily Osborne on “Cruel Loss of Sons” by Emily Osborne Making a Claim on Language: A Conversation with Adania Shibli by Max Weiss Glimmer: In Siena by Cynthia Zarin New photos reveal Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin is going to be pretty swanky The Erotics of (Re)reading by Peter Szendy I Once Bought a Huge Wrap in a Walgreens in Manhattan by Ed Atkins Passion, Jealousy, Love, and an Unquestionable Disdain for Art by Olivia Kan On Najwan Darwish by Alexia Underwood
2.2546s , 10131.953125 kb
Copyright © 2025 Powered by 【Erika bella porn movie Le bambole del Fuhrer (1995)】,Miracle Information Network