Your superheroes are depressed
To mark World Mental Health Day, we're opening a can of worms that both excites and worries us: mental health and masculinity.
What do you think of when you read the word "depression"? Well, probably someone taciturn, gloomy, withdrawn... overwhelmed by numerous traumas.
You don't usually think about yourself... Or your best friend... Or your coworker... You wouldn't think of Batman either. 🦇.
And all of that is a mistake because we tend to imagine mental health as something distant from us; something for crazy people. When in reality it's much closer than you think.
BATMAN IS IN VERY BAD SHAPE (EVEN THOUGH IT DOESN'T SEEM LIKE IT)
Textbook TRAUMA
There is stress post-traumatic. There is obsessive-compulsive disorder. There is antisocial disorder of the personality. And there is depression. A LOT of depression.
We're not the ones saying it, but analysis and books (What's wrong with Batman?) written by psychologists from a clinical point of view. Batman is a person deeply unhappy, which transforms emotional pain into a violent physical response.
Atone his depression, giving blows like bread to criminals.
From the outside, Batman is doing great. He's in control of his life.
But behind closed doors he suffers the same desolation and emotional emptiness as any depressed person.
DON'T SPEAK, DON'T ASK
An intelligent man, admired by all of society, incredibly muscular, the CEO of one of Gotham's largest corporations, sophisticated, handsome, with all the technology money can buy… and with a motherfuckin batcave. Who hasn't wanted to be Batman at some point?
How many times have we admired the fact that never (never) smileHe's a tough guy. He doesn't let anything get to him. A real MAN.
And the truth is, Batman doesn't smile because he isn't happy. He never has been. And like him, many other superheroes we admire. If DC hire a psychiatrist Personalizing all its characters, would we still have comics?
But we didn't even think about that... It doesn't happen to superheroes.It doesn't happen to 'successful' people. It can't happen to people like us. normal.
If it happens… it means something's wrong; it means we're flawed. And then, the best thing to do is keep quiet lest someone notice.
In many ways, men have applied the same policy to mental health as the U.S. military did to homosexuality: Don't ask, don't tellDon't ask about her, don't talk about her.
DECONSTRUCTING THE “STRONGMAN”
A “new” positive masculinity
Masculinity, as an idea, has fallen far behind when it comes to mental health. It's time to change the paradigm of what being a man, being strong, truly means in this regard.
It's time for men to embrace "self-care" too, an area where awareness has long since shifted among women and where we, despite our delays, can/should enter.
Because being strong doesn't mean staying silent, sucking up, and then going out to beat up the bad guys… but to open up; it's not about repressing yourself, but about accepting your weaknesses and embracing them; it's not about not smiling, but about assuming that you too have a range of emotions.
It's about being less like Batman. Because Batman is #fuckingfatal.
And when someone is in trouble, they ask for help. They don't fight crime dressed as a bat.
P.dAnd without intending to mix apples and oranges, this week's post is sponsored by our Heroes' Recharging Mask, ideal for a little self-care, from loving yourself to loving yourself a lot. 🖤
HEROES' RECHARGING MASK
Pack of 4 hydrogel face masks with a recharging effect. Hydrates, refreshes, helps with blemishes, and reduces wrinkles and the effects of the previous day's hangover.
Siwon
We do cool, right!
