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So I’m a guy, and I have a dad, and three older brothers, and yet I think it would be personally accurate for me to say that I didn’t personally encounter a truly nourishing model of masculinity until I was in my 20s. Looking back, “malnourished” is not an inaccurate description
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I apologize to anyone who was hurt by my “severely malnourished” tweet. It was in response to someone who said kids wouldn’t “starve”. It was poorly worded so I deleted it.
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I think we can frame this in terms of representation. Is representation important? Yes, right? It’s powerful to see a version of who you want to be and become. To be deprived of that is a sort of malnourishment. One can thrive despite it, but its absence is extremely striking
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IMO, the unfortunate thing is that people read “malnourished” to imply failure or neglect on the part of the caregiver. Single moms are *heroes*!! And yet, kids surely benefit from seeing someone in the role they will one day inhabit. Gay & trans kids need older role models too
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Representation matters, right? It’s great for young girls to see women in all sorts of roles- to meet a pilot, a scientist, a congresswoman, etc. They can also be inspired by men, sure but there’s a difference. We know this; that’s why we make such a big deal about representation
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Similarly - a boy can receive all the love & support in the world from his single mom, and that’s absolutely beautiful- and, he will be nourished by meeting a man who demonstrates by eg what it means to be a good man. In the absence of such men, he will learn from his peers
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