Sad boy hours

Metamorphosis

By: Rochelle Anne Pascual

Social media gives a fresh connotation to sadboi, originally, it is a music genre that bloomed around 2011 and has a big following in pop culture. Joji, Rex Orange County, The Weeknd, and Drake, are on top of this genre. It relates to the majority of today’s male generation because it helps them to open-up.

From its original meaning, the media has portrayed sadboi as something to be mocked. You've all seen The Simpsons sad boy meme. The official time for Sadboi Hours is 1:00 AM - 4:59 AM. It makes sense because people are often alone in bed at this time.

If you’re going to look deeply, it’s toxic masculinity. Society pressures men to always be strong and actions like crying shouldn’t be tolerated because it’s a sign of weakness.

The American Psychological Association (APA) describes ideal masculinity as “toughness, stoicism, heterosexism, self-sufficiency, and lack of emotional sensitivity.” They began to recognize that external pressures imposed on men can have far-reaching implications for both individuals and society.

Society’s gender expectations of men are unhealthy, ignoring emotions such as sadness in boys may contribute to further behavior issues and possible drug use. Consider James Bond movies or any masculine leading man; most of them do not convey emotions other than rage and violence, and young boys who look up to these male figures inevitably imitate this social behavior.

It can also affect men's ability to seek support when they are suffering from mental health problems. Men shouldn’t handle themselves like robots, sleeping less, working out even though wounded, and forcing themselves to their physical limits. Self-care and expression are for everyone, not just for women.

Instead of making fun of your male friends' status, maybe we should see it as a positive development that men are starting to express themselves and build a healthy relationship with their emotions. The more we understand the idea of toxic masculinity, the more likely it is that we can see drastic changes because society will put less pressure on men to behave in a certain way. It’s time to destroy the stereotype that society has constructed.