The idea of being a man and how he is supposed to act has drastically changed from Macbeth's time to modern day. Showing no emotions and acting tough was required in order to feel manly during the 1600's. In Macbeth's time, if you showed emotions, you were thought of as weak and "lady-like". However, today, men are encouraged more to show a healthy amount of emotions and not to bottle up feelings inside. Especially in the last few years, the media has made people feel better about showing who they truly are. The media is showing, through movies and shows, that you don't need a tough, manly, and athletic personality. Writers and producers are writing in male characters of all personality types and sexualities. Even though society has made many steps forwards towards accepting everybody, there is still too many stereotypes around this topic. I noticed, especially in teen romance movies (the newer ones on Netflix) the guy is portrayed as perfect and athletic. This is a long and overused stereotype that the media uses too often.
In my opinion, being manly is the ability to be honest, compassionate towards others, and to own up to you mistakes. The ability to own up to your mistakes is one of the most important skills to learn. If you look at the definition of a man centuries ago, it would probably say that men are brave. If men are truly brave in this society, they would admit to their mistakes and apologize for them. Also, if a man is compassionate and honest, he will treat others with respect. Treating others with respect is a very important quality to have because it shows who you are as a person.
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