6 MALE ROLE MODELS FOR MEN'S DAY
Everyone has that person they look up to and admire to be like them. The men in our lives should be celebrated. Some men celebrated for acting as role models include Barack Obama, Terry Crews, Kevin Love, and Muhammad Ali.
Thompson (2010) noted that every year, on the 19th of November, people celebrate international men's day. This day is meant to celebrate the men in our lives and appreciate their presence and what they've done and still do in our lives. This day is a foreground to display the various constructive roles men play in society. There are good role models that young men look up to and would like to imitate. These role models are the ones who have been either a hero, motivators or have exemplary values. Some of the exemplary and genuinely good role models are;
Barack Obama
He was born in Kenya and moved to the USA with his mother when he was young. He studied and lived there. He was once a senator in the USA before vying for president. He is the 44th president of the United States of America. He was from a humble background and was raised by a single mum. He's from a middle-class family. He started his dream of being a president and later was elected one. He brought the slogan "yes we can" to show that whatever one intends to achieve in life is possible. He wanted people to believe in themselves and have the courage to try anything they wanted to achieve. He became the first black person to be elected president of the United States of America. He was against the stereotype of toxic masculinity during his term. He believed that one is first a human, then a man later. This slogan was to show that the awful stereotypes present in our society tend to destroy the way of life. He encouraged men to live by lifting others. He was against putting people down because you had the power on your hands. He was also the most powerful man on earth after conducting the execution of the greatest terrorist in the world, Osama Bin Laden.
Terry Crews
He is an actor and a television presenter. He is known as a survivor of sexual assault. He encouraged people to speak up when they feel they've been violated. During the #metoomovement, he spoke about how a Hollywood agent sexually assaulted him at the start of his career. He proved that men are also vulnerable human beings. He asked people not to take vulnerability as a sign of weakness but rather as strength. Some men have come forward through the #metoomovement and spoken of their experiences. He also spoke about the violent abuse he witnessed while growing up and how his father abused his mother. He felt the need to become a bodybuilder to help his mother fight off his alcoholic father.
Winston Churchill
He is the former prime minister of the United Kingdom. He is celebrated as the leader who led Britain through World War 2. He wrote speeches encouraging people not to give up. His speeches are used in universities and live events.
Lebron James
He is a professional basketballer. Cavezza (2010) noted that he started playing basketball at a young age and joined the NBA at 18. He plays for the Lakers. He is the "king" of basketball because of his prowess and scoring tactics in the game. He is greatly known for being a great father to his children. He has been to almost every game with his children and shows commitment when attending the games. It makes men who look up to him imitate his values of how to be there for your children when they need you. He is a mirror of what a responsible father looks like. Men who are about to be dads or those whose father figure has not been present in their lives can learn a lot from him.
Kevin Love
He is an American athlete who is greatly known as someone who champions for men to speak up about depression and mental health issues. He has always spoken about his grapple with panic attacks. He encourages men to speak up about issues affecting them and embrace those issues. He wanted people to know that they are allowed to be vulnerable and get rid of the stigma that men feel about not talking when they are depressed. He did not shy away from the fact that he wanted help and undergoing depression.
Muhammad Ali
According to Kasapa (2015), He is famously known as a boxing legend. He championed freedom for his people. He was black, and he fought for peace and people to be treated equally. He based his activism on equality of skin color, also known as racism. He inspired black people to fight for their rights and stick to their cultural values and be comfortable with themselves. He believed that to achieve goals and be great, you had to believe that one has the potential inside you. Men learn that you have to get up once you are beaten down. The act of falling allows you to gain the power to get up with force and achieve your goals that are deterred. Muhammad Ali is a man who has shaped the lives of other men who look up to him, especially boxers.
Conclusion
There is a stereotype of men being told what it is or takes to be a man. This notion builds a man with toxic masculinity. Men need to have role models who have shown and are still showing exemplary values to be emulated. These role models help those who look up to them make healthy choices and assist them in living a great life. This will shape their life. These men need to be celebrated and remembered on international men's day and daily. They need to feel like they are doing a great job by shaping the future of the men that look up to them.
Reference:
Cavezza, S. E. (2010). Can I See Some ID: An Antitrust Analysis Of NBA And NFL Draft Eligibility Rules. U. Denv. Sports & Ent. LJ, 9, 22.
Kasapa, M. (2015, March). Tangible Skin Of Space: Nanomaterials. In ALL IN ONE CONFERENCES (P. 152).
Thompson, J. (2010). International Men's Day: The Birth Of A Movement. Soul Books.