“The old rules that place males and females in gender straight-jackets are devastating relationships. Change the rules.” ~ Lisa Merlo-Booth
Many relationship issues stem from caustic gender “rules.” More men than you can imagine struggle with being emotionally connected after a lifetime of messaging telling them to “be tough,” don’t feel, and have sex with women but don’t fall too hard for them. Equal numbers of women have no idea how to handle poor treatment due to the continuous messaging telling them to “be nice,” look good, and don’t make waves. The result is unhappy relationships, lonely women, and disconnected men.
Stop playing by harmful gender rules. Women are leaving men every day because they’re lonely, and the men are at a total loss regarding how to show up more connected. Many of the women who are staying are trying to “nice” their partners into treating them well, resulting in continued poor treatment. In the end, both men and women lose.
It’s time to stop putting yourself or those around you in gender straight-jackets. Rather than worrying about what “real” men or women should do, raise the bar on how men and women alike are showing up–gender “roles” be damned.
Challenge: Throw gender “roles” out the window. Share your thoughts and feelings, stand up for yourself, allow yourself to fall for the person you love, and show up in a way that is strong, grounded, loving, and connected—regardless of which gender pronoun you or others use.