"It's seeing the combination of masculine strength and vulnerability that makes men cry," said Michael Mayer, the director of "Thoroughly Modern Millie" on Broadway.
Albums like the moody Me Against The World and even the more abrasive All Eyez On Me found 2Pac complimenting his bars with spots of melody and R&B, while also balancing his hyper-masculine bravado with vulnerability and compassion.
Byrne's music, which featured a number of ringing choral passages that would be amplified to fill the theatre with male voices, heightened the audience's sense of Joan's singularity, and of her vulnerability before the implacably masculine institutions of monarchy and Church.
As someone who takes anti-depressants, I've come to realise the importance of emotional vulnerability within such a hyper-masculine culture that prides itself on strength and invincibility.
His most recent body of work, Two Blocks Away from the Sun, explores the notion of "boyhood" and the inevitable journey of "becoming men" by illustrating the vulnerability and fragility of pre-masculine behaviors in adolescent boys.
Allowing space to engage with men's vulnerability is a key element in exploring masculine identities, as well as allowing men to feel supported and accepted, rather than blamed and judged.
There's definitely part of me that realised she had this vulnerability that made her so tough, so thick-skinned, a bit masculine.
"He's such a masculine guy, but he's able to tap into a lovely poignancy and vulnerability – which I've got to see over the years, being his friend".
This could be done in part by reframing masculine strategies, emphasizing the strength and courage needed to risk expressing feelings and to show vulnerability [ 9, 21, 26, 48].
As we all know, traditional corporate culture is based on quintessential "masculine" traits of being aggressive and competitive to get the job done, not showing any weakness or vulnerability, and keeping things rather church and state.
