3 Stories You Should Read on International Men’s Day!

Society has forever been setting parameters on the kind of jobs that men and women should be doing. What happens when men are doing offbeat jobs that are supposedly meant for the women? On the occasion of International Men’s Day, Jaago Re spoke to some interesting men in offbeat professions to find out what they feel about their career choices. Here’s what they had to say!

Men too are subject to adverse sexism, but being assertive can help establish personal choices on the long run.

“For the longest time, I’ve always been interested in haircare, hair art and experimenting with fashion. My parents chided me for taking up a woman’s profession, till date they haven’t accepted my career choice. A lot of people assumed that I was homosexual due to my personal choices. Can I not be a heterosexual man and work as a salon hairstylist? What does my sexual orientation have to do with any of my life choices? Luckily for me, I always found the optimism to continue to do what I wanted. Primarily due to my wife’s support, I’ve been able to do this. Men are always under scrutiny for not choosing ‘manly’ jobs. We’ve got to put an end to such unrealistic standards.”

The courage to defy societal judgements makes it possible for men to pursue what they want.

“I have been drawing since I was 12, I used to pluck the henna leaves from my aunt’s garden and grind them with her to make the henna paste. I’d find myself sitting at home and experimenting with mehendi on my hands while the boys my age would go out playing cricket. Back in school, they used to make fun of me after seeing my henna tattooed hands. As I grew older, even my family had started making remarks but they soon grew accustomed to it once they saw me making good money out of it. It did bother me when the boys bullied me at school, but it didn’t stop me from going ahead and giving a shot at being a henna artist. It wasn’t until I lost my job at a call center that I decided to follow this old dream of mine. Do I have any regrets? Yes, for not having done this earlier.”

Men are using their careers to step out and express their emotions through art, breaking the long held belief that men aren’t sentimental.

“I always liked the glamour, the sheen and the feel of looking good. My tryst with cosmetics began when I was a cabin crew member at an airline. All my female colleagues would get their make-up done by me and they appreciated my skills. It was then that I realised that I had potential, so I gave an interview at a renowned cosmetic brand and after 7 rounds of intense interviews, I was hired. My artwork comes to life when I do make-up for both women and men at photo shoots. I like seeing their features come to life. Being a make-up artist, one must be able to apply make-up on themselves. But when I do that to myself, I get a lot of questions, ‘Why do you apply make-up to yourself?’. The answer is simple! I do it because I feel great and confident. There’s a notion that men cannot wear make-up or be make-up artists. It isn’t true, men are free to express themselves however they wish to. There are no specific careers that men should take up to prove their ability.”

Final thoughts:

These stories are a true form of celebration for every boy and man out there, let us set realistic expectation for them and give them the courage to follow paths that mean the most to them.

International Men’s Day is celebrated every year on November 19th, to recognize the efforts of men and boys around the world. There is special focus laid on highlighting discrimination against men and boys, to celebrate their achievements and contributions, in particular to community, family, marriage, and child care. The larger and eventual purpose of the event is to encourage basic humanitarian values.