Hello, self-lovers!

Today, I'm going to be discussing self-love for my male readers. 

I realize that my blog tends to be very women-oriented. This is due to a couple of factors. Firstly, I am a woman. Secondly, women tend to struggle more with self-confidence and body positivity as opposed to men. Combined, these two things result in a very female-centric self-love handbook.

But, my dear gentlemen, I have not forgotten you. I encourage you to love yourselves, too!

"Self-love" may sound off-putting to a lot of men, simply because it seems like a very feminine term. Sigh. Hyper-masculinity always seems to get in my way.

Men's preconceived notions about self-love are also due in large part to the way they are typically raised. Throughout childhood and young adulthood, boys are often taught not to show emotion. They are raised to value steely toughness and strength over vulnerability and emotions. 

And self-love definitely involves being vulnerable.

Despite these male biases, the truth is that self-love is not restricted to any gender. Men, women, nonbinary people, and every other gender in between should feel free to embrace the idea of loving themselves. Self-love excludes no one! You just have to let it in. 

Loving themselves is something I believe all men would benefit from. Loving yourself is cool. Loving yourself is tough. It's the hating yourself that's weak. 

I found a really great article online (written by a man! different perspective anyone?) that talks more about men and self-love. It's a great read, linked here: https://goodmenproject.com/featured-content/j1b-ballers-of-the-heart-the-importance-of-male-self-love/

(I realize it is highly unlikely that I have many male readers. Ladies, feel free to pass this along to the men in your life!) 

BB