Real Men Don't Cry, But They Used To

05:49

September 21, 2015

Men weren't always encouraged to be emotionally stoic. There was once a time when men openly wept. (Robert Agthe/Flickr)

We've long heard that real men don't cry, and it's true that unadulterated displays of male emotion are almost as rare in real life as they are on screen. Many men are actively discouraged from crying — and it starts early in life.

Well, it turns out that it wasn't always that way. In fact, real men of medieval times, including Sir Lancelot, were known for their proud displays of weeping and sobbing. So why is it not okay for today's men to cry?

Here & Now's Peter O'Dowd talks to Sandra Newman, author of "Man, Weeping," to discuss the ins and outs of male emotion.

Guest

Sandra Newman, author of "The Country of Ice Cream," "How Not To Write A Novel" and "Man, Weeping" which appears in digital magazine Aeon. She tweets @sannewman.

This segment aired on September 21, 2015.