This series shines a light on toxic masculinity and encourages Australians to support themselves and their mates. Featuring industry leaders sharing personal experiences with the tagline -- When the going gets tough, get talking.
It celebrates the BOYS DO CRY campaign, which launched with a transformed version of The Cure’s iconic song, Boys Don’t Cry. The campaign is the brainchild of independent advertising agency The Hallway, produced in partnership with The University of Melbourne’s Centre for Mental Health, Heiress Films, Good Oil’s Tom Campbell, Uncanny Valley, Initiative and powered by UnLtd – raising funds for mental fitness foundation Gotcha4Life.
Next up is Cameron Law, Group Strategy Director at Carat Brisbane
When was the last time you cried?
My partner and I recently went through a miscarriage for our third baby at 11 weeks. It caught us completely off guard, having had two smooth-sailing pregnancies and births beforehand.
I cried like a baby for a solid week. But by sharing our experience with family and friends, we’ve been able to have rich and honest conversations and understand just how many people have had similar experiences.
Tell us about your experience of traditional masculine stereotypes growing up.
My father is not an overly stereotypical bloke, never pressuring me to play sports or do anything I wasn’t keen on. He never shied away from showing emotion or expected our family to follow traditional family stereotypes.
Having one sister I’ve generally walked my own path in life and not felt the need to act ‘blokey’ or pretend to be something I’m not. Anyone who knows me well would tell you I’m proud of being a big nerd, who doesn’t really care about sport, and have had more close female friendships than male ones.
However, it’s not lost on me the fact that as a straight white male I’ve had an easier path to walk in our industry, so this is something I try to be constantly aware of and am still learning about.
What would you tell your 15 year old self about opening up and showing your emotions?
Don’t be shy – have a louder voice and opinions, even if you think people will disagree. Also clean your room.
What do you want for the next generation?
To value the impact of talking openly & regularly. Last year my best mate of 20+ years and I started a podcast about fatherhood, called ‘The Shit Dad Podcast’, where we chat about the good and bad moments of being a dad, partner, and friend.
I’d love my kids to listen to it one day when they have kids and understand the value of talking and sharing honest stories and how that can positively impact your mental health without you realising it.
What do we, as a society, need to do to challenge views that men should always put on a brave front?
Tell our own stories, even if we think no-one is listening. And encourage discussion around ‘healthy masculinity’ and how it’s different from traditional masculinity (as preached by The Men’s Table organisation!).
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