Why you shouldn’t make fun of those ‘sad’ Ben Affleck photos

Ben Affleck’s often snapped looking sad, annoyed and tired, but there’s a harsh reality behind these photos.

Ben Affleck looking ‘sad’ has become an internet meme but it also reveals how we feel about men who show emotions. 

 Affleck, 50, is one of the most famous and successful actors/directors in Hollywood and he has also had a very colourful personal life. 

 He was married to fellow actor Jennifer Garner and the pair share three children and he is now married to icon Jennifer Lopez.

The combination of his soaring career and star-studded personal life means he is often snapped out and about. 

 The man is so famous people want to see him at the grocery store, grabbing a coffee or even just chatting on the phone.

Ben Affleck often doesn’t look happy in photos. Source: BACKGRID

Usually, when male celebrities are photographed, they are either smiling or expressionless, but Ben’s had a history of looking sad, grumpy and even exasperated.

The result? He has become a meme.

It has become a form of sport on the internet to write funny tweets next to photos of Ben looking glum.

I suppose that reveals how rare it is to see a man convey emotion – if they do, it is meme worthy.

Sure, some of the commentary surrounding Ben’s sad faces are funny, but does it just enforce the outdated culture that men should be mocked for showing emotion?

 Relationship expert Amanda Lambro said: “It is already typically difficult for men to show emotion. So if he is in fact sad, as a community, we are now pointing out to him that it isn’t acceptable to ‘look’ that way.”

Clinical psychologist Dr Aileen Alegado further explained: “It shows that this outdated concept of men having to hold in their emotion and ‘man up’ is still a widely held belief in society and we have a long way to go on a societal level.

“I see a lot of male clients who struggle to show their emotions and this impacts heavily upon their everyday life and wellbeing. It can impact upon their relationships heavily,” she said.

So what can we do to change this? Well, it’d help if we stopped making fun of Ben for daring to share an ounce of emotion.

 “Talking about it, making men feel open to expressing how they feel and having these discussions in the media can help to bring about change,” Dr Alegado advised.

He also often looks happy with Jen. Photo by Michael Tran / AFP

The reaction to Ben’s less-than-happy expressions enforces a culture that values men seeming stoic over sad. 

“As a psychologist, I find when my male clients begin to open up and express their emotions, we really start to see positive change happen in all aspects of their lives,” Dr Alegado said.

Consider why you are shocked firstly and then work through it. It is a you problem and not a Ben problem. 

 The Oscar winner doesn’t need to learn to smile more – we need to learn to respond correctly. 

“The best way to understand why we have these beliefs is to look inward at our own triggers and misconceptions. Where is this coming from for us? Once we can understand how these beliefs were formed and where these ideas came from we can actively work on reframing them for ourselves,” Dr Alegado said.

source: www.news.com.au