The page image doesn't really feel right for this trope. It's actually pretty likely the artist took a look at the original draft and saw some serious Narm in the making. Plus, they are crying in the finished pic, just in a more "serious" and "dignified" manner. Seriously, we need a better page pic.
The title and explanation seem to point that something only fits the trope if people are hidden when crying or not shown to cry becuse they're men, this by defualt makes the trope YMMV, becuase we can't prove what the writer's intent is, besides, if you /ask/ them, 99% of the time they're going to say "Becuase they're too positive." or "Becuase they're embarassed." or "becuase it will make the situation worse."
I just added a "Playing With" page to this. How come I can't see it on the main?
There have been cases of women who refuse to cry...would this count as [grounds for] a non-gender-specific trope, or merely a gender inversion?
Edited by Stoogebie
An example needs details. Please do not pothole work titles.
I don't see that there is an example here. The first sub-example is Eomer rallying his men, not invoking the trope. Gandalf's not invoking the trope in his quote in the second sub example. Deciding Hobbits aren't expected to be manly is a bit off into personal interpretation territory and the whole thing is rife with bad indentation and natter. Please Repair Dont Respond.
- Sort of in Lord of the Rings. When Theoden died, "all who stood wept", but then Eomer said,
Mourn not overmuch! Mighty was the fallen,meet was his ending. When his mound is raised,women then shall weep. War now calls us! (emphasis added)
- Later, at Theoden's funeral, Eomer is proved right, as the event ends when "the burial was over and the weeping of women was stilled".
- Gandalf disagrees. He tells Sam, Merry and Pippin "I will not say 'do not weep'; for not all tears are evil." On the other hand, they are hobbits, and less outward manliness is expected of them.
- Then again, there are many instances of Manly Tears throughout Tolkien's works. Boromir, Gimli, Frodo, Sam, men of Gondor, Manwë, Fingon, Beren, Túrin, etc. all seem to weep without shame.
- It possibly is a case of Shown Their Work — some cultures included crying women as an important part of a funeral. On the other hand, this may be considered straight, only indirect.
- Plus Eomer was trying to rally his men. He pretty much lost it himself when he saw his sister not far from Theoden.
- Later, at Theoden's funeral, Eomer is proved right, as the event ends when "the burial was over and the weeping of women was stilled".
A large number of examples here are aversions. Should something be done about that?
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The more I edit the more I find aversions add very little to an example section. That's especially true here — I strongly suspect the aversions are just non-examples and could be cut.
Which of the "Lensman" novels was it that had the line, "Men swear to keep from crying, women cry to keep from swearing"?
This trope takes a cultural norm in the West and assumes that it also exists in the rest of world. In my culture (Iran) not only their is no stigma against men crying, but also in many circumstances (especially in Ashoura) it is seen as a positive attribute.