Page 7 - ADNews magazine March-April 2022

Editor’s Letter
Reimagining crying as a cure
I’m sure I was told by a parent, or someone, something along the lines of: “Don’t make a fuss. Don’t cry.” But not crying is when the problems start. Better to express sadness than to suppress.
BOYS DO CRY — reimagining The Cure’s hit Boys Don’t Cry — is a series of
AdNews articles shining a
light on toxic masculinity
and encouraging Australians to support themselves and their mates.
Industry leaders have been sharing personal expe- riences with the tagline — When the going gets tough, get talking.
The advertising and media industry is blessed with the many who will chip in when it comes to helping others via social purpose group Unltd.
These articles follow a
campaign, the brainchild of
independent agency The
Hallway, in partnership with
The University of Melbourne’s
Centre for Mental Health,
mental fitness foundation
Gotcha4Life and Heiress
Films, the team behind the Gus Worland-hosted ABC TV series Man Up, with support from UnLtd and media agency Initiative.
Simon Lee, The Hallway’s executive creative director and author of the reimagined lyrics: “Going and telling my GP that I was suffering from anxiety was more nerve-racking than any pitch presentation I have ever had to make. But admitting my vulnerability and reaching out for help is one of the best things I have ever done. My hope is that
this campaign will help give other people the strength to do the same.”
The aim is to encourage men to challenge masculine stereotypes, reach out to those around them, check in with mates, and reinforce the message that connecting
and opening up is not just healthy, it can be the difference between living and dying.
An average of seven men take their own lives every day in Australia. Suicide kills three times more men than road accidents and is the lead- ing cause of death for those aged 15-49.
Nearly one in five men will have a mental health issue such as anxiety or depression in a given year, but most find it hard to ask for help and instead try to “man up” and keep prob- lems to themselves.
Simon Lee: “I was brought up in a very loving family envi- ronment, but there was defi- nitely a very British, underlying stiff-upper lip attitude to deal- ing with difficult emotions. I also have very clear memories of watching ads by brands like
Gillette and aspiring to be like the chiselled, strong, alpha males they featured. In fact, everything from the comic books I read, to the movies I watched, per- petuated a limited idea of ‘manliness’.”
Contributors to the series so far: Paul Sigaloff at Yahoo, Richie Kenzie at Clear Hayes Consulting, Chris Freel at UnLtd, Adam Furness at Impact.com, Gus Worland at Gotcha4Life, Sam Geer at Initiative, Charlton Hill at Uncanny Valley, Tom Campbell at Good Oil, Andy Wright at Never Not Creative.
EDITOR
CHRIS PASH
www.adnews.com.au | March - April 2022 7