Yahoo Lifestyle "I Have Longed For This My Whole Life" — Millions Of Women Are Praising Justin Baldoni For His Vulnerable Take On Modern Masculinity In A Recent Interview
Justin Baldoni is actor and filmmaker, most recently known for directing and starring as Ryle Kincaid in It Ends With Us.
He was showered with praise for how he handled press promotion for the film. Justin didn't attend the red carpet premiere or appear in any promotional material, stating, "This isn't my night—this is a night for all the women who we made this movie for. This is a night for Blake, this is a night for Colleen. I'm just so grateful that we're here, five years in the making."
Now that the film has been in theaters for over a month, Justin made an appearance on Rainn Wilson's podcast Soul Boom.
However, it's a segment of Justin's interview about his dating experiences that has gained significant attention on social media. Justin tells Rainn, "In my twenties, I would try on, as I called it, the different masks of masculinity...like, let me just pretend to not give a shit about anything."
"And, I struggled. You know, I would meet somebody and then maybe I liked her but then I was like, 'Don't text her. Can't text her.' Why?"
He continued, "So then I would not text her those two days I had so much anxiety. I was like, I want to tell her, I have these feelings. I was trying to be maybe something I wasn't at first and not text or not call her but all I wanted to do was share my heart."
"Then I realized, over the course of my twenties, that none of that stuff was working for me. So, I started questioning things and when I met my wife it was like a lightbulb went off. When I realized what if I am just myself? What if I am just myself and I share with her all the parts of me?"
Right away, it resonated with women who are sick of "dating" games:
And many others who noted just how often toxic masculinity influences dating interactions:
Men even started to open up the conversation, acknowledging that they operate under these societal expectations:
In fact, Justin's vulnerability is resonating with people in all kinds of situations, not just dating:
You can read more about the importance of vulnerability in relationships here. Let us know if this resonated with you in the comments!
You can watch the full podcast below:
