‘What have you guys organized for it?’: Men complained about underappreciation during International Men’s Day

International Men’s Day is the perfect time to discuss male loneliness. Masses of men love bringing up the issue during International Women’s Day, after all.

That’s not what happened on November 19, 2024, though. Instead, online spaces were silent about International Men’s Day. There were hardly any mentions of male loneliness or talks of male mental health on social media. One X user pointed out the damning silence about International Men’s Day through a tweet. He wrote, “International men’s day. Silence. Not surprised.”

In response, another user replied, “Oh fun, what have you guys organised for it?” It’s hard to tell if this reply was sarcastic or genuine, but the point still stands. Men should have programs and events arranged to celebrate the day. Women normally hold protests, talks, and other activities that celebrate women’s solidarity. Men should do the same, but to some women, it seemed as though men were waiting for women to organize these events in their honor.

Men can advocate for themselves

One poster observed that many men only remember International Men’s Day when women celebrate International Women’s Day. International Men’s Day is an ideal time to talk about issues like male loneliness and mental health struggles. Instead, those male-specific issues are often brought up in an attempt to discredit the sexism women experience.

The theme for this year’s International Men’s Day was “Positive Male Role Models,” a theme that is sorely pertinent in our current political and societal climate. So why didn’t any positive role models step forward? Perhaps the problem is that men don’t know how they should celebrate International Men’s Day, but they shouldn’t rely on others to do it for them.

Male loneliness and the stigmatization of men’s mental health are real issues with deadly consequences. Due to social expectations, men are hesitant to talk about their mental health problems. November 19 is the perfect day for men to prepare events or organize talks about men’s struggles. It would’ve been a great time to advocate for a plethora of male-specific issues. Hopefully, they’ll make a change next year.