Crying is seen as shameful. When girls cry, they are deemed weak and called sissies and babies. Boys, on the other hand, are not even allowed to cry. In fact, it’s humiliating to cry. People cry in the confines of their covers, in the privacy of bathroom stalls. But why? Crying is beautiful. Tears are the vehicle of memories and feelings, they provide passage for intangible emotions to enter the tangible world. Smile and laughter are not as universal. We cry when we’re happy, we cry when we’re sad, frustrated, angry, embarrassed, lonely, proud, grateful, moved. Being able to cry is being able to be intimate with the world around you – it’s being able to express an emotion in the rawest sense – without words muddling the feeling, incorrectly translating something that inherently cannot be described.
To be able to share your tears is powerful.
Photos and Words: Chloe Xiang
Model: Alexis Williams
