‘I hope they continue spotlighting NS to build momentum’: Singaporeans applaud MenToo movement for acknowledging what goes unsaid

SINGAPORE: A new movement was recently launched for men in Singapore, and by and large, Singaporeans are expressing approval for the founders for providing a channel that focuses on men’s well-being, especially mental health.

MenToo, which was launched on June 6, was founded by Amicus, a psycholegal and coaching firm, along with Bros Before Woes, a men’s community group. Representatives from 12 men’s organisations signed a MenToo charter, described as a shared commitment to the mental health and well-being of men, during the launch. Eric Chua, Senior Parliamentary Secretary at the Ministry of Law and the Ministry of Social and Family Development, was the guest of honour.

“This is the start of showing up for one another,” wrote Amicus in a social media post.

Unlike men’s rights groups elsewhere in the world, which have presented as primarily being anti-feminist, MenToo in Singapore is a support group for men, giving them the space to talk about relationships, fatherhood, money, and what it means to be a man in these times.

Brian Liu, a co-founder of Bros Before Woes, talked to The Business Times about MenToo, touching at some length on National Service, which every Singaporean male is required to serve.

Mr Liu told BT that because of NS, Singapore men have “a different kind of identity that most men in Asia don’t have.” It leaves a lasting impact on men, including a ranking system by which they measure their worth, which can have an effect on their work and relationships.

The mixed martial arts fighter Amir Khan, who was one of the speakers at the MenToo launch, told the South China Morning Post that at a time when he had a lot of internal struggles, he didn’t know how to get help. 

“I realised that strength actually means having the courage to ask for help when you’re not at your best. And I think that’s what the MenToo movement teaches men to do,” he said.

What Singaporeans are saying

So far, the chatter online has been positive, with Singaporeans expressing appreciation for a space for men to talk about the issues they’ve long left unsaid. There has also been praise for BT and The Straits Times for shining a light on the challenges that men face.

“It seems like there might be momentum for some positive change rather than have men’s issues get swept under the rug,” a Reddit user wrote.

“I want to see more initiatives help men become more themselves instead of as tools to achieve societal ends. Present ones expect men to become good soldiers, or good citizens, or good spouses. That narrative should be reframed to how they can be themselves fundamentally, even if it means undoing things they are taught on being good soldiers or whatever,” another wrote, adding, “I learnt it rough – saw so much bad stereotyping in NS. Now I learn that it’s okay to destroy lessons learnt from that”

“It’s great, and I hope they continue spotlighting NS to build momentum. That’s the best way to keep the conversation focused to our local context,” commented a third.  

“It’s a really good initiative, and I think it’s a good step towards reorienting our notion of what it means to be ‘a man’ and masculinity in Singapore. And I am for anything that channels our boys and men away from the incel ideology and ‘masculinity’ of Tate and Fuentes that seem to have been trending of late.

Men in Singapore need to talk more about their feelings and to unlearn some of those traditional gender roles that prevent us from doing so. I see the potential in this movement in helping them do so, and also towards a healthier relationship between them and their loved ones,” another added. /TISG

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