Not to be confused with Manly Tears
About
Male Tears is a series of animated gif images featuring male characters crying and the words Male Tears displayed underneath. They are typically used by online supporters of the Feminism movement as reaction images towards male anti-feminist critics who derail discussions to men’s problems when arguing about specific gender issues.
Origin
The exact origin of the words “Male Tears” being tied to animated pictures of white men crying is unknown. The earliest instances come from an August 25th, 2012, French Tumblr post from FeministPicture, titled Male Tears. It showed various examples, describing the trend as “A concept to make fun of men who whine about how oppressed they are, how hard life is for them, while they still are privileged”[1]. The way the post is made suggests that the trend may have existed on Tumblr prior.
Spread
Beginning on November 13th, 2012, the Tumblr blog Male-Tears[2] was launched as an ironic take on Men’s Rights Activists and the noton of Misandry by curating hundred of reaction images: and gifs mocking the phrase, including “Male Tears” ones. These latters were reused in different feminist articles such as Dance WIth DIssonance[3] in relation to street harassment or Not Sorry Feminism[4] in relation to GamerGate.
I Sip On Male Tears
I Sip On Male Tears is a catchphrase and photograghs showing women taking a sip from a mug with the words “Male Tears” written on it. While the trend has been embraced by many women supporters of the Feminism movement as a prime example of ironic Misandry in order to ridicule the man-hating feminist stereotype, it drew criticism online for its perceived sexism against men.
While male-tears-themed merchandise existed prior, the first photograph showing a woman sipping from a mug sporting the phrase was posted by Tumblr user Lunarynth in mid-July 2013 (shown below) before being deleted later on.
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I Bathe In Male Tears
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Various Examples
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Related Trend: White Tears
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External References
[1]Tumblr – Male Tears (French)
[3]Wordpress – WATCHOUTLADIES: YOURSLUTTYFEETAREASKINGFOR IT
[4]Not Sorry Feminism – Male Tears Time