Men Who Take Baths

After every conversation comes the final rite of passage: Getting Bubble Knighted.

With bubbles from their own bath, the mighty whisk is tapped to each shoulder, welcoming them into the honorable order of bathers. A lighthearted ritual, yes, but also a way of marking the courage it takes to get in the bath and drop the mask.

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To the men who dare to be themselves—who listen, grow, and show up with open hearts. Your courage to lead with love and authenticity is the foundation of a better world.

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Bather:

In a world where loneliness is on the rise, especially for men, one fulfilling role is often overlooked: friend.

A New York Times essay explores this “epidemic of loneliness.” Currently, around 20% of American adults feel isolated or disconnected from others.

The burden of change is often put on the lonely themselves, with the same tired advice to stay active, embrace fun, and cultivate gratitude.

Growing feelings of sadness, anger, and disconnection often stem from a weakening social fabric (then pair this with a lack of exposure to alternative ways of thinking and a growing sense of “purposeless”).

To connect in meaningful, non-hierarchical ways, men need to prioritize friendship where they can speak openly and often about what’s going on in their lives.

This is something women are good at. In many ways, we’ve nurtured friendship for the sake of friendship since we were children. Our friendships weren’t necessarily based on a shared interest, but how much we confided in one another about the truth of our experiences. And gossip.

I wonder if women are uniquely positioned to support men in the cultivation of friendships with other men. Not in a “mothering” way, like, ‘honey, why don’t you call Johnny and see if he’s free?’ but leading by example, giving space for male friendships to form, and decidedly encouraging the role of girlfriend or wife to not also be the role of sole confidante.

Where to begin?