Men call up their closest friends to say 'I love you' and break gender stereotypes of affection

Love transcends everything. From couples making their rainy-day confessions to pet owners telling their four-legged friends that they love them so much, love is an emotion that we can find all around us. However, the patriarchal society has taught men that any show of affection they have for each other is a sign of weakness. Men being open and vulnerable with other men is still frowned upon. Fortunately, this is beginning to change, as it was demonstrated by the results of this social experiment done by Dose of Society (@doseofsociety) on TikTok.

In this experiment, men on the street were approached by the TikTok creator who asked them to call their closest friends and express their affection. The host of the experiment approached a man and asked him, "If he tells his male friend that he loves them?" The guy answered, "Of course," without hesitation. "Would you be able to call one of your friends right now and tell them that you love them?" the host questioned again. In response to that the man pulled out his phone and dialed his best friend's number.

"Listen, I know it's random, but I just wanted to tell you that I love you. You've been there for me in my darkest times. So I know it's random, but yeah, I love you, bro," the man put his phone on speaker and confessed to his friend on the other end. Nonetheless, his buddy, who was clearly taken aback, responded. "Come on bro, you know what we do for each other and no one can match that. But have you had anything to drink?" his buddy questioned.

The man who was getting questioned by the TikTok creator let out a laugh and announced that he was sober. Before hanging up, he told his friend "Levy" that he loved him once again. "He had my back through thick and thin and been there in my lowest moments. He has been the shoulder I could cry on. I think as I am getting older now, my brothers mean a lot more to me than anything I could ever imagine," the man said, adding that he is grateful to God for having his friends by his side.

In another video, where the TikTok creator continued the experiment, they approached another man on the street, asking the same question to them. This person dialed up his school buddy, named Luca and told him how much he loved him over a brief conversation, where his friend reciprocated the feeling. The second guy also mentioned that when "an individual loves someone, they should tell them right away, no matter who it is." Sure enough, the comment section was flooded with wholesome reactions from the people on platform.

@775fighter wrote, "We gotta normalize this and show the homies love, man." @kingboz74 quipped, "It's dope to see how us men hold each other down these days. We always tell each other love you, bro." @avidgamemaster commented, "I got a friend like that. I'm lucky to have had a buddy like him for the past 18 years." @9h05t__96__ remarked, "Those who are lucky enough need to cherish those people. For those of us who have no one, keep pushing regardless I believe in all of you."