Line #268 Main/MenDontCry


1	[[quoteright:300:[[ComicBook/SonicTheHedgehogArchieComics https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/t_cry_5855.png]]]]
2	[[caption-width-right:300:[[InelegantBlubbering Original Pencils]] vs. [[ManlyTears Final Product]].]]
3
4	->''"It is ''not'' okay for a grown-ass man to weep in public, in front of a bunch of happy families enjoying pie. If you can't hold it, you take your ass to the men's room and cry in private on the toilet. Like a man!"''
5	-->-- '''Emerson''', ''Series/PushingDaisies'', "[[Recap/PushingDaisiesS2E1Bzzzzzzzzz Bzzzzzzzzz!]]"
6
7	%% One quote is sufficient. Please place additional entries on the quotes tab.
8
9	When this trope is in effect, Real Men don't cry, no matter what. Not while facing the camera at least. In older anime, stolen food or a slap may still evoke OcularGushers, but tears of sadness would always come from well-hidden eyes or as a SparklingStreamOfTears over a man's turned shoulder or even in a spontaneous downpour of rain. Sometimes it's passed off as only [[SandInMyEyes sand in their eyes]]. Sometimes the man will flatly deny crying, even as he's doing so. There is a single exception: [[SingleTear one single tear]] is allowed at the retirement ceremony of his favorite sporting icon.
10
11	Since this involves something ''not'' being represented, it may be confusing as to what an use of this trope would look like. To put it simply, any portrayals or [[DiscussedTrope discussions]] of this mindset in media count as an example. It typically comes in two ways:
12	* '''Pushed by the author:''' The narrative itself goes alongside this trope. Men won't be shown crying, and if they do, it won't be painted in the same light as women. TheHero is strong, courageous and someone the vulnerable ones rely on, so of course he can't be vulnerable himself. If he cries, it will be ManlyTears, usually over the loss of a loved one. Other (often younger) men may sometimes shed TenderTears but [[{{Foil}} this is only to reinforce just how strong the Hero is by comparison]]. If the villain cries, it's for a selfish reason and a sign that he's a DirtyCoward. This is mostly found in RatedMForManly media.
13	* '''Pushed by the setting:''' This is when the narrative wants to teach AnAesop about how ItsOkayToCry. TheStoic, ByronicHero and ClassicalAntiHero will have to learn that RepressionNeverEndsWell and stop holding back the tears they hid for so long, often beginning by a SorrowfulStutter and ending in a CatharticCrying. Even when the villain cries, it will be HumanizingTears. However men will often be shamed for weeping (perhaps ironically more often than in the former case) and this is what they will have to overcome.
14
15	Unfortunately, this trope often makes some viewers confuse any crying or depression whatsoever from a guy with {{Wangst}}, also reinforcing the "men have no permission to ever show feelings other than rage" DoubleStandard - as viewers are much ''much'' more likely to be crying "Wangst" over a ''male'' character than a female character. This double standard is also why male characters who are ProneToTears are much more likely to be comedic than female characters.
16
17	On the other hand, a crying man might TakeAThirdOption and say "HeWillNotCrySoICryForHim!".
18
19	Compare MenAreUncultured, TryingNotToCry.
20
21	Contrast EmotionalBruiser, OcularGushers and SparklingStreamOfTears.
22	----
23	!!Examples:
24
25	[[foldercontrol]]
26
27	[[folder:Anime and Manga]]
28	* ''Anime/PokemonTheSeries'': "Bye Bye Butterfree" has the main character shed a single tear, though his face is hidden at the time. During sad scenes in early episodes, Ash would frequently, at least try to, hide his eyes with his hat, while the viewer sees the tears hitting the ground. Ash seems to be [[CharacterDevelopment doing this less]] since Johto though. He just [[TenderTears breaks out in tears]], barely even trying to cover it. [[Anime/PokemonIChooseYou His counterpart in the twentieth movie]] didn't have this trope from the start. The girls on the other hand have no such reservations.
29	* ''Manga/ElfenLied'':
30	** Subverted when Kouta realizes how he's handled Nyuu's problems was probably dangerously misguided, and she's just been taken away. He tears up, and his cousin Yuka immediately snaps at him "Jerk! You're a guy, and guys aren't supposed to cry."
31	** In the final chapter of the manga, the emotional havoc he endures is so strong he spends most of the time crying.
32	* ''Manga/FullmetalAlchemist'': Used during [[spoiler:Hughes' funeral]], where Colonel Roy Mustang, with his back to the audience and subordinate Riza Hawkeye, comments that it's [[ItAlwaysRainsAtFunerals a terrible day for rain]]. When Hawkeye says that it isn't raining, [[SandInMyEyes he insists that it is]] as he is shown (still from behind) with a tear stream running down his cheek. When she sees this, she agrees. Armstrong cries all the time, but that's played for laughs...usually.
33	* Played with in ''Manga/RurouniKenshin'' with the character of [[spoiler:Soujiro]]. When he [[spoiler:kills his family, Shishio asks him if he's crying. Soujiro]] passes it off as rain running down his face, but [[spoiler:we later find out that he was really crying.]] Though in this case, it wasn't about masculinity but because his abusive relatives beat him for crying.
34	* ''Manga/OnePiece'':
35	** Zoro very much plays it straight. He only cries once, and that was when he was soundly beat by the man he set his life goal to defeat. Zoro has no particular aversion to crying, whether himself or others, he's just a Stoic.
36	** Sanji is a bit of a weird example. He regularly goes into OcularGushers for the sake of comedy, but when an actual sad situation occurs (like Usopp's departure and [[spoiler:Merry's funeral]]), and Luffy, Nami, Usopp, Chopper, and Franky are crying their hearts out, he will often stand at the sideline and just look all stoic like Zoro (His departure from the Baratie notwithstanding). But since Sanji is not TheStoic in general, it may very well be because he plays the trope straight and chooses not to show emotion. [[spoiler: {{Subverted}} throughout the Whole Cake Island arc, where he sheds BrokenTears several times due to the ''huge'' TraumaCongaLine he goes through.]]
37	** Speaking of [[spoiler:Merry's funeral]], Usopp attempts to play the trope straight in that scene, stating that true men can part ways without tears... only to, as said above, fail miserably in the end.
38	** PlayedForLaughs in the flashback depicting Oden's perspective of Gold Roger's final voyage. He wrote in his journal that after Roger disbanded the crew and waved his final goodbyes, nobody cried as he left, because the mighty crew of the great Pirate King would never, ever cry. [[UnreliableExpositor The actual scene]], [[SubvertedTrope of course]], shows every single one of them [[InelegantBlubbering with rivers of tears and snot running down all their faces]].
39	* In ''Manga/JunjouRomantica'', young Hiroki cries and scolds himself, saying that "boys shouldn't cry." He quickly changes that to "boys shouldn't let others see them cry."
40	* ''Manga/GalaxyExpress999'' has Tetsuo repeating this to himself after crying.
41	* ''Manga/BigWindup'': When Kanou goes all HiddenEyes when losing the game, Oda wonders what he's thinking until he seems to wipe his face:
42	-->'''Oda:''' [[ShoutOut Hey, there's no crying in baseball!]]\
43	'''Kano:''' I'm not crying, [[SandInMyEyes I just have sweat in my eyes]]!
44	* ''Manga/TheKurosagiCorpseDeliveryService''. [[spoiler:This trope is the reason why Numata wears SunglassesAtNight.]]
45	* Duo Maxwell says this in ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamWing''.
46	* Attempted use in ''Anime/MobileSuitGundam''. Amuro Ray tries to "correct" his comrade Hayato Kobayashi for crying by punching him but Hayato punches him back stating he has no right to claim others should not cry. Amuro himself also cries several times so it could be guessed he was just trying to follow military rules.
47	* Kira Yamato of ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamSeed'' is a very sensitive person, and has a number of tearful breakdowns, especially in the beginning. Mu La Flaga tells him to not cry, in an effort to get Kira to "man up" and find the strength he needs to survive. Kira tries, but Lacus later encourages him to cry if he needs to, as she feels that keeping one's emotions bottled up like that does more harm than good.
48	* ''Anime/DigimonFusion'' plays with this trope to establish Cutemon's character. At the beginning of episode 28, he reprimands Zenjirou for crying, claiming that "boys shouldn't cry." Towards the end of the episode, he must make the decision between staying with his parents (with whom he had recently reunited) or continuing to travel with Xros Heart. Choosing the latter, he tries his best to retain the notion of this but is convinced that it's okay to shed ManlyTears upon bidding farewell.
49	* Sonic (amazingly enough) cries at the very end of the second season finale of ''Anime/SonicX'', presumably over the inevitable prospect of leaving Chris. The viewer never sees either his eyes or face directly. The writers don't believe it's in Sonic's personality to cry openly as in general (but particularly in this series), as the character is supposed to be TheStoic. There was actually some flak for this at the end of a later series wherein some fans were disappointed by Sonic's inability to react after they were forced to [[spoiler:kill Cosmo]], as expressing his emotion at the event and his role in it would have been out of character.
50	* ''Anime/DragonBallZ''
51	** Subverted after Goku's second HeroicSacrifice; Gohan and most of the other fighters (who are primarily men) are crying. Justified in that they might also count as ManlyTears. The only person not shedding tears is Vegeta.
52	** Subverted again with Vegeta. He openly cries once he realizes that he was no matched against Frieza and when he begs Goku to defeat Frieza. He cries again just before sacrificing himself to stop Majin Buu. All three times, these scenes are used to highlight Vegeta's humanity or growing empathy.
53	** PlayedWith with Gohan, who Piccolo constantly reprimands for crying. It isn't because it isn't manly, but more because Gohan does it all the time over any little thing before he grows out of it.
54	** Goku yells at Goten and Trunks for crying after learning Vegeta and Gohan were killed by Buu. It's mostly because his time is limited (he has less than a day to teach them the FusionDance) and didn't have time to waste on tears.
55	** Despite being a fairly emotional person, Goku rarely if ever cries. Vegeta and Piccolo are actually seen crying more than him. One of the few precious times he shred tears is when he meets his dead grandpa and it stands out so much that his friends note how rare it was.
56	* Kazuma from ''Anime/SCryEd'' claims that crying for his best friend's death is not gonna help at all. Ultimately, he is unable to hold off and cries. Later, Kazuma encourages Ryuho to cry following the sacrifice from a partner who died saving his life if he at least cares about her.
57	* ''Manga/InuYasha'':
58	** On one occasion, Shippo is told to man up because of this trope.
59	** On one occasion, Inuyasha is caught crying after his three friends are saved from near death. He denies it on the grounds of this trope.
60	** Sesshomaru never cries for any reason. On one occasion, the situation is so extreme that Jaken cries, saying HeWillNotCrySoICryForHim.
61	* {{Defied\|Trope}} in ''Manga/{{Naruto}}''. It's actually supposed to be a code that Ninja do not shed tears on the battlefield. This does not stop Naruto, who very much wears his emotions on his sleeves.
62	* Averted in ''Manga/{{Hellsing}}''. As violent of a "man" Alucard is, he cries. Father Anderson takes this as proof that he is not completely lost.
63	* The anime adaptation of ''VideoGame/{{Gungrave}}'' averts this. The male characters may be a leader of a criminal organization, a mafioso, and a techno-zombie, but they never show any hints of holding back their tears when they lose someone who is dear to them (son figure, best friends, etc).
64	* Yugi, the sixteen-year-old protagonist of ''Manga/YuGiOh'', has a tendency toward TenderTears. Occasionally Anzu tries to stop him from getting weepy by reminding him that "boys don't cry". Somewhat subverted, as the Aesop of the series was that his kind, soft nature is actually a strength, as it is when he manages to save Jonouchi during his possession by the ArcVillain. Seemingly played straight with his alter-ego, Atem. Atem never cries once in the manga, and in-series is considered the pillar of strength that has inspired CharacterDevelopment in the others. He occasionally cries in the anime, but this is usually a sign that things have gotten really bad. When [[spoiler:Yugi defeats him in the Ceremonial Duel, thus sending Atem to the Afterlife for good, Yugi bursts into tears. Atem tells him "if I were you, I wouldn't cry!" but this seems to be a statement that Atem believes Yugi should be [[SoProudOfYou proud of his victory]] and not regretful that Atem has to leave them.]]
65	* In one episode of ''Manga/NurseAngelRirikaSOS'' Seiya tells Ririka's younger brother Shou that boys shouldn't cry easily. Shou learns to be more brave and less sensitive. Seiya himself occasionally tears up, especially when [[AfraidOfBlood he sees blood]].
66	* Chrono Harlaown from ''Franchise/LyricalNanoha'' didn't cry during his father's funeral, even though he was only three years old. In contrast, Genya Nakajima was openly weeping at his wife's wake.
67	* ''Manga/OnePunchMan'': The Stoic King never shows any expression at all, except possibly contempt. [[spoiler:As it's a façade he keeps up due to being sent against giant monsters with no combat ability, we see him break down into TearsOfFear when he's alone.]]
68	* Izuku Midoriya, the protagonist of ''Manga/MyHeroAcademia'', is a subversion, as he cries more than possibly every other character in the series as the epitome of an EmotionalBruiser. He tries to stop crying in order to promote his image as a pro hero who will always save the day with a smile, but he ends up crying anyways when his friends tell him it's okay to cry when something awful happens.
69	** Considering that his mother engages in as much {{Ocular Gush\|ers}}ing as him, it seems to be [[SharedFamilyQuirks a family trait]].
70	* ''Anime/VoltesV'': In the first line of the ending song's chorus pretty much embodies this trope, even if the song, titled "Searching for Father" is a heartwarming ballad sung from the perspective of [[TheHero Kenichi]], and his [[BigLittleBrother younger]] [[ChildProdigy brothers]] to a lesser extent, and the dream that they'll be reunited with their DisappearedDad.
71	--> '''Naku mono ka? Boku wa otoko da! / Am I going to cry? No way, I'm a man!'''
72	--> Shinjiteru, shinjiteru sono hi no koto wo / I believe, believe in that day
73	--> Kono te de chichi wo dakishimeru hi no koto wo / the day I embrace my father in my arms.
74	* The Salamander arc of the ''Manga/SpaceAdventureCobra'' manga started with the assassination of [[spoiler:Dominique]], Cobra's recurring ally and lover. Cobra is torn with regret when he learns of this and briefly sheds tears -- the only time he ever gets that depressed [[CartwrightCurse despite losing tons of love interests]] throughout the series. The anime adapation removes the crying and has him just sit with his head low in shame by a wall while sad music plays.
75	[[/folder]]
76
77	[[folder:Comic Books]]
78	* ''ComicBook/{{Preacher}}'': Jesse Custer hasn't cried [[spoiler:since his father was shot to death in front of him and the killer taunted him about it]] and is of the firm conviction that men should act manly and should under no circumstances cry. Tulip eventually calls him out on it, [[spoiler:after he notices he is crying as he admits that some of his character traits may need to be re-thought.]]
79	* In the Marvel ''ComicBook/{{Civil War\|2006}}'' series, the mobster Underworld brings up this trope and says that it's a bunch of bullshit. He says that when his dad died, he cried like a baby, but was no less a man after he had grieved than before.
80	* [[ComicBook/MonicasGang Chuck Billy]] invoked the trope in one story every time something painful happened to him. (And he suffered a lot in that story) The last drop was when he saw his girlfriend with another boy. He couldn't help but cry then.
81	* ''Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog'':
82	** Sonic's face was changed in one issue of ''ComicBook/SonicTheHedgehogArchieComics'' to tone down his tears due to the enforcement of this trope, providing the page image. For context, [[spoiler:in a WhatIf future story, he's crying because he's mourning the fact that his children have been erased from existence.]]
83	** Sonic cries [[spoiler:when Johnny dies]] in ''ComicBook/SonicTheComic'', but all we see are him being teary-eyed and the next panel has everyone's back turned.
84	* ''Pride and Joy'': A point of contention between protagonist Jimmy (taught by his own father to never "give the bastards the satisfaction") and his teenage son Michael is the latter's lack of embarrassment in showing emotion, especially tears. [[spoiler:Jimmy finally gives in and cries TearsOfJoy when he sees Michael spit in the BigBad's face.]]
85	* ZigZaggedTrope in Creator/LennyHenry's semi-autobiographical comic ''The Quest for the Big Woof'', when talking about his father's death. During the funeral and wake, Lenny didn't cry, which worried him as this was one of four situations when it's acceptable for a man to show emotion (the others being when your comrade-in-arms is shot in front of you, when your car breaks down, and when you lose the World Cup). Eventually, after the wake was over and the house was quiet again, he cried. And heard his father's voice in his head saying "Bloody sissy."
86	* In ''ComicBook/{{Watchmen}}'', Rorschach upon learning from Moloch that he saw the Comedian crying, reacts with disbelief and contempt. [[spoiler:In his final moment, Rorschach is the one crying, and not in the manliest way either]].
87	[[/folder]]
88
89	[[folder:FanWorks]]
90	* ''Fanfic/ApprenticeAndPregnant'': Laurelpaw's father Grayclaw cried with his mate over Laurelpaw's death. When Laurelpaw is brought back, Grayclaw shies away until he stops crying. He claims he has allergies because "Dads aren't supposed to cry".
91	* ''Fanfic/TheBoltChronicles'': Subverted in "The Wind," where Bolt is described as being a character who takes pride in being a bit of a tough guy, which includes his not crying (something he rarely does in this series). Despite this, he [[CryingCritters sobs uncontrollably]] after listening to the Music/DerekAndTheDominos album ''Music/LaylaAndOtherAssortedLoveSongs,'' most of whose selections contain lyrics about lost love, after his girlfriend runs away to the city.
92	* ''Fanfic/TheChildOfLove'': In chapter 2 Shinji is sobbing, and Misato tries to calm him down telling he is a boy and boys should not cry:
93	-->'''Misato:''' Aha! I knew it! I always knew it!!! My two sweetest roommates in love... and dry those tears, Shinji. You're a boy, aren't you?
94	* In ''Fanfic/JonathanJoestarTheFirstJoJo'', Giorno chastises himself for crying while Jonathan hugs him and accepts him as his son.
95	* ''Fanfic/SupperSmashBrosMishonhFromGod'':
96	** In ''The REEL Sekwel'', this is how Sara rationalizes [[VideoGame/FireEmblemPathOfRadiance Ike's]] change in design between ''Super Smash Bros Brawl'' and ''3DS/Wii U''; he was sad that his ex-girlfriend Lauren underwent a FaceHeelTurn and dealt with the sadness by working out a lot (because that's how "reel mans" deal with sadness).
97	** In the reboot, Sara claims that, instead of crying, men [[AllMenArePerverts go to strip clubs]]. This is demonstrated with Roy and Link, who go to one after [[spoiler:their girlfriends are brainwashed into becoming lesbians]].
98	* Deconstructed with Gargantuar Prime in the VideoGame/PlantsVsZombies fanfic ''[[https://www.wattpad.com/story/314803070-united-a-plants-vs-zombies-fanfiction United]]''. Gargantuar Prime, to cope with the grief of losing all his friends and his child, drowns his sorrows in alcohol. Mary-Lou insists that he would only hurt himself, but he refuses to stop, and Mary-Lou has to stop supplying him with alcohol after [[spoiler: he hurts his surviving friend.]] Eventually, Mary-Lou forces Gargantuar Prime to [[spoiler: bury his child, and with that, he sees the bodies of his other deceased friends and [[CatharticCrying breaks down crying]]. He reveals to Mary-Lou that he was taught that crying was inappropriate for a manly man, however, [[ItsOkToCry she reassures him that crying doesn't make him any less of a man]].]]
99	* Averted with Anthony Darrow ([[GenderFlip male Ann Darrow]]) in the ''Film/KingKong2005'' fanfic ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13613007/1/More-Than-a-Monster More Than a Monster]]''. [[spoiler: After Kong has fallen to his death, Anthony didn't want [[AdaptationNameChange Jacklyn Drissel]] (female Jack Driscoll) to see him cry. Upset that Anthony felt the need to hide his emotions, she went to give him a much-needed hug, until he finally breaks down as everything he's endured sank in.]]
100	* In the ''WesternAnimation/XMenEvolution'' fanfic ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/8552991/1/XXY-Evolution XXY:Evolution]]'', where most of the characters are [[RuleSixtyThree genderbend]], Male!Rogue struggled not to cry while running from the X-Men. First when he got Katrina's (female Nightcrawler) memories of her childhood after touching her, and when he realize he can never have a girlfriend because of his powers. But he tells himself he doesn't cry, he's tough and doesn't need anyone. He fights tears again while apologizing to Selena (male Selena) after learning Mysterioss (male Mystique) lied to him.
101	* In ''Fanfic/LegacyDocSuess'', when Tony sees Peter's video for the first time, all he can think about is how pathetic his face looks with tears on it.
102	--> ''[='Newsflash Peter,'=]'' Tony thought, ''[='Stark men are made of iron- we are not soft.'=]''
103	[[/folder]]
104
105	[[folder:Films — Animation]]
106	* In ''WesternAnimation/Cars1'', the chief of the Radiator Springs police department begins to shed ManlyTears when Lightning appears to have left the town - he denies doing so when asked about it, stating that [[BlatantLies he's glad Lightning is gone]]. Averted with Red within the same film, who has a tendency to drive away sobbing at the slightest provocation.
107	* In ''WesternAnimation/{{Munro}}'', Munro reaches his breaking point and cries, prompting all the officials to gather around him to tell him to knock it off. To them, a soldier wouldn't cry unless he was (derogatorily) a baby, and a baby can't be in the army... at which point they finally get a good look at the kid and realize he ''is''.
108	* In ''WesternAnimation/{{Planes}}'', we get this from the British plane after Dusty saves his life:
109	-->'''Dusty:''' Are you... crying?\
110	'''Bulldog:''' ''[teary-eyed]'' I don't cry, I'm British!
111	* ''WesternAnimation/{{Storks}}'': [[DeliveryStork Junior]] strenuously denies that he's crying after [[spoiler:delivering the baby he had bonded with to her family.]] Tulip bemusedly offers to talk about what he's feeling which causes him to deny feeling emotions.
112	[[/folder]]
113
114	[[folder:Films — Live-Action]]
115	* ''Film/TheBridgesOfMadisonCounty'': During the filming, Creator/ClintEastwood had a crying scene, during the filming of which, he would not cry to the camera. He said it was because he had never cried on camera before, and he couldn't just go into an all-out bawl, because he is Creator/ClintEastwood. In the end, he decided that this approach was actually more realistic, and went with it.
116	* [[Tearjerker/ConanTheBarbarian1982 The funeral of Valeria]] in ''Film/ConanTheBarbarian1982''.
117	-->'''Subotai:''' He is Conan. Cimmerian. HeWillNotCrySoICryForHim.
118	* In ''Film/GroundhogDay'', after Rita says that the perfect man for her wouldn't be afraid of crying in front of her, Phil responds with "...This is a ''man'' we're talking about?" And he himself later completely subverts this trope when he bitterly weeps when he realizes he simply can't save the life of a sick, homeless, old man in his endless loop through time.
119	* Invoked in ''Film/TheScienceOfSleep'' when Stéphanie is trying to calm Stéphane down but averted as he cries several times.
120	* ''Film/SevenManArmy'': When the youngest of the seven, a green private, starts weeping at the sight of killing, the older and more experienced sergeant tells him, "A real men sheds blood but NOT tears!"
121	* ''Film/HouseOfFlyingDaggers'': Averted, where all the men have crying scenes, sometimes twice.
122	* Referenced in ''Film/KidFromKwangtung'', when the hero, He Jia-yu, is in tears over the death of his father. His bestie, Wu, instead reminds him that he's a man, and the girl of their team, Chen Hsiao-wei, isn't crying even though she just lost her mother. Then again the girl in question is TheStoic.
123	* In ''Film/{{Patton}}'', Patton is the ultimate manly man. He, among other things, shoots at a dive-bombing plane with just a pistol, while standing in its flight path. The soldier that he infamously slapped, for having "shell shock", was crying the whole time he did so. Though in all fairness, Patton didn't slap the soldier ''because'' he was crying, but rather that he was in the presence of badly-injured soldiers in the medical tent while he did so.
124	* ZigZaggingTrope in ''Film/TheWizardOfOz'': The Tin Man (somehow) is capable of crying and is occasionally seen to do so, but is advised against it, since it causes him to rust and hence renders him immobile. The Cowardly Lion is male and is seen to weep out of fear, but he is not a "man" in a human sense, so it's allowed.
125	* ''Film/TheLordOfTheRingsTheReturnOfTheKing'': {{Subverted\|Trope}} by [[WarriorPrince Éomer]] when he finds his sister's body on the Pelennor Fields. Whereas in the books he had a "[[UnstoppableRage fey mood]]" overtake him, in the film he fell to the ground [[{{Tearjerker}} howling, sobbing his lungs out as he cradled Éowyn's body in his arms.]] Thankfully, Éowyn got better.
126	* ''Film/BoysDontCry'': Not too surprisingly, a carrying theme.
127	* Invoked by name in the ''lucha'' film ''La Venganza de la Momia''. After the title monster kills a boy's grandfather, Wrestling/ElSanto tells the boy to finish crying, because he's a man now, and men don't cry. (Probably [[JustifiedTrope justified]] for a 1970 Mexican film ... but considering Santo's talking to a character played by a ''seven-year-old'', it still seems off.)
128	* {{Lampshade\|Hanging}}d in ''Film/TheBigLebowski'', when the title character is grieving over the abduction of his wife. "Are you surprised at my tears, sir? Strong men also cry." Granted, he's not ''actually'' crying at the moment, but the sentiment is sound enough. [[spoiler:He's faking that, too.]]
129	* In ''Film/PitchBlack'' [[spoiler:Carolyn's death]] is the only time Riddick shows tears. In ''Film/TheChroniclesOfRiddick'' Riddick is close to tears after [[spoiler:Kyra's death]]. The fact he was in front of a Necromonger army at the time, who were known to assassinate their leaders for showing weakness, might have had something to do with him manfully holding back the tears and turning them into white-hot rage.
130	* Subverted in ''Film/{{Maleficent}}'': When Diaval brings Maleficent bad news at one point in the movie, he, while not actually crying, is more visibly distressed than she is, despite the fact that the bad news doesn't even directly affect him.
131	* Powerfully averted in ''Film/JacobsLadder'', when Jacob starts crying when he sees a picture of his deceased son. His then-girlfriend is the one to uphold this trope when she throws it out, stating that "she doesn't like things that make him cry." However, this may be less this trope and more wanting to spare someone painful memories - though [[TheEndingChangesEverything as the ending showed]], it was probably [[spoiler: just her trying to loosen one more attachment to his life]].
132	* Following the RuleOfThree in ''Film/{{Annie\|2014}}'':
133	** Stacks gets teary-eyed but doesn't mention it.
134	** When he shows Annie where he grew up in Queens, [[SandInMyEyes he plays it off as pollen or dust]].
135	** When he's about to lose Annie to her "real parents", she asks him if it's dusty and he says it's not. He then admits on TV that he's actually crying.
136	* Played with in ''Film/ALeagueOfTheirOwn'', with the famous "There's no crying in baseball!" line. It shows how unprepared Dugan is for coaching a women's team, basically expecting them to act like men.
137	* ''Film/TheYoungRebel'' have the protagonist, [[ArrestedForHeroism arrested for killing the villains responsible for his mother's death]], by his own best friend who's a policeman, no less, in a police vehicle. When the friend said how the hero doesn't show a single shred of emotion, the hero replies with a comment that "he lose the will to emote after his father's death" years ago.
138	* Invoked by Heimir in ''Film/TheNorthman''. He even takes what supposedly is the last teardrop of Amleth to keep till the moment Amleth needs it the most. It's later returned to Amleth by the Seeress to make him remember his oath. [[spoiler: In the end Amleth does cry again before the end after killing Gudrun and Gunnar.]]
139	* ''Film/TheIronClaw'': The total hardass Fritz forbids his sons from hiding their eyes or shedding tears at [[spoiler:their brother David's funeral. At Mike's, Pam is the only one crying and silently notes with shock that Kevin and Kerry are stone-faced. But by the end, as part of his BreakingTheCycleOfBadParenting arc, Kevin cries in front of his sons, who even tell him ItsOkayToCry after he apologizes.]]
140	[[/folder]]
141
142	[[folder:Literature]]
143	* AvertedTrope in Daniel Handler's ''Literature/ASeriesOfUnfortunateEvents''.
144	* Creator/LMMontgomery's ''Literature/AnneOfGreenGables'': Briefly shown when Anne talks about her teacher leaving the school.
145	-->'''Anne:''' Jane Andrews has been talking for a month about how glad she'd be when Mr. Phillips went away and she declared she'd never shed a tear. Well, she was worse than any of us and had to borrow a handkerchief from her brother—of course the boys didn't cry—because she hadn't brought one of her own, not expecting to need it.
146	* In Creator/DanAbnett's ''Literature/GauntsGhosts novel'' ''Only In Death'', we are explicitly told that Ezsrah's people show no sorrow (among [[TheStoic other emotions]]). This is borne out by his actions throughout, and in particular in that scene. Ludd, [[ManlyTears his eyes red and tearful]], told him of Gaunt's death, and he just nodded and walked away.
147	-->''There was no grief, no weeping, no mourning for a Gereon Nihtgane. Such behavior was a waste of time.''
148	* In ''Literature/DragonBones'' this is lampshaded: Ward mentions that a man doesn't cry ... and then cries nevertheless, as he just can't hold the tears back.
149	* In ''Literature/TheFamousFive'', George (who is a girl, but desperately wants to be a boy) is very much of the view that boys don't cry, and with this ideal, always tries not to do so herself.
150	* ''[[Literature/SallyLockhart The Shadow in the North]]'': Addressed in Philip Pullman's mystery novel. Upon [[spoiler:Frederick's]] death [[spoiler:Jim]] cries, while the narrator (so to speak) tells the reader about his feelings toward the action: ''"For [[spoiler:Jim]] there was no shame about a man crying. There was only pride."''
151	* Creator/JohnCWright
152	** ''[[Literature/TheGoldenOecumene The Golden Transcedence]]'', (after crying TearsOfJoy at his reunion with his son), Helion declares that he will shed no outward tear over sending his son (his only child) into grave danger.
153	** In ''[[Literature/CountToTheEschaton Count to a Trillion]]'', Menelaus's mother tells him this after he cries.
154	* Marshak and Culbreath's ''Franchise/StarTrek'' novel ''The Price of the Phoenix'' is based largely around the notion that Kirk, being some sort of galactic alpha-male, cannot, does not, and must not cry. Ever.
155	* Subverted in ''Literature/InheritanceCycle''. After having killed soldiers invading Carvahall, Roran is shown as being racked by sobs. Other strong characters are shown to cry as well.
156	** Then there's Eragon himself, who cried no fewer than ''sixteen times'' in the first book. Considering the book is about 500 pages long, that's around ''once every thirty pages''.
157	* Constantly {{subverted\|Trope}} in ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings''. The strongest men in the series, including Aragorn, are seen weeping with no shame several times in the books and their related works.
158	* Subverted in the novelization of ''Film/ReturnOfTheJedi''. Both in the scene where he tells Leia he's going to face his father, and later as Anakin Skywalker is dying, Luke weeps openly and without shame.
159	* This trope is reversed in ''Literature/ABrothersPrice''. Jerin gently chides one of his little sisters, coming to him with a scraped and cut knee, with "Hush, hush, big girls don't cry." This is a world of relatively stoic women and much more tender men, due to males being [[GenderRarityValue so rare and thus protected]], so while he cries at several points, aside from his very young sisters no women shed tears in this book, not even his wife after he's kidnapped or when she thinks he's dead. She plans to sink to the ground and grieve [[CrusadingWidow only after he has been avenged]].
160	* In Creator/SeananMcGuire's ''Literature/VelveteenVs The Junior Super Patriots'', Aaron waits until Velma is out of sight before wiping his eyes.
161	* ''Literature/HarryPotter'': The trope is played with in the books as a whole. Hermione is free to burst into tears as the mood takes her, but the boys are generally described as "wiping their faces" or "drying their eyes" (Dumbledore and Lupin both give Harry time to dry his eyes before continuing a conversation). It's not until the final book that men are described as "sobbing".
162	* In ''Literature/TheSorcererOfTheWildeeps'', the cultural norm in the northern lands is that men don't show emotions, never mind crying. Demane is appalled at such ignorance, as where he's from everyone is allowed to cry. When [[spoiler:Cumalo, one of his friends in the band, dies]], Demane has to stow away his grief entirely or be looked down upon.
163	* {{Defied\|Trope}} in ''Literature/TheKingkillerChronicle'' by the Adem people. They usually consider it childish and uncivilized to emote openly, so they present themselves as TheStoic and use UsefulNotes/SignLanguage to communicate most emotions; however, they laugh and cry freely, believing those emotional reactions to be too basic and primal to suppress.
164	[[/folder]]
165
166	[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
167	* In one episode of ''Series/HogansHeroes'', Kommandant Klink is arrested for treason and put in the cooler pending execution by firing squad. When one of Hogan's men asks him how he's taking it, Hogan replies, "Like the man that he is - [[AvertedTrope on his knees, sobbing hysterically]]."
168	* Why does nobody like Craig in ''Series/BigBrother''? Two reasons: 1) He's male. 2) He cried. Even if he's gay, he wasn't allowed to get away with it.
169	* Discussed in ''Series/HomeImprovement'' when Tim's friend, father figure, and boss, John Binford, died. Tim is no stranger to loved ones passing away since his dad died when he was 11 and he learned to cope by just continuing on like everything is normal. But he was caught off guard when Brad complimented him on not showing such girly feelings, which was not the message he wanted his boys to learn. After the funeral, he admitted to Brad that he cried.
170	-->'''Jill:''' He cried more than the widow.\
171	'''Tim:''' That's cause she didn't have to pay for parking!
172	* ''Series/{{Farscape}}: The Peacekeeper Wars'': Knocked gently at the end. Crichton, as his son begins to cry, says, "Hey, Crichtons don't cry. ...often. Or for very long."
173	* ''Series/PushingDaisies'': Played fairly straight in the second season opener (source of this page's quote). Even Ned, usually gentler and more empathic than Emerson (albeit deeply, deeply repressed), nods in agreement.
174	* ''Series/TheColbertReport'': Creator/StephenColbert insists men don't cry, and as the manliest of men, he'd [[http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/181238/november-29-2005/better-know-a-district---california-s-50th---randy--duke--cunningham never]] [[http://tinyurl.com/whyaretheydoingthistosam break]] [[http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/61313/april-05-2006/crying that]] [[http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/216580/january-20-2009/stephen-s-inauguration-breakdown rule.]]
175	-->'''Stephen:''' It's never okay for men to cry! You know who cries? Girls. And little babies. [[BreadEggsBreadedEggs And little baby girls.]] Man holds it in! Until his eyeballs swell to the size of baseballs, his throat feels like it's about to explode, and his gut just aches like there's a snake wrapped around his heart! That's why we die earlier, but it's worth it!
176	* ''Series/{{Sliders}}'': Our heroes ended up on an Earth where women were the superior gender. Professor Arturo loudly voices his disdain, and as a result ends up in a campaign to become mayor of San Francisco. He's later convinced that this is a bad idea and tries to throw his campaign by "pulling a Muskie", referencing Edmund Muskie from above, and breaks into tears at a debate. [[spoiler:In a subversion, the tactic gains him an enormous sympathy vote.]]
177	** Let's not forget about "Cryin' Man" Rembrandt Brown, who could do it at will. His biggest hit during his time with the Spinning Tops was called "Cry Like A Man".
178	* ''Series/{{Lost}}'':
179	** Generally averted by the cast, most notably Jack, who frequently cry without there being anything made of it.
180	** Probably justified in that the characters have crashed on a desert island and go through some pretty rough stuff, and the many rivers of [[DysfunctionJunction freely flowing angst]] that make up everyone's backstories can only add to reasons someone might want to shed a tear.
181	* ''Series/NineOneOne'' averts this every couple of episodes, with the whole cast having moments where they sob or hug it out. Most notable example is when the chief Bobby Nash asks for help in his time of need.
182	* ''Series/{{MASH}}'' averted this nicely, showing several of the male characters (and hardass Margret Houlihan) to be weeping or out right sobbing at different times in the show. The most famous example would be during the movie/finale when Hawkeye reveals why he's been in a mental hospital the whole episode up to that point.
183	* ''Series/MimpiMetropolitan'': After Bambang tells his father that he missed the university entrance exam, Bambang starts crying until Melani sees him. Bambang promptly wipes away his tears because of this trope. Melani defies the trope and tells him it's okay and she prefers men who are honest about their feelings.
184	* Played straight with ''Series/TheThickOfIt'''s alpha male, Malcolm Tucker. In series three there are several moments where Malcolm sounds like he's about to burst into tears, but he never does... not on screen, at least. In episode eight we see him with red-rimmed eyes but as [[MagnificentBastard Magnificent Bastards]] don't cry we never see the crying itself.
185	* ''Series/ExtremeMakeoverHomeEdition'': Averted; it's not uncommon to see a man cry as much as a woman.
186	* Radio/GlennBeck is awfully fond of averting this "[[PatrioticFervor for the sake of [his] country]]" or some such. Beck is a member of the LDS church, where shedding ManlyTears is encouraged.
187	* Averted on ''Series/TheXFiles'' with Mulder, who is seen crying at many points in the series. As a whole, he is more likely to show emotion of any kind than his stoic female partner, Scully. This was done quite deliberately on the part of the creator.
188	* ''Series/{{Community}}'': Despite stating that he never cries, Troy breaks down in tears almost OncePerEpisode.
189	* In the ''Series/KamenRiderFourze & [[Series/KamenRiderOOO OOO]]: Movie War Megamax'', Gentarou (the titular Fourze) explicitly states that there's only two times a man should cry - losing his wallet and getting dumped. He says this as he's crying because he found out the girl he fell in love with was an alien and may not return those feelings. He gets over himself when he realizes that she never said anything about not feeling the same. [[spoiler:[[KickTheDog When he gets the chance, it's stolen from him]] and he ends up crying in anguish.]] It should be noted that he is the primary source of ManlyTears and Inelegant Blubbering in the show. Ironic, isn't it?
190	* Averted in ''Series/StarskyAndHutch'' where the titular characters do cry - often in front of each other, and when it concerns each other.
191	* ''Series/{{Frasier}}'': Averted for laughs in "Our Father Whose Art Ain't Heaven": Martin's breakdown causes Frasier to start weeping as well, then Niles joins in shortly after.
192	-->'''Niles:''' ''[bawling]'' Nobody wants to come to my party!
193	* ''Series/BreakingBad'':
194	** Uncle Jack's gang, in addition to being neo-Nazis and "nanny state"-haters, firmly believe this. While watching [[spoiler:Jesse's]] confession video, they spend most of their time mocking him for crying.
195	** Averted in general with Jesse, who cries quite frequently, though he has [[TheWoobie very good]] [[TraumaCongaLine reasons for doing so.]]
196	** Invoked by Walt, who starts crying in front of Hank about his deteriorating marriage knowing that it will make him uncomfortable enough to leave the room. Then Walt can bug Hank's office without worrying about him coming in.
197	* Averted by ''Series/BattlestarGalactica2003'', and ''not'' through the use of ManlyTears. At one point, William Adama goes down to Galactica's [[spoiler:morgue. He sees the corpse of the Sharon model that shot him, and softly asks, "Why?" Then he just collapses to his knees and starts ''sobbing.'' And of course there's his ''epic'' breakdown years later when his best friend is revealed as a cylon and basically volunteers to be executed as a traitor/hostage. After trashing his own cabin, Bill has to be carried to bed by his son as he sobs his eyes out over how fracked up the whole situation is]]
198	* ''Series/TheSopranos'': Phil Leotardo loses all respect for Johnny Sack when he cries in public.
199	* ''Series/{{Coach}}'': Hayden Fox has a hard time getting along with his son-in-law Stuart, a sensitive artist who weeps often and easily. However, it turns out that under the soft exterior, Stuart shows himself to be [[ItsAllAboutMe a self-centered]] JerkAss, which is what [[NiceGuy Hayden]] ''really'' can't stand.
200	* ''Series/{{Voyagers}}'': Mentioned in the episode "[[Recap/VoyagersS1E6CleoAndTheBabe Cleo and the Babe.]]" At one point, Jeffrey tears up at seeing Yankee Stadium, as he used to go there with his father. He tells Bogg he doesn't want to be seen like this as crying is "sissy" for a man.
201	* PlayedForLaughs in the Mexican sitcom ''Series/ElChavoDelOcho''. When someone tells Chavo to stop crying he'll snap back with a pun.
202	** In one instance, when Don Ramon hits him after Chavo made fun of him, Chavo starts crying and Don Ramon says this word for word. When Don Ramon orders him to bring him a bucket of water, Chavo spills it, and when Don Ramon tries to hit el Chavo again, Chavo uses the bucket as a helmet. When Don Ramon starts crying because he hurt his hand, Chavo says [[IronicEcho "Men don't cry!"]]
203	* ''Series/JustShootMe'': {{Discussed}} to the point of {{deconstruction}} by Jack, Elliott and Finch in "Puppetmaster" as they all tear up watching ''Film/BriansSong''. All of them lament (after passing it off with some lame excuses) that they can't cry openly, but the other two are weirded out after Elliott tells them he sometimes wishes he's a woman because then he'd be able to. They then start making jokes at his expense over it.
204	* One challenge on ''Series/ImpracticalJokers'' requires Sal to teach his "daughter" (played by recurring child actress Ashyer Gibbons) that it's not okay for men to cry. This immediately draws the attention of an elderly navy veteran, who says that of course it's okay for men to cry. Q points out that he's more manly than any of them, so none of the Jokers dispute him.
205	[[/folder]]
206
207	[[folder:Music]]
208	* The Music/FlightOfTheConchords song "I'm Not Crying" parodies this trope, with the Brett and Jermaine defiantly ([[BlatantLies and unconvincingly]]) trying to convince the audience that they're not crying after a breakup.
209	-->''There’s [[SandInMyEyes just a little bit of dust in my eye]]''\
210	''That’s from the path that you made when you said your goodbye''\
211	''[[SuspiciouslySpecificDenial I’m not weeping because you won’t be here to hold my hand]]''\
212	''For your information there’s an inflammation in my tear gland''\
213	''I’m not upset because you left me this way''\
214	''My eyes are just a little sweaty today''
215	* Music/{{The Cure\|Band}}'s "Boys Don't Cry" (the song; may also refer to LP of the same name, which was a US-only oddity not entirely unlike the UK LP ''Three Imaginary Boys'' but with different sequencing, plus a few songs either missing or added).
216	* Brazil has two songs named "Homem Não Chora", [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L9s8vgVc_CU a rock]] by Frejat, and [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M3_405oMg3s a dancey track]] by Pablo. Both are a BreakupSong with a man trying to reassert himself, the former inquisitive ("[[BlatantLies My red, wet, face, is just for show]]/Everyone knows men don't cry") the latter insulting ("I'm leaving now, please don't beg/Because men don't cry").
217	* Dee Clark's "Raindrops":
218	-->Rain keeps falling from my eyes\
219	Oh no they can't be teardrops\
220	For a man ain't supposed to cry
221	* "I'm Not Crying" by Chris de Burgh, whose lyrics consist mainly of [[SuspiciouslySpecificDenial Suspiciously Specific Denials]].
222	* "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hw1_wKvd-3g When a Man Cries]]" by Literature/TheDivineComedy is all about how society all but prevents a man from outwardly crying.
223	-->''When a man cries,\
224	His body shakes\
225	And his eyeballs ache\
226	And his mind vibrates,\
227	But he doesn't make a sound.\
228	Don't wanna wake the house, now.''
229	* "Dust In My Eyes" by Arcadian Days explores this.
230	* Repeatedly subverted by the narrator in Music/TimMcGraw's "Grown Men Don't Cry".
231	* Polish song "Chłopaki nie płaczą" by T.Love (also a movie under the same name).
232	* Deconstructed and defied in "Boys Don't Cry" by KCAT.
233	-->''Boys boys don't cry''\
234	''[[ManlyTears Men do]] 'cos they got nothing to hide''\
235	''But boys don't, 'cos boys don't cry''\
236	''Boys boys don't cry''\
237	''They don't shed a tear because of pride''
238	* Also defied in "Boys Don't Cry" by C.C. Clarke. The gist of it is a woman thinks her boyfriend is being too cold and emotionless towards her and is bottling things up when she just wants him to be open and honest with her, and there's an implication that neither men or women should be too worried about their vulnerability and should instead be honest about how they feel.
239	* Both subverted and referenced in "I Heard It Through The Grapevine", which is [[CoveredUp largely associated with]] Music/MarvinGaye.
240	-->''I know a man ain't supposed to cry''\
241	''But these tears I can't hold inside''
242	* Referenced and heavily subverted in "Ain't Too Proud To Beg" by The Temptations, which is all about a man begging his girlfriend not to breakup with him.
243	-->''Now I heard a crying man is half a man, with no sense of pride''\
244	''But if I have to cry to keep you, I don't mind weeping if it'll keep you by my side''
245	* The man being sung about in Jayn's ObsessionSong "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D5KGbxNTDB8 Smoke And Mirrors]]" has a reason to cry, as the VillainProtagonist is holding his wife hostage and is threatening to [[MurderTheHypotenuse kill her]]. Still, this trope gets referenced.
246	-->''C'mon, what's the problem?''\
247	''Quit your crying''\
248	''Be a man!''\
249	''Surely, she couldn't mean that much?''\
250	''Let me give you my love!''\
251	''Take my soul, my heart and body''\
252	''Yes, I give it all to you''\
253	''And if you still won't accept it, you're gonna regret it''
254	* From "I'm Not in Love" by Roger Whittaker:
255	-->''You dried the tears I cried because I'd lost a friend''\
256	''You simply said, that's not what grown men do''
257	* "You'll Miss Me" by Music/TheyMightBeGiants combines this sentiment with SandInMyEyes with the line
258	--> ''It must be raining 'cause a man ain't supposed to cry.''
259	* An opposite version is somewhat provided with two {{breakup song}}s called "Big Girls Don't Cry", though it's more related to age. The Music/FrankieValliAndTheFourSeasons one is from the guy breaking up with the "big girl". Fergie's is the "big girl" rambling on how things are hard, but she'll hang on.
260	* Music/{{Cavetown}}: The TroubledTeen featured in "Boys Will Be Bugs" reflects that people are expecting him to be stereotypically mature because he's a man, including shrugging off genuinely hurtful insults and not crying (or even feeling sadness at all).
261	-->''And if you wanna cry\
262	Make sure that they never see it\
263	Or even better yet\
264	Block it out and never feel it''
265	* Mexican singer Enrique Guzman has the song "Gotas de lluvia" (Raindrops) he talks about how much being left by his love hurt him, but adamantly insisting that it must be raindrops coming from his eyes, because men aren't supposed to cry.
266	* A common topic for Music/FrankOcean who ultimately lands on the ItsOkayToCry camp, but references the trope in the title of his magazine Boys Don't Cry. On "There Will be Tears"" off of ''Nostalgia, Ultra'' he recalls his feelings around the death of his grandfather
267	-->Hide my face hide my face\
268	Can't let em see me crying\
269	'Cause these boys didn't have no fathers neither\
270	And they weren't crying
271	[[/folder]]
272
273	[[folder:Newspaper Comics]]
274	* ''ComicStrip/BabyBlues'': In an early story arc, Daryl has gotten involved in a minor car accident that broke his abnormally-sized nose- cast and all. Talking about it with his wife Wanda, they both begin to get choked up over the idea of him not being there for his family:
275	-->'''Daryl:''' Don't start, you'll get me going, too...\
276	'''Wanda:''' Don't be ashamed... it's okay for men to cry.\
277	'''Daryl:''' I'm not ashamed... I just can't imagine blowing my nose through this thing!
278	* Used heartbreakingly by Charlie Brown in a ''ComicStrip/{{Peanuts}}'' comic:
279	-->'''Charlie Brown:''' Those dreams I have at night are going to drive me crazy. Last night I dreamed that little red-haired girl and I were eating lunch together...But she's gone...She's moved away, and I don't know where she lives, and she doesn't know I even exist, and I'll never see her again...and...I wish men cried...
280	[[/folder]]
281
282	[[folder:Professional Wrestling]]
283	* Averted by ECW alum Wrestling/TommyDreamer, who cries freely when he feels like it and challenges that men who don't cry are not real men. However, sort of inverted in that the things he DOESN'T cry over (like getting his scalp pierced or set on fire or whatever else has happened to the guy in matches) are the same things that would send even the manliest man into a fit of uncontrollable whimpering. Physical pain isn't what gets most people to cry in the first place -- it's the emotional buffeting that breaks people down.
284	* Somewhat averted when Wrestling/KurtAngle cried when receiving a gold medal in the Olympics, but then PlayedForLaughs whenever it's been called back to in his pro wrestling career. In addition to being mocked by Wrestling/TripleH, Angle has also turned into a crying mess in at least one (possibly more) in-ring kayfabe re-enactments of his medal ceremony which he has done to soothe his own ego.
285	** Angle turned it around during a 2001 segment in which he kidnapped Wrestling/StoneColdSteveAustin and ordered him to cry, threatening to throw him off a bridge if he didn't.
286	[[/folder]]
287
288	[[folder:Stand-Up Comedy]]
289	* Creator/BillBurr mocked this whole stance in his "What're you? A fag?" routine, outlining how men are forced to bury all emotional expression, even natural ones like tenderness down [[RealMenHateAffection for fear of being mocked by society]] until it explodes in a fatal aneurysm. The last words you'll hear will be "Lookit this fag! He got ''bananas'' on his pancakes! What, it's already not sweet enough for ya?!"
290	[[/folder]]
291
292	[[folder:Theatre]]
293	* In the stage play ''Theatre/LostInYonkers'', Grandma tells her grandsons that "boys of ten shouldn't cry" and goes into a list of seemingly heart-wrenching circumstances which apparently did not move her, claiming to be "made of steel".
294	* In ''Theatre/TheMerchantOfVenice'' Launcelot, the clown, tries to unman his dad by tricking him into crying ("Now will I raise the waters!") and, later, accuses ''himself'' of weakness for weeping as he says goodbye to Jessica: "But adieu! These foolish drops do something drown my manly spirit." The more serious characters in the play (Shylock and Antonio) are prone to ManlyTears.
295	* ''Theatre/AsYouLikeIt'' plays with this trope: Rosalind, in male disguise, is determined not to "disgrace [her] man's apparel, and to cry like a woman" after she and her cousin Celia are half-dead from walking all day. Mischievously, she adds, "I must comfort the weaker vessel," referring to Celia. Later in the play, there's an IronicEcho:
296	-->'''Rosalind:''' Never talk to me; I will weep.\
297	'''Celia:''' Do, I prithee, but yet have the grace to consider that tears do not become a man.
298	** This is contrasted by several references to the (actual) guys in the play shedding ManlyTears, most notably Orlando and his brother Oliver after they reconcile offstage.
299	* In ''Theatre/TheOddCouple'', Felix breaks down in tears telling the Pigeon sisters about his former married life, then apologetically tries to pull himself back together. Gwendolyn says, "You mustn't be ashamed. I think it's a rare quality in a man to be able to cry." Soon all three are in tears.
300	[[/folder]]
301
302	[[folder:Video Games]]
303	* Early in the main story of ''VideoGame/{{A3}}'', Itaru cries after feeling the joy of acting on stage with the Spring Troupe, but he says that he is only feeling so warm inside.
304	** Winter Troupe thoroughly averts this, with all of their members being grown-up men and most having cried across the main story. Everyone shed TearsOfJoy after winning the act-off against God Troupe and Homare encouraged everyone to just cry their heart out, all while Yuki snickered at "grown men crying." There is also Hisoka crying as he remembered [[spoiler:his fallen friend]] August and reminisced about him with Chikage. Then, when Azuma visited his old family house with Tasuku [[spoiler:and discovered the hair comb his brother never managed to deliver as a birthday gift]], Azuma began sobbing and Tasuku encouraged him to just let it all out, and Azuma did. Guy also cried after learning that [[spoiler:he was a human and not an android]]. On a more lighthearted side, Homare [[SentimentalDrunk cries after drinking a little too much]], and he is ''not'' going to do anything about it because he is an artist and prefers letting his emotions overflow.
305	*** The anime has Tsumugi crying when Tasuku told him how much he loved his acting, something Tasuku regretted not telling Tsumugi [[spoiler:when Tsumugi failed the God Troupe audition]].
306	*** Winter Troupe itself is a unit in Mankai Company that especially performs drama and tragedy. The anime shows Michael and Raphael, Tsumugi's and Tasuku's characters respectively, crying in the play during the duel act, and the stage play has Kota, Tasuku's character, sob into Reo's jacket at the very end.
307	* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII: VideoGame/CrisisCore'' subverts this with a quote in one of the title screens:
308	-->''Men cry not for themselves, but for their comrades.''
309	** Zack does indeed cry when [[spoiler:his mentor dies]] and later sobs his heart out in Aerith's church. Likewise, Cloud is implied to be in tears when [[ForegoneConclusion Zack dies]], though it's hard to tell due to the rain.
310	** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVIIRemake'' plays with the trope. Cloud is subject to an intense and confusing vision, causing him to spontaneously shed a tear. Cloud is quick to hide his face from a concerned Aerith when she checks up on him, though it seems to be less out of embarrassment and more because he [[ImCryingButIDontKnowWhy cannot explain what just happened]]. There are also other times in the game where Cloud looks close to tears, only to close his eyes tightly until he regains his composure and carries on. One thing of note is that in an unlockable cutscene Cloud tells Tifa that there is nothing wrong with crying, suggesting that he does not have a negative view towards tears. Averted later in the game when Barret breaks down after the Sector 7 plate collapse, fearing his daughter may be dead.
311	* [[TearJerker/GearsOfWar Painfully averted]] in ''VideoGame/GearsOfWar 2'', when [[spoiler:Dom finds his wife…or what she has degraded to, thanks to Locust torture. It doesn't get any better when he is forced to [[MercyKill euthanize her.]]]]
312	* In ''[[Franchise/DotHack .hack//G.U.]]'' both [[spoiler:Alkaid and Shino tell Haseo not to cry when they're pk'd and fall into comas because "Boys don't cry".]]
313	* ''VideoGame/HarvestMoonLightOfHope'': Upon given a gift he really likes, the Harvest Sprite Calvin starts crying TearsOfJoy, but he insists that it's just sweat.
314	* The ''Franchise/KingdomHearts'' series averts this, as Sora, Roxas, Terra and Master Eraqus will all tell you.
315	* Averted in the ''VideoGame/MetalGear'' games, where Otacon is contractually obliged to undergo at least one TearJerker per game and is quite open about it. Examined in the first ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid'', where Snake, after watching Otacon cry for a while, places Wolf's handkerchief over her face. His rationale is that he doesn't need a handkerchief, having 'no more tears left to shed' - both showing that he only got to the point where he can't cry through massive emotional torture and making him implicitly envious of Otacon's ability to show emotion in that way.
316	* Narrowly averted in ''VideoGame/TalesOfMonkeyIsland Chapter 4: The Trial and Execution of Guybrush Threepwood'', [[spoiler:when Guybrush feels so deeply grieved at the death of Morgan [=LeFlay=] that it's almost like he is [[TearJerker silently weeping]], though his ManlyTears may be invisible.]]
317	* In ''VideoGame/ProfessorLaytonAndTheUnwoundFuture'', this takes the form "A gentleman never makes a scene in public." Despite this, both [[spoiler:Layton]] and [[spoiler:Luke]] each cry at one point. For the former, the reason is [[spoiler:his love having to leave to die]], and for the latter [[spoiler:having to leave Layton because his family is moving away]].
318	* Brady in ''VideoGame/FireEmblemAwakening'' defies this trope, crying over everything from feeling bad for the potatoes he's slicing to a blooming flower.
319	* Sega enforces this with the titular hero of ''Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog''. It's extremely rare for Sonic to be depicted crying in canon. Whether it's due to his gender or due to it being OutOfCharacter for his character is hard to distinguish.
320	* ''VideoGame/StardewValley'': {{Inverted\|Trope}}. The typical DoubleStandard of men having to hide their emotions and trauma while women are free to show them is turned on its head for the marriage candidates. The bachelors ''all'' have some sort of mental health issue: Alex had an abusive father and his mother died when he was young, and [[spoiler:his jock persona probably comes from repressed homosexuality]], Elliott is very eccentric, Harvey has anxiety, Sam has [[DiagnosedByTheAudience likely ADHD]], and Sebastian and Shane struggle with depression and addictions. Meanwhile, apart from Penny, the bachelorettes have minor issues or none at all. Emily in particular completely has her life together even before you meet her, and Leah is happy with her life and sure of her goals, only needing a small "push" from the player to become successful.
321	** This is also implied to be the ''reason'' why Alex became as "macho" as he is.
322	[[/folder]]
323
324	[[folder:Visual Novels]]
325	* In ''VisualNovel/LittleBusters'', Kyousuke's {{Leitmotif}} is named 'Boys Don't Cry' and near the end of the game he encourages Riki to keep up his strength and not cry anymore, but otherwise this trope is actually averted. All but one of the male characters cry not-so-manly tears at some point (including Kyousuke), and Riki himself cries many times, even after he becomes stronger and Kyousuke tells him not to. Of course, given [[{{Utsuge}} the kind of game it is]], only the hardest of hearts could blame them.
326	* Averted in ''VisualNovel/UminekoWhenTheyCry'' where most of the men cry when their wife/child/parent is killed. The biggest one is Battler who, despite his joking and tough attitude, is rather emotional and tends to cry a lot, especially in the early episodes.
327	** There is one notable part in the fifth part where [[spoiler:George]] is killed. His mother naturally breaks down, while his father comforts her. Later, while [[spoiler:Natsuhi]] is hiding in the closet of a different room, the father in question [[spoiler:Hideyoshi]] enters and locks the door. He talks to himself for a few moments... before breaking down in tears and collapsing on the bed.
328	* ''VisualNovel/KatawaShoujo'' smashes this trope to bits:
329	** Early in Rin's route, [[spoiler: after opening up to Rin about how much he resents his arrhythmia, [[PlayerCharacter Hisao]] cries for the first and last time about his being disabled. Then he moves on, [[ThatManIsDead determined to be a better person]] from now on.]]
330	** In Hanako's [[MultipleEndings Good Ending]], [[spoiler: Hisao and Hanako completely break down in each other's arms after they both admit how in love they are despite how little they really understand about each other]].
331	[[/folder]]
332
333	[[folder:Webcomics]]
334	* ''Webcomic/ErikaAndThePrincesInDistress'' : {{Gender Inverted\|Trope}}. When Pita bursts into tears because she almost hurt Prince Aurel by accident, Erika yells at her to stop crying because "girls don't cry".
335	** It's implied that Erika herself used to often be on the receiving end of that statement as well, as Kaylane states the reason people think of her as a weakling is that they still see her as "the little fragile and sensitive little girl who cried a lot".
336	* ''Webcomic/TowerOfGod'' averts this - The moment Ja Wangnan realizes that he won't pass the test, he will never achieve anything all his sacrifices were for naught, and that he will be forced to donate all his organs to repay his debts, he just sits there and cries. Goseng tries to tell him to man up but he simply ignores her.
337	[[/folder]]
338
339	[[folder:Web Original]]
340	* ''WebVideo/TheNostalgiaCritic'':
341	** The Critic said that a man getting in touch with his feminine side makes him a pussy. This was during the beginning of his ''Top 11 Saddest Nostalgic Moments'' and he ends up [[HypocriticalHumor breaking down at all of them]].
342	** While reviewing [[Recap/TheAdventuresOfBatmanAndRobinE11BabyDoll "Baby-Doll"]] from ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'', the hosts (CR and Nostalgia Critic) begin to cry over the episode only to catch themselves, cough, and say it makes them want to lift weights.
343	* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HyJBnmO8O8o Shed a Tear,]] by Kevjumba, Chester See, and Creator/{{Nigahiga}} pokes fun at the trope by {{invert\|edTrope}}ing it to a ridiculous extreme.
344	* In ''WebVideo/MidnightScreenings'', Brad and Jake spoof guys who might be watching a movie and refuse to admit they are crying.
345	-->'''Jake:''' Oh, come on, Man! This movie's stupid! Let's fast forward through this part!\
346	'''Brad:''' ''[sniffling and wiping his eyes]'' This movie's pretty gay, Bro!\
347	'''Jake:''' ''[also wiping his eyes]'' This movie's really gay, Bro!
348	* ''WebVideo/DragonBallZAbridged'': World's Strongest has Dr. Wheelo break down crying on seeing how beautiful the world is from orbit and knowing he's still stuck as a giant brain in a jar. He and Gohan then lampshade that this is ''physically impossible'' (what with no eyes) - he's just ''that'' sad.
349	[[/folder]]
350
351	[[folder:Western Animation]]
352	* In the ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'' episode "Scott Tenorman Must Die" the eponymous character's favorite band, Music/{{Radiohead}}, witness him [[spoiler:crying over the deaths of his parents]]. They note that everyone has problems and he doesn't have to be a little crybaby about it, dismissing him as the most uncool kid they ever saw. To be fair, they didn't know about that; they thought he was crying [[NotHelpingYourCase just because he was dying from cancer.]]
353	* ''WesternAnimation/KimPossible'': Often referenced by Ron Stoppable, whenever he's about to cry, who says "[[SandInMyEyes I have something in my eye]]."
354	* Completely averted in ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender''. The series isn't shy about letting the male characters weep in moments of intense emotion. Not just any men, either: Iroh, one of the most powerful, badass characters in the series, is unafraid to weep openly many times, once when mourning his lost son, and again when Zuko apologizes to him in the finale. Zuko himself is not considered unmanly either for crying and does so ''many'' times without anybody thinking to say he's not supposed to. Aang and Sokka also get their moments, and nobody calls them unmanly for it either. Also averted in the [[WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra sequel]], where Bolin breaks out into full-on InelegantBlubbering when [[spoiler:he sees his crush Korra kissing his brother Mako, just when he was bringing her roses.]]
355	* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' inverts this pretty ''hard'', in that the leading adult male of the series is an incredible MoodSwinger, and the tears he sheds can't exactly be called [[ManlyTears manly]], either. He cries openly in front of family and friends often, and the extremity of the situation wouldn't even matter: anything from losing his mother, to losing a fictional character he liked, to [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking his neck chafing from a shirt's tag that grazed him]] is enough to set him off. And, maybe even more impressive, he's rarely (if ever) called out for it by anybody else.
356	* '' WesternAnimation/TransformersAnimated'' is [[ZigZaggedTrope very ambiguous about this]]. In the pilot miniseries, Sari uses tears to convince the Autobots to follow her plan. When Bulkhead says her "[[Series/MorkAndMindy eyes are]] [[ShoutOut leaking]]", she patiently explains the concept of crying, but the Autobots neither confirm nor deny whether this is also part of their emotional range. Later in the series, we hear Blackarachnia (a Cybertronian with organic parts) sobbing, and see the one-day-old Wreck-Gar tear up in what may or may not be a one-off gag, as the show did similar things before (Bulkhead's [[JawDrop jaw fell off completely]] in one scene and then immediately got it back between shots). Bulkhead repeats the "leaking eyes" line at Sari later, and it's unclear if that's an inside joke between them or if his species genuinely cannot cry like humans can.
357	* ''WesternAnimation/{{Chowder}}'': Chowder has been shown crying a couple times in the past, but also provides this great quote:
358	-->'''Panini:''' Chowder, are you crying?\
359	'''Chowder:''' No! Only girls cry. Men ''weep!''
360	* ''WesternAnimation/TheSmurfs'': The very manly Hefty Smurf chides his fellow Smurf Weepy for being a sissy for crying in one episode, but at the end of it even he is found crying. Despite this, he has cried before in previous episodes, including "Hefty and the Wheelsmurfer", "Smurfquest" (during Grandpa's Disney Death), "Smurf Me No Flowers", "Clumsy Luck", and "The Abominable Snowbeast".
361	* '' WesternAnimation/{{Metalocalypse}}'': Pickles tells Toki "Admitting sadness makes you gay."
362	* Inverted on ''WesternAnimation/JimmyTwoShoes'', when Heloise goes SweetPollyOliver to find out about Jimmy and Beezy's list of "Secret Guy Stuff", one of them is crying at a sad movie. When she expresses disbelief that this is guy stuff, they respond "Heloise never lets us cry...unless it's from pain."
363	* On ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'' Peter accidentally crashes his boat into a bar mitzvah and [[BlackComedy kills the clown]] hired for entertainment. The party boy looks on in horror and begins to cry, only for his father to [[DopeSlap slap him in the back of the head]] and remind him that he's supposed to be a man now.
364	* Though it doesn't come up much, averted in ''WesternAnimation/CodeLyoko''. In the episode with the mega blizzard, [[TheStoic Ulrich]] sheds a single tear (which freezes) when he realizes Yumi is probably going to die (and accompanying the tear with [[PleaseDontLeaveMe "I need you..."]]) and in the second to last episode, Odd is visibly crying when Aelita returns to reality after [[spoiler:the loss of her father]].
365	* ''WesternAnimation/BeavisAndButthead'': "Huh huh, Beavis is crying." What Butt-Head failed to notice was that Beavis had OnionTears rather than crying organically. Nonetheless, Butt-head proceeds to mock Beavis' tears ''for the rest of his natural life''.
366	* In "Feliz Cumpleaños, Enrique" on ''WesternAnimation/DragonTales'', when Quetzal suggests that Enrique cry to let out his sad feelings, he explains that he's been told some version of this. Quetzal essentially calls it out as bull and Enrique feels better after crying.
367	* Enforced by ''WesternAnimation/BojackHorseman'''s mother, Beatrice, who drilled into his head when he was still a kid that he should ''never'' cry.
368	* ''WesternAnimation/{{Wakfu}}'': Played with in a flashback Sadlygrove has with his mentor and likely biggest-badass-in-the-series Goultard, who states that [[BloodKnight Iops]] don't cry, "and if he did, he'd do it in private where no one can see him." The "played with" comes in because [[spoiler:Goultard is denying ''his own tears'' when Sadlygrove (who at this point now knows about how he's [[GodInHumanForm the mortal reincarnation of the god Iop]] and by extension [[SupernaturallyYoungParent he's technically Goultard's father]]) asks if they're family. Goultard, who as it turns out carries quite a bit of unresolved issues towards Iop, denies both the tears and familial relations.]]
369	* ''WesternAnimation/MissSpidersSunnyPatchFriends'': In "Cry Buggie", Dragon makes fun of Wiggle for crying and tells Squirt that 'big bugs don't cry'. This causes Squirt to bottle up his emotions until his parents encourage him to let it all out. He learns that crying is natural and healthy.
370	* ''WesternAnimation/CampLazlo'': Commander Hoo-Ha is a firm believer in this trope, to the point where his tear ducts have shriveled up from disuse.
371	[[/folder]]
372
373	[[folder:Real Life]]
374	* Unfortunately, despite the implications this can bring about, there actually is a social stigma related to men crying in public, or if they are simply caught crying in front of the wrong person. Many modern cultures associate crying (particularly anything beyond the SingleTear) almost exclusively with femininity, portraying men who cry (even in the face of serious trauma) as weak and effeminate. The equivalent for women tends to be anger — men who respond to trauma with anger are seen as [[ManlyMan masculine]], whereas women who get angry are seen as shrewish.
375	* This trope is likely why it's common for men to wear sunglasses at Western funerals.
376	* Very much averted in medieval Europe. Crying was quite common among men and without social stigma, with bards even singing about how warriors and knights cried together in fear for their lives before battle.
377	** This trope was also averted for much of human history. In ancient Israel, warriors were known to collectively weep before the Lord prior to fighting a battle. Ancient Greek epics like ''The Iliad'' and ''The Odyssey'' show manly men like Achilles and Odysseus crying openly after fighting tense battles. Even the Romans were not immune from ManlyTears, as Plutarch's ''Lives'' and Virgil's ''Aeneid'' can attest.
378	** As mentioned above, medieval knights could also [[TenderTears be easily moved to tears]]. Heck, ''The Song of Roland'' mentions how 20,000 knights swooned with grief at the death of Roland. As recently as the 18th and 19th centuries, male tears were still viewed as a display of authentic emotion under certain circumstances, and indeed, a sign that separates man from beast. Not until the late 19th century, [[StiffUpperLip in England]], did the MenDontCry taboo really come into being.
379	[[/folder]]

Context Main / MenDontCry