Three Cheers for Millennial Men
Here’s to the healthy ways of being male that they are creating.
Last summer as COVID restrictions eased, my wife and I attended an outdoor wedding for a couple whose parents we have known all our lives.
I was expecting a staid affair observing the conventions that families with deep New England roots follow. Not too flashy. A great raw bar. Lots of good wine and cocktails. A buffet dinner, followed by a lot of dancing. All on a slice of land that has miraculously remained in the family for a hundred years or so. These are not the spaces where non-conformists thrive (except for eccentric family members summoned out of exile for the occasion).
Arriving at a sprawling complex on the Cape for a rehearsal dinner, I was excited that our period of isolation was coming to an end. I was not alone. The guests who gathered were flamboyantly dressed. People were ready to loosen up, connect, and party.
I did not anticipate, however, how far that sentiment would play out among the millennial men. They didn’t seem like a demonstrative lot. It was therefore a total surprise when a string of the groom’s friends offered toast after toast about how much his friendship with the groom meant to him, and how grateful he was that his buddy had chosen such a wonderful wife.
