Because this is what a man looks like.

Because of all the other images of men we see on TV and read about online — men who abuse women, who objectify them, who hound them out of the clubhouse for daring to show that they can play too. Men who feel that they have to prove themselves by defeating someone, or by being the loudest or the strongest, or by being the most aggressive. Men who live their lives consumed with secret fears — the fear of being weak, the fear of faltering, the fear of being vulnerable — and who lash out to try and convince the world that they are not afraid.

Because here is a man who can sit with presidents and prime ministers, who can associate with the rich and the powerful, who can stand toe to toe with rivals and competitors, who can control one of the most influential companies in the world — who can do all these things and be none of those other things.

Because for so long the dominant narratives of manhood we’ve had to choose from have been the unwavering, decisive hero or the dominating, conquering oppressor. Everything in between, we’ve been told, is somehow emasculated.

It matters because in 190 words, Tim Cook has just changed the narrative of what it means to be a man.

Categorised as: Life the Universe and Everything

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