The "Azaleas" Part 3

#12 Kevin

As part 11 of the #AzaleaCamaign, I would like the pleasure of introducing @kevliu74!

Kevin is someone who enjoys learning new things. He enjoys playing tennis, trying new food places, watching TV shows, playing video games, and traveling.

Kevin would describe mental health as "maintenance." "It's the necessary upkeep of needs for what's often overlooked in place for wants. As an occupational therapist, it means bringing my clients to a regularity that fits their needs. I often think about goals: what tweaks and activities can we consciously do to stimulate ourselves towards lasting improvement positively. At the same time, we may want to fix specific problems. To me, it's more about maintaining ourselves for just ourselves in a society that keeps pushing us to conform. Conform to expectations of "normality" and expectations of "usefulness" despite what's healthy."

When asked to describe the meaning of "Masculinity," Kevin said, "What it is: expectations. Expectations to be strong both physically and mentally to the point that you're projecting an image rather than something genuine What it should be: Peace and comfort with yourself and all your flaws with a healthy desire to grow not for anyone else but yourself

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# Amir 13

As part 12 of the #AzaleaCampaign I would like the pleasure of introducing @creoleprince_!

Amir would describe himself as someone who enjoys playing videogames, going to gym and exercising.

Amir would describe “mental health” as "recognizing the problem”, “for me my mental health revolved around my depression. Not saying that depression is self-inflicted; because it is something we cannot really control, but I feel like the big problem with all mental illnesses are people failing to recognize they have a problem and ignoring it. Also, many people do not trust or open up. Their friends and family do not bother to look at the warning signs and just ignore it until it is a problem. So I think 'recognize the problem' is a good summation for the person and those around them”.

When asked to define or describe “masculinity” Amir said: it is how people relate to the male social standard of the current model of what is acceptable to be in the group. these things change and it is for the most part superficial based off media and narrative. Most men I know personally do not fit the model completely.”

When asked what Amir would he do if someone wanted to changed their appearance (for both positive and negative reasons):” I would not give them advice, as long as they are confident that’s all I care about and that they are happy and not doing it for the wrong reasons that can make them unstable. If they were doing it for the wrong reasons, I would tell them they need to recognize that, and will they be able to live with themselves if they continue to take that appearance and if they go back will they regret it. I had insecurity issues with being too skinny and being tall also brings attention, now I just say if people think it is weird, that is on them, I am comfortable. when I try new things, I sometimes think over time it is dumb but i do not regret it because at least I tried it”.

Lastly if Amir could send a message to those that are important to him, he would say” They are important to me because I have had too many friends and family that do no not really care about me so. Yea I love them that is all.

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# Tou Ger Lee 14

As part 14 of the #AzaleaCamaign, I would like the pleasure of introducing @_tougerlee!

*The following photo was given to me by Tou Ger, and I take no credit in taking this photo*

Tou Ger would describe himself as "an individual with energy, grit, leadership, creativity, and devotion." Tou Ger also said he enjoys doing things spontaneously and learning new things. Tou Ger currently works as Career Coach in wanting to help people achieve the goals and dreams, they want to set for themselves (link: https://www.tougerlee.com/about )

During my interview with him, Tou Ger described "mental health" as "focusing on being healthy both mentally and physically." "Many assume mental health is about weakness but's it about taking care of yourself and becoming better with who you are." "Being healthy mentally means having the mental capacity to go about your life you want or how you want it." "Compare it to physical health, eating healthy, and being active are ways we take care of our body." "You can do the same for your mental health by seeing out professional help if you need it, trying to figure out what's good for us mentally and how it'll help us become even more awesome in the long term." "It is a process, and that's okay."

When asked to describe the meaning of "Masculinity," Tou Ger said 'It's accepting who you are as a person, not what society expects of you." "Society has warp expectations and unreasonable ideas for who males should or shouldn't be." "This is where the toxicity of this term comes from, molding yourself into something you aren't to fit what society says (ex. being a prover or a physically active person)

Finally, at the end of our interview, I asked Tou Ger what we would say in the following scenario: what would you do if someone wanted to change the way they look physically for healthy and non-healthy reasons? Tou Ger said, "I would ask them why it's essential for them to change and why they want to change." "In the scenario of a person wanting to be healthy, I would ask them, "How do you want to start" I want to respect their desire to change themselves for the better." "In the scenario of a person wanting to change for not so healthy reasons I’ll be there to support them especially since there might a reason or concern that's causing them to feel this way."

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#15 Sean

As part 14 of the #Azalea Campaign, I would like the great pleasure of introducing: @_seanlau_

(This photo was shared by Sean and I take no credit in taking it)

Currently wrapping up his final semester of undergrad with a degree in marketing, Sean is now an actor who enjoys reading Marvel comics, listening to music that enjoys hanging out with his friends, and having a good time.

When asked Sean's thoughts on his understanding of mental health, he stated, " Mental health requires being vulnerable. It can be significantly scary for some people as well. It isn't easy to talk about how you feel at times, especially with those close to us, such as family and friends. For myself, I think I can often be hard and harsh on myself".

Sean also stated that "masculinity is being secure with yourself." "It's about allowing yourself to set boundaries and doing the best you can to live your life; it's not limited to men only." "Toxic masculinity, on the other hand, is authentic and is used as a weapon to harm others; people should be allowed to be people, not that we need to control others and the way they feel or think."

Finally, when asked about a person's physical appearance, Sean said, "Develop your style and have fun trying new styles out." "The society we live in today is always looking to put people down because of how they dress, body shape, physical features’., don't let it control and overrule your life.

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#16 'Azalean"

(The following person's name will be kept confidential, and the photo below was provided by them, and I take no credit for taking it)

As part 15 of the #AzaleaCampaign, I would like to introduce our 15th Azalean!

He would describe himself as a friendly individual who enjoys playing video games such as God of War and sports like soccer, ping pong, baseball.

During our interview, he stated that mental health can be defined as "people's inner struggles and that everyone deals with them in their own way." "In many Hispanic communities, the idea of being vulnerable can be seen as a sign of weakness, for example, being told, "don't cry as it's only something girls do." " Crying is a normal human response, and it's normal for guys to be vulnerable or emotional if that's what they are feeling." "There is still a stigma against mental health today in many of these communities." "Like if you told your parents you wanted to go a therapist for help, they'd say something like "well why? you aren't crazy," or if you try to talk about an issue personal to you, you might be told, "get over it." "As a Hispanic male, there are also certain things that you should automatically know or know how to do; this includes "talking like a man," aka always trying to have the louder voice in a conversation, knowing everything about your culture, or else you aren't being respectful for it."

When asked how to describe masculinity, he said, " being comfortable with who you are as a person and it's something that doesn't apply only to guys." "I've seen many people in the Hispanic community mention that there were certain things guys shouldn't do." " For example, I had flowers on clothing, but some of my relatives didn't like it because it was something you'd see girls wear, not guys." “At the same time, I feel like the flowers on a shirt is just a minuscule issue, compared to what other people go through”. But I’m using that as a hint of what older generations of Hispanics think masculinity/femininity is about”.

Lastly, when asked to share any closing thoughts, he said, " The important thing is to be yourself. It can be tough and challenging, but it's also important to find people that love and accept you for who you are." "Everyone is different in their ways. That's a good thing."