keep a stiff upper lip: o que isso significa?

After a lot of discussion, especially caused by online environments, it is common for some groups of people to question certain gender roles, differences, identities in society today. It is still a long way, but I want to be optimist and admit there has been some change since back in my day. But personal experiences apart, we see that children are encouraged from a very young age to attribute certain qualities to men and women, self-segregate based on gender, associate specific occupations and academic subjects with each gender, and so on and so forth.

When it comes specifically to boys, it all boils down to masculinity, the ability to show courage in the face of pain/adversity and hide emotions. Those requirements that have been messing with many kids around the world have a lot to do with something your parents might have told you many times in case you are a boy and live in an English speaking country: to keep a stiff upper lip.

You just have to picture yourself as a boy experiencing a situation that upset you and make you feel like crying. As a child, there can be a lot of those. If you keep a stiff upper lip in that case, it means despite the adversity you do everything possible to exercise self-restraint and not cry or show weakness. It is easy to understand the origin of that expression if you consider the fact that when someones upper lip begins to tremble, it shows fear, insecurity or deep emotions. So as a way to remain unemotional and hide all that, you keep a stiff upper lip.

That is all for today, guys. I hope it is helpful. Bye bye