Now that the film has been in theaters for over a month, Justin made an appearance on Rainn Wilson’s podcast Soul Boom.
However, it’s a segment of Justin’s interview about his dating experiences that has gained significant attention on social media. Justin tells Rainn, “In my twenties, I would try on, as I called it, the different masks of masculinity…like, let me just pretend to not give a shit about anything.”
“And, I struggled. You know, I would meet somebody and then maybe I liked her but then I was like, ‘Don’t text her. Can’t text her.’ Why?”
He continued, “So then I would not text her those two days I had so much anxiety. I was like, I want to tell her, I have these feelings. I was trying to be maybe something I wasn’t at first and not text or not call her but all I wanted to do was share my heart.”
“Then I realized, over the course of my twenties, that none of that stuff was working for me. So, I started questioning things and when I met my wife it was like a lightbulb went off. When I realized what if I am just myself? What if I am just myself and I share with her all the parts of me?”
Right away, it resonated with women who are sick of “dating” games:
And many others who noted just how often toxic masculinity influences dating interactions:
Men even started to open up the conversation, acknowledging that they operate under these societal expectations:
In fact, Justin’s vulnerability is resonating with people in all kinds of situations, not just dating: