Societal norms around dress and appearance are always shifting and evolving, Spacious Human founder Eli Cohen cites a NY Times Article from August 28, 1977 entitled “Feminism’s Effect on Fashion.” A psychoanalyst is quoted in the story saying: "If a woman came to my office 15 years ago wearing pants, I regarded it, in true Freudian tradition, as behavior to be analyzed." Eli points out that now in 2022 I don't think you could find anybody who would say, “Oh, if a woman is wearing pants to the office we need to have a discussion around gender. It's just somebody wearing pants to the office. But for boys and men, we’re still in the 1950’s or 60’s. If a man wants to wear a dress, or a skirt to the office, there's still a lot of resistance. It feels like we're still in those very beginning stages of breaking through and finding wider ranges of expression for men.”

Cohen had a light bulb moment around gender in his 50’s. After building a successful life, Including running his own companies and generating sales supporting hundreds of employees, this happily married father and new grandfather embarked on a third act that surprises him as much as almost anyone else. He began to notice how enforcement mechanisms of dress and appearance limited him in areas far removed from appearance. Breaking through these rigid and restraining structures opened him up to confront intense fears and also to experience exuberant joy. As his confidence and self-understanding grew, so did his physical and emotional health, even his relationship. Now, as a speaker, facilitator and mentor, he guides fellow humans on journeys to access hidden parts of ourselves, expand our notions of gender and find greater happiness. Eli visits with Mark Alyn on this edition of Late NIght Health.