A sign of weakness?

First, as I'm sure everyone knows by now unless you live under a rock, both Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson passed away yesterday. It's certainly a sad day for the entertainment industry, as they were both legends. Who hasn't seen the poster of Farrah in the red bathingsuit or the Michael Jackson Thriller music video?

Anyway, I'm sure like many, I watched the special reports on Farrah and Michael last night, and something hit me during the ABC report on Farrah. They were interviewing Jaclyn Smith, and she began to cry as she spoke of her dear friend. She tried to hold it back and turned away from the camera. I noticed a similar thing during a recent Jon & Kate episode, where Kate began to get emotional over the impending split from Jon, and again, she tried to hold it together and turned away. I understand that crying is a very personal thing for most people, but why is it in our society than we try to hold it together in front of others? What is so wrong with letting that raw emotion out and being vulerable? Is it considered a sign of weakness?

I know I am guilty of the same thing. Example A: at our rehearsal dinner, I became very emotional while thanking my Uncle Steve for coming all the way from Utah. He is my dad's younger (not youngest) brother, and so much of him reminds me of my dad. They don't look exactly alike or even have all of the same mannerisms, but enough of it is there. I also think because he was only three years younger than my father, while my other uncle is 16 years younger and closer to my age than my dad's, I feel a more emotional connection to him in that way. So, anyway, I pretty much had a complete breakdown despite my best efforts to hold it in, turning away, and hiding behind a hankerchief someone (thank God) had on hand. And, I was a little embarassed... not terribly, but I mean this was an all out bawl fest. But really, who cares? No one else did. My dad couldn't be there for one of the most important days of my life, but my amazing uncle (and aunt and cousin :)) came all the way from Utah and truly filled some void. I am actually about to cry sitting here thinking about it. And, what would be so wrong with that?