Prince Harry, Jay-Z, and Brad Pitt walk into a bar . . .

O.K., I’m kidding. But if they did, the threesome might have a more revealing conversation today than we might have ever imagined. In the last few months, thanks to public declarations from these three men, the ennui of manufactured celebrity and masculine stereotypes has given way to something different—something soulful, engaging, vulnerable, and even feminist. Hallelujah.

Moreover, if the late poet Muriel Rukeyser thought the world split open when women tell the truth about their lives, well, let’s see what happens when men start to lay bare theirs.

Case Study 1: The Monarchy—Changing of the Guarded . . .

While we’ve all been waiting for the next season of The Crown to drop, you too might have done a double take regarding some of the headlines coming out of royal quarters. Out with the mask of propriety; in with the unguarded authenticity—at least among the younger generation.

Over the last several months, in interviews and podcasts, Prince Harry has shined a light on his own personal struggles with mental health after the death of his mother, Princess Diana, 20 years ago this August. He revealed: “My mother had just died, and I had to walk a long way behind her coffin, surrounded by thousands of people watching me while millions more did on television. I don’t think any child should be asked to do that, under any circumstances. I don’t think it would happen today.”

Predictably, the scars from this tragedy and trauma led to outward rebellious behavior and an inward pain. Harry further shared, “My search began when I was in my mid-20s. I needed to fix the mistakes I was making.” He acknowledged that keeping his grief hidden and bound tight had led to a couple years of “total chaos” which, several times, had almost resulted in a breakdown. (Thanks to his brother Prince William’s advice, Harry sought professional help.)

The scuttlebutt in London after Harry’s revelations was that The Elder royals were reportedly aghast at the emotional transparency exhibited by The Youngers. But it’s clear to most in Gen X through Gen Z, that such openness is the way forward, that it is precisely this kind of emotional transparency that will help connect the younger royals, more realistically, to the contemporary British public.

To that end, Harry said, “We are involved in modernizing the British monarchy. We are not doing this for ourselves but for the greater good of the people.” And next came his most curious admission of all: “Is there any one of the royal family who wants to be king or queen? I don’t think so, but we will carry out our duties at the right time.”

Prince Harry has not just been issuing sound bites. He has been putting his words into action with his dedication to helping empower those who are often marginalized and stigmatized: from military veterans and people with disabilities in the armed services (through the Invictus Games he created), to those suffering from mental health issues (the Heads Together initiative), to victims of public shaming (the Diana Award’s anti-bullying campaign).

Case Study 2: The Macho Man—a Fight Clubber, Reformed

Neither Thelma nor Louise would recognize the voice of the mature cowboy Brad Pitt. Still gorgeous, but now evolved. In a recent profile in GQ, Pitt disclosed the following: “For me this period has really been about looking at my weaknesses and failures and owning my side of the street.” He went on to say, “I am those mistakes. For me every misstep has been a step toward epiphany, understanding, some kind of joy.” Pitt also observed, “I’ve got my feelings in my fingertips again. I think that’s part of the human challenge: you either deny them all of your life or you answer them and evolve.”

The bombastic Piers Morgan, of all people, jumped in from the Twitter peanut gallery. He ridiculed Pitt’s honest emotion and vulnerability while also revealing his own antiquated sense of masculinity: “I’d just read Brad Pitt’s GQ interview. Made me cringe. He’s not mentally ill, just needs to man up.”

What Morgan failed to acknowledge was the sea change that has occurred over the past generation: to “man up” and to be a “real man,” among young males of courage and conviction, now go hand-in-hand with expressing raw emotion, acknowledging flaws, opening up, facing consequences.

Pitt admitted in his interview that he has been spending time sculpting and throwing clay as a form of therapy. And maybe there’s a deeper soulcraft that explains this trend. Kintsukuroi is the Japanese art of repairing pottery, which makes pots whole again by using gold or platinum filler to rebuild the shattered pieces. The method combines Eastern philosophical tenets of wabi-sabi (finding beauty in flaws and imperfections) and mushin (embracing change). The cracks are emphasized, not hidden; as a result, the repaired object is considered more beautiful. (In other words, swiping right on Humpty Dumpty—only after he’s been put back together.) And as any Leonard Cohen fan knows, it’s the cracks that let the light in.

Case Study 3: The Music Mogul—Emotional State of Mind

To be sure, I’m not the only New Yorker who was baffled by the assumed Signs from the Universe when, for weeks on end, I saw those 4:44 promos everywhere. The taxis I hailed. Going into and coming out of the subway. The three buses that just passed. Finally, came the revelation: 4:44 was Jay-Z’s latest album release. And, days later, a video dropped: “Footnotes for 4:44.” In it, Jay-Z confessed, “This is my real life. I just ran into this place and we built this big, beautiful mansion of a relationship that wasn’t totally built on the 100 percent truth and it starts cracking. Things start happening that the public can see. Then we had to get to a point of ‘O.K., tear this down and let’s start from the beginning’ . . . It’s the hardest thing I’ve ever done.”

Jay-Z had a choice. Having been called out publicly by his wife in her fierce 2016 album and video, Lemonade, Jay-Z knew that his fans wouldn’t have blinked if his next album skimmed past the allegations. That’s not uncommon for men to do. And it’s not as if we hadn’t seen Beyoncé and Jay-Z out in the world together since then—not to mention, welcoming their twins to planet Earth. Jay-Z could have ignored it all. But, instead, he chose a path of candor that will—like Brad’s and Prince Harry’s—move the conversation forward and help others.

It is a refreshing and bracing antidote to see male icons convey vulnerability in an age when Washington’s new power elite and our coarsening culture are busy projecting an outmoded caricature of manhood, 24/7. As we wrestle with gender roles and relationships between the sexes—and see issues of sexism running rampant from the tech world to politics—it’s heartening to see a crack in the implicit contract among men, their emotions, and society at large.

So I guess, when this Member of the Monarchy, the Macho Man, and the Music Mogul walk into a bar . . . they strut in, hearts on their sleeves, and just own it.

Monica Lewinsky is a Vanity Fair contributor, anti-bullying advocate, and public speaker.