Real Men

[Mr.wizard]

I love it that some folks considered men like Rock Hudson or, Marlon Brando, for example, to be considered "real men," when in reality they were closeted gay and/or bisexual men who were pretending to be big manly guys.

Granted, I don't actually think that a man being homosexual makes him less masculine, but it flies in the face of the stereotypes that narrow-minded people like that have about manliness.

I think being a man has to do with taking care of your responsibilities, pursuing the things in your life that you find to be worthwhile, and providing for the people around you that you love, in whatever way you're capable of.

Being a man is not:

-Fixing cars and getting grease on your hands and face
-Welding
-Roofing
-Doing construction
-Working in a greasy, dirty factory
-Chopping down trees
-Heavy drinking
-Bar fights
-Fast muscle cars
-Seducing voluptuous blonde women
-Smoking a cigarette with a stern look on your face
-Riding a Harley

...so on and so forth. All of that shit is nonsense. If those things are things one actually likes or does... well.. it's your life, not mine. I don't care. But none of those things have to do with masculinity, unless it's your job to work in that greasy, dirty factory so you can put food on the table for your woman, or man, and your kid. Exceptions exist, of course. But you get the gist.

We're all some combination of masculine and feminine. And that's fine. I'd probably be considered a masculine guy. However, I also do a bunch of feminine things. We're just humans.

I think people get too hung up on this stuff.

I must not be a Man because that list pretty much sums up my early 20's, lol.