We talk a lot about how women would like to be treated and perceived differently in and by society, and rightfully so – it’s literally been the whole of human history that women’s choices, preferences, and needs have been largely ignored.
Men, though, are still being judged for things that they really shouldn’t be, and I think we can all agree that society should have moved beyond judging anyone for doing things they enjoy.
These guys would really like it if they could be left alone while they do these 18 things.
18. There’s nothing they can do about it.
Being short. Literally no one has control over their height. Judge people for the things they can control.
17. If they give it to you, take it.
Taking their full paternity leave as permitted by their employer.
My boss told me she thought it was a waste for me to take 8 weeks paternity leave since I “won’t be doing anything for the baby”. I took my full 12 weeks upfront.
Edit: for anyone who cares this did actually happen, in the end my boss was fine with me taking the time off (not like it matters what she thinks anyway I’m entitled to it). I live in California and I’m a park ranger. She was actually more upset with me telling her I wanted to start my leave a week before the due date, since that seemed like a regular thing to do. She also thought that was a dumb idea until I asked my colleges at other parks what they did, and all of them told me took a week before the due date off too.
She is very conservative and pretty old. She told me stories about how she went into labor at work, only took two weeks off and her husband took no time off, even though he could. As if any of that is something to be proud of, honestly her telling me that just made me feel bad for her. She also lived with a bunch of his extended family so they were able to care for the kids while they worked.
16. A depressing truth.
Being happy. Idc if we’re wearing PPE and everyone on this jobsite is a depressed alcoholic, I’m gonna whistle once in a while and wear my SpongeBob socks.
15. Hobbies are for everyone.
Having hobbies people define as effeminate. Such as baking, gardening, textiles, stuff like that.
Elaborating, I love gardening myself, I have a growing garden myself and it has helped immensely with anger issues I used to have, and I’ve had guests over who always assume it’s a product of my wife’s work, which is why I mentioned it.
14. Massages are objectively awesome.
Getting physically taken care of, for instance massage, spa that kind of thing. Why should women be the only ones to get that stuff?
Massages are the best thing…. especially if you do lots of heavy lifting, sports, you know “man” stuff
13. It’s gotta be done.
Taking the sudden wide step to free our balls from sticking to our thigh.
12. If it’s who you are…
Being shy.
11. A sad state of affairs.
Interacting with kids. Especially younger kids, the majority of men aren’t ped0s.
I actually worked at a place where someone came up to me saying there was a “creepy man hanging around the kiddie rides handing out tokens (it’s an arcade)” the man on question was the owner who was just friendly.
10. Must be so awkward.
Fiddling while sitting down to fix that stupid boner-looking bulge that’s caused by wearing hoodies with a zipper.
Or doing the same because your pants are bulging up lol
9. This makes me sad.
complimenting another man.
I was just talking to my bf about this yesterday. He said the same thing about complimenting women as well. Like just telling them they have cool hair, or a generally nice aesthetic, but he can’t do that because he doesn’t want to come across as a creep or make them feel uncomfortable.
8. Practice makes perfect.
Not being comfortable around kids. It doesn’t mean they can’t handle kids or don’t like kids. Most likely, it just means they’re new to it.
7. It’s not about strength.
Seeking support with mental health.
I grew up in an environment where this wasn’t ok, but in adulthood I very much needed help working through things and didn’t have the tools or understanding to do it alone.
6. Relaxing in the shower.
Taking long showers. I wish that I was able to take a long shower without everybody in the household thinking I’m having a wank.
I just want to enjoy hot water, it’s relaxing.
5. Emotions are for everyone.
Showing emotion, or not showing emotion. We should get to choose how we feel.
I think there was a post earlier on here where one of the top qualities in a man was to be calm and composed at all times. Like I’ll be cool as a cucumber in some of the most ridiculous situations, but every now and again I’ve gotta snap at something minor just because IMO it’s better to snap at the inanimate object than at the people I love.
4. It happens to everyone.
Not being in the mood for sex. Women (or men) can take it so personally. Sometimes we’re too exhausted.
I don’t really enjoy sex (though my body wants to say the opposite) and people think it’s weird and sometimes some super unnatural thing. And its not like I have a low sex drive or whatever, I just don’t really care for it.
People seem to get taken aback when I say that. I just don’t like it. Don’t hate it either, it’s just not my cup of tea.
3. Everyone cries.
I worked in a preschool and was floored by one of the older teachers who would cuddle the four year old girls and shower them with hugs when they cried but would tell the boys to “grow up, big boys don’t cry.”
I really honestly believe that a big problem in American society is the development of hyper masculine personalities and a big part of that is that it has been all but proven in the literature that students learn in school both from peers and from teachers that the only acceptable emotion for boys is anger…
It’s a huge problem and teachers need to be trained on recognizing what they do to contribute to this problem and how they can fix it. It’s what I wrote my bachelor’s thesis for my degree in education on.
I’m currently doing a masters in linguistics, but if I ever go back to do a masters or PhD in education, that’s likely what I’ll write about then too…
2. He’s doing his best.
For not having a house, not having a car, or not being financially stable. I’m doing what I can, ok?
1. It’s not for everyone.
Not making the first move.
It’s hard to blame them for being frustrated in these situations, right?
If you’re a man, what else would you put on this list? Add it down in the comments!
