What about those who are considered less than the real man? What is the defining line. Where is the differentiating border that separates the "real men" from the "boys" or "woman folk."
I have several friends who are obsessed with being "real men." It is mostly talked about in a playful manner, but it has caused many a thought to bounce around in my noggin.
This is what I mean...
- You can be a man's man and like supposedly feminine things, right? Right.
- My dad plants flowers in the garden and my brothers like chick flicks. Does this make them unmanly? No.
- I've seen shows discuss/interview gay men. When asked about the circumstances and determining factors of the discovery of their "true" sexuality, ridiculous reasons were usually (if not always) stated. Does liking the color pink distinguish you as a homosexual? It shouldn't. If a man can decorate, good for him. So a guy sings and dances like Gene Kelly, what is so unmanly about that? Etc., etc. Where in Tar Nation did such retarded ideas about men come from? It might not be the norm, but it doesn't have to be warped into gay and lesbian crap.
- When did not liking feminine things become a way of getting a dame? Yes, a girl likes to know her man is a stable source of protection, but she also finds it wonderfully attractive when her oh so strong chico shows his soft side.
Random quote/story from my memory bank =
A group of guys are sitting around discussing how to be real men. Guy to guy, they share their manliness. Eventually, the topic of shaving comes up. The fellows take turns going into great depth about how they supposedly shave like real men. As the narratives go on, the stories get more extreme until finally... dun dun dun... the man's man approaches.
"Ya'll got nothin'," he breathed in a deep scratchy voice. "I wrap barbed wire around my fists and punch myself in the face. It takes the skin right along with the hair, but THAT is how a real man shaves."
yeah.. that is my version... it actually goes on more and is slightly different, but hey.
Give me your thoughts and opinions please.
2 comments:
I feel that a "real man" is one that...
-forgets himself in his service of others
-makes commitments to forward his eternal progression
-cares, listens and understands
-accepts his weaknesses and stays true to his standards
-knows he is a son of God, and boldly expresses this knowledge to others!
Opening a can of worms…
Earthworms are monoecious (both male and female organs within the same individual).
Truly in our society it is hard to tell sometime where some people fit on the manly…….girlie scale.
Yesterday, I while at the post office I observed a man exit and walk towards his van. He had dark shoulder length hair which was parted down the middle. His skin was dark. He had a strong chiseled face with grooves of age beginning to appear. He reminded me of that model who does the “I can’t believe it’s not butter” commercials. He wore blue jean and a steel blue tee shirt with some sort of logo. As he got closer to his vehicle he did this little wave and smiled. There in the front seat was a small dog. I thought that was an unusual thing for a “man” to do. Then I looked at the man again. Screeeeeeech all thought processes stopped…wait a minute this man had breasts. I looked closer and decided that the man must be indeed a woman. She/ he did not fit on the girlie side…in fact she was pretty close to the manly side in appearances.
Then while I was at BSU picking you up from school I saw two average sized men conversing on the lawn. Both looked relative conservative, they were both clean shaven and had shortish dark hair. One had on jeans and a tee shirt. The other had on sweats and a tee shirt with a bandanna tied around his head “Karate Kid” style. The bandana clad chap was holding a long tube like pole. My thoughts went to “he must do some sort of martial arts.” As I sat there he removed his shirt and although extremely pale and thin, he did pack an impressive bunch of muscles and an oriental looking tattoo down his left arm. You’d think pretty manly, right? He was until the two men embraced which in of itself was acceptable. But …One Mississippi….Two Mississippi….Three Mississippi….Four Mississippi….Five Mississippi….Six Mississippi….Seven Mississippi….Eight Mississippi….Nine Mississippi….Ten Mississippi‘s later…. I began questioning. What was with that? Now where did these folks fit on the scale?
I remember recently when we went shopping and you cheered the fact that women had hips. The dress you were trying on did indeed need womanly hips to make it/you a vision of loveliness. Don’t you love putting on something frilly or sleek and moving as only a woman should. Pretty in pink, hats and high heels are joyous concepts. So I guess if a man puts on a big boots and grunts around they are doing the opposite of our twirls.
Hmmmm…as I have thought of this I guess it becomes more important in the strange mixed up world for men and woman to make sure they are classified on the scale where they really feel they want to be, either on the “Manly” end or the “Womanly” end. Someone may truly feel that this means pointing it out. At least if they do you won’t be concerned at where they want to fit and feel they belong on the scale. If a man does this…smile, look at the broad shoulders and strong grasp and rejoice in all of our differences. When the tender side of a man appears rejoice also because you have truly seen inside. This is a side where many men are leery to show because the world will think they are something they aren’t. For instance, the hug I witnessed between the two men could have been between two friends or brothers parting for a long absence. Maybe the one was struggling with some terrible thing and needed more support than a quick hug could have given. Both of these make the hug manly.
Smile that pretty little smile of yours and as you do tilt your head to the side with that little shrug that only you can do and you will melt the heart of any manly man and have him wrapped around your little finger.
Love Mumsy
Love Mumsy
Post a Comment