What makes you feel masculine ?

[Bluehound]

It seems only fair to ask.

[YesNo]

I don't think about it much. Perhaps having a faithful female companion that one is faithful to as well?

In the thread asking what makes you feel feminine I noticed some males, including myself, suggested answers. Maybe the females would have an idea what it should feel like or some pictures of what it should look like?

[BookBeauty]

A nice, dark stout, and a plate of pepper beef.

[Alexander III]

On the more serious side of things - I think the most masculine trait is indipendance. As in being alone and getting through everything alone, without asking for help, even though it may be needed.

[PoeticPassions]

when I tell a man I want to have sex with him, no strings attached. Or when I tell him that I'd rather not get feelings involved... :)

[tonywalt]

On some Friday afternoons, if I want to feel particularly masculine, I enjoy crushing my enemies, seeing them driven before me, and hearing the lamentations of their women. In the afterglow of that I will have a jug of ale.

Also, hanging out at a beach bar with a girl drinking umbrella drinks.

[Emil Miller]

when I tell a man I want to have sex with him, no strings attached. Or when I tell him that I'd rather not get feelings involved... :)

In the words of the song: 'Why can't a woman be more like a man?'
Although I doubt that I could leave feelings out if this were the object of my attention.

http://img43.imageshack.us/img43/5154/sooyoungfrenchbraidssf.jpg

[Nostalgia375]

It seems only fair to ask.


Reading your thread!

[Emil Miller]

On some Friday afternoons, if I want to feel particularly masculine, I enjoy crushing my enemies, seeing them driven before me, and hearing the lamentations of their women. In the afterglow of that I will have a jug of ale.

Also, hanging out at a beach bar with a girl drinking umbrella drinks.

I've often wondered what the umbrellas were for.

[Helga]

my underwear

[BienvenuJDC]

1) a sense of accomplishment of a job well done
2) being needed
3) the smell of black powder on my fingers

[Arrowni]

Lots of testosterone.

[Mutatis-Mutandis]

An herbal bath, of course.

[LitNetIsGreat]

Being asked to put something up on the wall or to carry a heavy box.

[Paulclem]

Sturdy boots with a solid tread that aren't too clean.

[Darcy88]

Being in the bush. I don't hunt, but I like being in the bush, hiking and stuff. Climbing things, like the time I climbed this massive seaside cliff and came out on some rich dude's lawn covered in dirt and thorns and blood from those thorns. Also, whenever I physically exert myself, whether through exercise or sport or sex or whatever, I get this thrilling sense of my own power. Doing physical labour with a crew of other guys also makes one feel very masculine.

[Emil Miller]

Sitting in The Brief Encounter pub reading Cross Dresser magazine.

And if you believe that, you'll believe anything.

[cafolini]

A beautiful woman.

[Darcy88]

And this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AkFqg5wAuFk&ob=av2e

[Emil Miller]

And this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AkFqg5wAuFk&ob=av2e

:lol:

Here's the perfect antidote that makes me feel masculine.

http://youtu.be/YpymuGCqTpM

[prendrelemick]

Doing work with my strong, capable hands.

[Emil Miller]

Listening to Noel Coward songs while having a bubble bath.

[Buh4Bee]

I find a man who can chop wood very HOT! A man that can fix my car and build an addition on my house is even hotter. A man who can recite poetry and tell me about politics and fish... A man who can sail a boat, now that is pretty masculine.

[BienvenuJDC]

I find a man who can chop wood very HOT! A man that can fix my car and build an addition on my house is even hotter. A man who can recite poetry and tell me about politics and fish... A man who can sail a boat, now that is pretty masculine.

Interesting...

[LitNetIsGreat]

Making organic honey and lemon cupcakes (I've not made those for a while though).

[Drkshadow03]

Typing a post on an online literature forum.

[Delta40]

Having sex with a man, then leaving rolling over and falling asleep!

[Buh4Bee]

:smilielol5::smilielol5::smilielol5:
Having sex with a man, then leaving rolling over and falling asleep!

:smilielol5::smilielol5::smilielol5::smilielol5:

[Emil Miller]

Having sex with a man, then leaving rolling over and falling asleep!

Trying to fall asleep at three o'clock in the morning whilst some female insists on having sex. I don't think this is an isolated masculine experience.

[Darcy88]

We all the know the true honest answer - fighting and ****ing

[stlukesguild]

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7181/6843860217_b59bd200ed_b.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7019/6843891683_e0c4d858d6_z.jpg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pa58TdbRGJ4&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k4t2AVTtPSQ

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7164/6843891753_4c3f935f18.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7180/6843891823_66f08ccb6d_z.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7010/6843891897_3933999076_b.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7160/6843892167_bfcf4792d2_b.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7148/6843892075_8effc4b1d2_b.jpg

Quote Paulclem: Sturdy boots with a solid tread that aren't too clean.

For a second I misread this as "sturdy boobs..." which might indeed be a better answer.:drool5::p:devil::rolleyes5:

[BienvenuJDC]

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7181/6843860217_b59bd200ed_b.jpg


http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7148/6843892075_8effc4b1d2_b.jpg

I'll take these two...

[Mutatis-Mutandis]

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7180/6843891823_66f08ccb6d_z.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7010/6843891897_3933999076_b.jpg



MOTORBOAT!!!!! :drool5:

[JuniperWoolf]

I'm surprised no one has said "killing spiders." That's the only boy thing I've always gotten my brother to do for me.

[PoeticPassions]

We all the know the true honest answer - fighting and ****ing

And stealing really fast cars, then racing them

;)

[Emil Miller]

I find a man who can chop wood very HOT! A man that can fix my car and build an addition on my house is even hotter. A man who can recite poetry and tell me about politics and fish... A man who can sail a boat, now that is pretty masculine.

I fail on pretty much every count but I could tell you something about politics and I do recite poetry on occasion e.g.:

An undergrad up at St.John's
Attempted to bugger some swans
But the kindly old porter
Said "Please take my daughter,
These birds are reserved for the dons."

[Buh4Bee]

Emil, your sounding a little stale there, maybe you need to be dusted off too!

[Emil Miller]

When I dress up in my French maid costume and dust my husband off. Hahaha!


Emil, your sounding a little stale there, maybe you need to be dusted off too!

Well, as long as you're wearing your French maid costume, I'm ready when you are.

[Buh4Bee]

I think you should stick to politics. But thanks for the good laugh!

[Gilliatt Gurgle]

A few things that make me feel masculine:

1. Throttling up twin Allison's so I can hear them scream. The louder I play it the more masculine I feel:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oXOlLdE9YRM

Two Allison V-1710 engines that is. In the P-38 Lightning. My pops flew the Lightning in WW II.

2. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9iteRKvRKFA

^This makes me want to eat that steak St. Lukes posted and have one of those gals riding next me bare back with nothing on except a holstered Colt 45 Auto with Ivory hand grips.

3. Richard Simmons work out videos...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H7B2VMCHXpA


.

[Emil Miller]

[QUOTE]This makes me want to eat that steak St. Lukes posted and have one of those gals riding next me bare back with nothing on except a holstered Colt 45 Auto with Ivory hand grips.

Does your wife know about this ?

[prendrelemick]

This erection made me feel quite masculine while I was putting it up.
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k78/prendrelemick/Picture035.jpg

[Emil Miller]

This erection made me feel quite masculine while I was putting it up.
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k78/prendrelemick/Picture035.jpg

Not at all what I expected.

[MystyrMystyry]

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k78/prendrelemick/Picture035.jpg

That's excellent!

As for me I realised I do all the things B4B expects, but none of them make me feel particularly masculine. Just being me does.

[EDIT: I'm off to build a stone wall castle!]

[YesNo]

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k78/prendrelemick/Picture035.jpg

That's excellent!

As for me I realised I do all the things B4B expects, but none of them make me feel particularly masculine. Just being me does.

[EDIT: I'm off to build a stone wall castle!]
That would make me feel masculine, if I had the strength to do it.

I guess what makes me feel masculine are simpler things like fighting dragons and saving damsels in distress.

[Gilliatt Gurgle]

[QUOTE=Gilliatt Gurgle;1113888]



Does your wife know about this ?

She does now.
She happened to pass by the computer as St. Lukes clevage shots were scrolling by, which eventually led to my fessing up about the latest fantasy.



This erection made me feel quite masculine while I was putting it up.
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k78/prendrelemick/Picture035.jpg

On a serious note, that is a masterpiece in drystack. The batter angle is superb and the rowlock course at the top puts Hadrian's wall to shame.

[Mutatis-Mutandis]

This erection made me feel quite masculine while I was putting it up.
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k78/prendrelemick/Picture035.jpg

Wow, where you live is beautiful. Jealous.

[prendrelemick]

[QUOTE=Emil Miller;1114022]

She does now.
She happened to pass by the computer as St. Lukes clevage shots were scrolling by, which eventually led to my fessing up about the latest fantasy.




On a serious note, that is a masterpiece in drystack. The batter angle is superb and the rowlock course at the top puts Hadrian's wall to shame.


Excuse us while me and GG go all technical. (A masculine thing as well I think)

We call it "Drystone" and top it off with "Coping Stones", but "batter" is the same. I was pleased with it because it was circular - I couldn't use a line band or end templates . So did it completely by eye. It is also next to a wall my Grandad built when he was a teenager.

[Emil Miller]

[QUOTE]She does now.
She happened to pass by the computer as St. Lukes clevage shots were scrolling by, which eventually led to my fessing up about the latest fantasy.

Most unfortunate. There's an unwritten law about keeping wives away from computers. Now you'll have to watch your back in case she turns up with a Colt 45 Auto with Ivory hand grips.

[MarkBastable]

I don't think I've ever in my life 'felt masculine'. I mean - what does that mean? Do guys really put up a shelf and get this enhanced sensation of being male? And how do you separate the sensation of being a man from all the other sensations of being yourself? And if there are things that make you feel more masculine (lighting a fire, trapping a mouse) there must be things that make you feel less masculine (slicing a tomato, putting the milk bottles at the door) - so do you go through life with this constant feeling that your own perception of the extent of your masculinity is soaring and diving with every task you undertake?

[YesNo]

Excuse us while me and GG go all technical. (A masculine thing as well I think)

We call it "Drystone" and top it off with "Coping Stones", but "batter" is the same. I was pleased with it because it was circular - I couldn't use a line band or end templates . So did it completely by eye. It is also next to a wall my Grandad built when he was a teenager.
How wide did you have to make this so it won't fall down? It looked rather tall. It must be 4 feet or more at the base.

[JuniperWoolf]

I don't think I've ever in my life 'felt masculine'. I mean - what does that mean? Do guys really put up a shelf and get this enhanced sensation of being male? And how do you separate the sensation of being a man from all the other sensations of being yourself? And if there are things that make you feel more masculine (lighting a fire, trapping a mouse) there must be things that make you feel less masculine (slicing a tomato, putting the milk bottles at the door) - so do you go through life with this constant feeling that your own perception of the extent of your masculinity is soaring and diving with every task you undertake?

Agreed, I tried to communicate the same thing on the "what makes you feel feminine?" thread.

[prendrelemick]

How wide did you have to make this so it won't fall down? It looked rather tall. It must be 4 feet or more at the base.

Two and a half feet, its all a balancing act really.



Mark and Juniper: Perhaps "Feeling Masculine" is hard to define. I got a good feeling building the wall that I don't get baking scones (which I enjoy.) Perhaps it is a case of nurture dominating nature, society proclaims certain things masculine, and I respond to that .

While I was building it Men would stop and talk about the process. Women would stop and admire it as an object and a task, and Sasha (Who lives in a cottage nearby) would bring tea and cake. Sometimes I let her fill in the middle bits.:p

[MystyrMystyry]

There definitely is something about doing 'big' things that make a bloke feel big, and brave things, and strong things, but I usually do them when no-one's around to distract me (don't want to make mistakes in company ;) )

[MarkBastable]

There definitely is something about doing 'big' things that make a bloke feel big, and brave things, and strong things....

Not definitely, otherwise no one would disagree with you. And I do.


Perhaps "Feeling Masculine" is hard to define. I got a good feeling building the wall that I don't get baking scones (which I enjoy.) Perhaps it is a case of nurture dominating nature, society proclaims certain things masculine, and I respond to that

I really ought to pay more attention when society's proclaiming stuff, because I seem to have made it to my fifties without noticing that building walls is supposed to make people (or is it only men?) feel more masculine. So the question would have to be - if I did build a wall, would I feel more masculine just as a result of doing it, or is this enhanced masculinity thing only going to work if I'm predisposed to expect it when I pick up my first dry stone?

If it's the latter, we can actually construct a useful experiment. We start putting it about that amateur millinery is a masculine thing to do. If we can get that out there as an accepted view, will future generations of men feel more masculine when they fashion an Easter bonnet?

[prendrelemick]

I think it probably is the latter. But knowing that doesn't mean I'm not susceptible.

As a man without any predisposition, you could always build a wall, (or crush an empty beer can or something "masculine") then make a hat and let us know.

[Alexander III]

Agreed, I tried to communicate the same thing on the "what makes you feel feminine?" thread.

Yea but thats because, you are a total dude. Maybe Mark is a total chick?

[MarkBastable]

Versions of this debate crop up with my wife.

"You should go out the back and get a couple of logs for the fire."

"Er, I'm in the middle of making risotto here. Why don't you go?"

"Bringing firewood in - that's a guy thing."

"We need, like, two small logs - one in each hand. Why's that a guy thing? "

"Because it's what guys do."

"If I said that doing the laundry was a chick thing, you'd go nuts."

"Well - yeah. I mean, how sexist would that be?"

[LitNetIsGreat]

Versions of this debate crop up with my wife.

"You should go out the back and get a couple of logs for the fire."

"Er, I'm in the middle of making risotto here. Why don't you go?"

"Bringing firewood in - that's a guy thing."

"We need, like, two small logs - one in each hand. Why's that a guy thing? "

"Because it's what guys do."

"If I said that doing the laundry was a chick thing, you'd go nuts."

"Well - yeah. I mean, how sexist would that be?"

Ah that's annoying. It's like those sexist adverts that are all the rage - where women mock men and it's all a big laugh. They really get my goat.

Edit: Here's a debate upon this pressing topic from the horrendous programme Loose Women (which itself is sexist too to my mind). Be warned this is daytime TV at its worse - I lasted 3 minutes before I had to turn off and that's a record.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SEzcOit5LZQ

[Buh4Bee]

Mark and Neely- My husband and I still on occasion have these sorts of conversations and they are rather annoying. We are all for equality of the sexiest, just most of the time. Haha! But one thing that you'll find in our house is we know whose role is whose. I do do most of the cooking, shopping and laundry and he keeps the fire going, does the garbage and brings in the groceries. May be rather traditional, but it works. It doesn't make anyone feel more or less masculine or feminine.

[MarkBastable]

Mark and Neely- My husband and I still on occasion have these sorts of conversations and they are rather annoying. We are all for equality of the sexiest, just most of the time. Haha! But one thing that you'll find in our house is we know whose role is whose. I do do most of the cooking, shopping and laundry and he keeps the fire going, does the garbage and brings in the groceries. May be rather traditional, but it works. It doesn't make anyone feel more or less masculine or feminine.

I'd suggest it's the clarity of responsibility by task that works, rather than the assignment of task by gender.

I mean, would it not work just as well if he did most of the cooking, shopping and laundry, and you kept the fire going, did the garbage and brought in the groceries?

[Emil Miller]

Ah that's annoying. It's like those sexist adverts that are all the rage - where women mock men and it's all a big laugh. They really get my goat.

Edit: Here's a debate upon this pressing topic from the horrendous programme Loose Women (which itself is sexist too to my mind). Be warned this is daytime TV at its worse - I lasted 3 minutes before I had to turn off and that's a record.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SEzcOit5LZQ

I lasted up to 1.29, but obviously the programme is aimed primarily at women and therefore need not be bothered with by men. Let the hens cluck in the farmyard it keeps them out of mischief.
As for the adverts where women laugh at men, just put it down to another unsubtle piece of the social engineering that has now infected the world of advertising and can be similarly dismissed. It's worth remembering that using words like sexist, racist, and other self-righteous expressions only encourages the politically correct.

[LitNetIsGreat]

I lasted up to 1.29, but obviously the programme is aimed primarily at women and therefore need not be bothered with by men. Let the hens cluck in the farmyard it keeps them out of mischief.

:lol:


As for the adverts where women laugh at men, just put it down to another unsubtle piece of the social engineering that has now infected the world of advertising and can be similarly dismissed. It's worth remembering that using words like sexist, racist, and other self-righteous expressions only encourages the politically correct.

Noted. It is annoying though, especially in light of the recent complaints regarding the Today programme and the lack of female representation! Pah.

[Buh4Bee]

I'd suggest it's the clarity of responsibility by task that works, rather than the assignment of task by gender.

I mean, would it not work just as well if he did most of the cooking, shopping and laundry, and you kept the fire going, did the garbage and brought in the groceries?

That's it Mark. It's not about gender that determines the chore, but about understanding who does what. It would work if my husband wanted to do those things, but he prefers the other jobs. At times, I do keep the fire going.

[Emil Miller]

:lol:



Noted. It is annoying though, especially in light of the recent complaints regarding the Today programme and the lack of female representation! Pah.

Well I gave up on the Today programme long ago, so I wasn't aware of any dispute. So I googled the subject and found some hilarious statements regarding the situation on the Daily Telegraph comments page. Then, briefly sidestepping to have a good laugh at an article called 'Britain - Tomorrows Next European Superpower', I returned to the Today subject and came across this comment that sums it up perfectly:

It would be far better to worry about the Political bias of the TODAY program and the damage it has caused to the UK than worry about the so called Gender bias. The presenters are certainly full of their own prejudices and able to talk all day . Some might say they are all women already.

[prendrelemick]

I agree with most of what has been said above. There are still a few jobs left that require physical strengh - perhaps those are the kind that "men do" and feel masculine. (not to say women can't do them.)

The bringing in of logs harks back to this manly sentiment.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mL7n5mEmXJo

[Emil Miller]

[QUOTE]I agree with most of what has been said above. There are still a few jobs left that require physical strengh - perhaps those are the kind that "men do" and feel masculine. (not to say women can't do them.)

I once worked in an office where a very beautiful girl came to work. She was half Scottish and half Brazilian, her father having worked on some engineering project in S.America. Unfortunately, it was at the time when all this equality nonsense had convinced her that she could do a traditional man's job and she decided to prove it by training to be a plumber. I asked her why she had not taken up plumbing and she said that her hands were not strong enough to undo the fittings that are often very tight on piping.
On the other hand, Field Marshal Zhukov's mother was a Russian peasant woman who could carry a hundredweight of grain on her back quite easily. But, then again, if she were built like her illustrious son, that wouldn't be wholly surprising.

[MystyrMystyry]

Not definitely, otherwise no one would disagree with you. And I do.

Perhaps I should have defined big, brave, and strong.

One needs to bare scale a cliff, climb mountains, build a trap for wild boar, hunt with only a crossbow and knife, ride horses bareback, race off-road motorbikes - all country stuff.

I've tried to find parallels, but city stuff doesn't actually equate.



A few weeks ago a pair of doodles thought they were going to mug me, and I used the 'That's not a knife - this is a knife' line. Two lead pellets to their heads from my slingshot quickly restored order ;)

[Darcy88]

Unfortunately, it was at the time when all this equality nonsense had convinced her that she could do a traditional man's job and she decided to prove it by training to be a plumber.

I know one young woman who is a welder and another who is a fire-fighter. Bahh, "equality nonsense!"

[Emil Miller]

I know one young woman who is a welder and another who is a fire-fighter. Bahh, "equality nonsense!"

Well they may be the eternal exception that underlines every rule. I worked for a para-military force that had a women's contingent, but it was no more than 8%of the total. During WW11, Hannah Reitsch, who had been a test pilot for the Luftwaffe, flew her Storch aircraft out of Berlin under Russian gunfire to take Hitler's letter handing over power to Admiral Doenitz in the north of Germany.
Fantastic woman but hardly representative of the whole.

[MarkBastable]

Perhaps I should have defined big, brave, and strong.

One needs to bare scale a cliff, climb mountains, build a trap for wild boar, hunt with only a crossbow and knife, ride horses bareback, race off-road motorbikes - all country stuff.

Can only men do that then? And if so, can only some men do it? And if so, does that mean that the men who can't do it aren't as masculine as the men that can do it? And if any women can do it, does that make them masculine women?



A few weeks ago a pair of doodles thought they were going to mug me, and I used the 'That's not a knife - this is a knife' line. Two lead pellets to their heads from my slingshot quickly restored order ;)

I expect it would have restored order as effectively if a girl had hit them with pellets from a slingshot.


I'm not saying any of this stuff isn't worth doing, or that it isn't laudable (I mean, how the hell would I know) - I'm just saying that I don't understand why it makes anyone 'feel masculine'.

[Darcy88]

Well they may be the eternal exception that underlines every rule. I worked for a para-military force that had a women's contingent, but it was no more than 8%of the total. During WW11, Hannah Reitsch, who had been a test pilot for the Luftwaffe, flew her Storch aircraft out of Berlin under Russian gunfire to take Hitler's letter handing over power to Admiral Doenitz in the north of Germany.
Fantastic woman but hardly representative of the whole.

800,000 Russian women served in their nation's military in World War 2. I believe there are differences between the sexes, but I also believe women are capable of doing pretty much anything a man can do. They've proven that over the last several decades.

[Emil Miller]

800,000 Russian women served in their nation's military in World War 2. I believe there are differences between the sexes, but I also believe women are capable of doing pretty much anything a man can do. They've proven that over the last several decades.

Women of all the combatant countries were militarily involved. but it made no real difference to the final outcome. It's not a question of doing 'pretty much anything a man can do', but rather whether they want to do it at all.
If they do want to copy men, well, 'imitation is the sincerest form of flattery' as the old saying goes.

[Darcy88]

Women of all the combatant countries were militarily involved. but it made no real difference to the final outcome. It's not a question of doing 'pretty much anything a man can do', but rather whether they want to do it at all.
If they do want to copy men, well, 'imitation is the sincerest form of flattery' as the old saying goes.

800,000 women, often fighting on the front lines, made "no real difference to the final outcome?"

I think we're actually in agreement though. There seems to be a cultural attitude against women who decide to stay home and raise kids. The powers that be would prefer they be workers and consumers rather than wives and mothers.

[MystyrMystyry]

I'd like to think that if I'd been born female I'd still be the same person - but I'd still want the same life I've had/am having. As I said earlier male/female doesn't mean all that much to me. Masculine/feminine in this thread's context is just the established cultural symbology of day/night, hot/cold etc - which both have their strengths in different ways.

I've been in predicaments where the only pellets I've used were their own against themselves. Is that male stupidity for not protecting their pills? Acting tough but not covering their Achilles Heel means they must have been hoping I'd do it. So I obliged.

A slingshot's just handy in case you're outnumbered (you can pick them off from a distance before they close in)

[YesNo]

As I think about it, there isn't a lot either my wife or I have to do around the house.

I take out the garbage, but how hard is that? The collection service does the real work of getting rid of it. She cooks, but at most one evening meal and I make pizza once a week. I do the dishes, but all that really means is filling a dishwasher. We both do laundry, but there is a washing machine and dryer. A service cleans the townhouse every two weeks and since it is a townhouse I'm not allowed to do any yard work. That means no rock wall building which I certainly would contemplate if we had any rocks laying around to build something with. There is central air conditioning and heating which means there is no firewood to cut, split, store in a woodshed or carry in to the wood stove. We also have electricity, so the lights go on with a flick of the finger.

One of the chores I don't like doing is removing an occasional spider or two from our daughters' rooms. I think they should get used to a bit of nature, but then I figure they will soon be off to college, so I might as well be gracious. Although they want me to "Kill it! Kill it! Kill it!", I just take the spider outside. How manly is that? They think I'm a spider lover. As I think about it, that is as close as I get to slaying dragons and saving damsels in distress, but the spider bit does seem to be a "man's job" for some reason. They're not poisonous, nor very big.

[Darcy88]

One of the chores I don't like doing is removing an occasional spider or two from our daughters' rooms. I think they should get used to a bit of nature, but then I figure they will soon be off to college, so I might as well be gracious. Although they want me to "Kill it! Kill it! Kill it!", I just take the spider outside. How manly is that? They think I'm a spider lover. As I think about it, that is as close as I get to slaying dragons and saving damsels in distress, but the spider bit does seem to be a "man's job" for some reason. They're not poisonous, nor very big.

I don't kill spiders anymore either. Seems silly to kill something that poses no threat and isn't something you would eat.

[YesNo]

I agree. I did try to argue that cleaning up the mess it would make on the wall was more trouble that just setting it outside. I don't think the argument cleared me of spider loving.

[BienvenuJDC]

Spiders eat those pesky flies.

[YesNo]

Another good reason to keep them.

After removing the spider, I sometimes said, "Well, the spider is gone, but the babies are still in there somewhere."

[BienvenuJDC]

Especially those little white spiders. Someone has to eat all the mesquitos.

[Bluehound]

I love that Modern women are free to persue any and all careers on an equal footing with men, we are no longer forced by law or social pressure to conform to the norms expected of us.
But even I have to admit that there are some things that the average man will always be better at than the average women. Yes an exeptionaly strong women may be able to be a fireperson, but the station will always be filled with a greater number of men.
I love that we have the opportunity to be the same, but I have to admit our differences.

My point is that you can't just say all this feeling masculine is down to nurture and conditioning, there must be an element of nature at play.

[Paulclem]

There seem to be differences in males and females. I suspect much of it is due to nurture. I know one area in which my wife and I differ is our appreciation of all things fragrant. I like flowers, I like those nice smelling air fresheners etc, but to be honest I would never think of actually buying any. Yet my wife considers them essential. I don't have a problem with this - I don't mind in the least, but I have to admit that I would not even notice if our stocks of all things fragrant ran down.

What is hilarious at the moment are the attempts by cosmetics companies towoo blokes into caring and buying creams and stuff. "Men! Does your (tough) skim turn to leather when you shower?(In a manly way). (My brackets). This is for some post showering lotion stuff. They are attempting to fuel men's egos by doing this laughable balancing act between tough and looking after yourself.

They use a tough voice, leather images, model/ actor/ references to manly things etc etc. All for the cash in your pocket. Hre's the US version.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=df-gsd7IMjc

[LitNetIsGreat]

There seem to be differences in males and females. I suspect much of it is due to nurture. I know one area in which my wife and I differ is our appreciation of all things fragrant. I like flowers, I like those nice smelling air fresheners etc, but to be honest I would never think of actually buying any. Yet my wife considers them essential. I don't have a problem with this - I don't mind in the least, but I have to admit that I would not even notice if our stocks of all things fragrant ran down.

What is hilarious at the moment are the attempts by cosmetics companies towoo blokes into caring and buying creams and stuff. "Men! Does your (tough) skim turn to leather when you shower?(In a manly way). (My brackets). This is for some post showering lotion stuff. They are attempting to fuel men's egos by doing this laughable balancing act between tough and looking after yourself.

They use a tough voice, leather images, model/ actor/ references to manly things etc etc. All for the cash in your pocket. Hre's the US version.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=df-gsd7IMjc

:lol: Love the video.

It might not be manly but I do carry moisturiser around in my work bag. :lol: Well, for those dry skin moments (from shaving). I make the mistake of getting it out in the staffroom the other day, not that I care, but one or two did take the .... a quite bit!

[Bluehound]

The advert for women tells us that "Only Dove is one-quarter moisturizing cream".
For men it suddenly becomes "Advanced 1/4 moisturiser technology" .
That does make me laugh.

[Emil Miller]

:lol: Love the video.

It might not be manly but I do carry moisturiser around in my work bag. :lol: Well, for those dry skin moments (from shaving). I make the mistake of getting it out in the staffroom the other day, not that I care, but one or two did take the .... a quite bit!

Be careful Neely, this guy started out using moisturiser.

http://img196.imageshack.us/img196/2843/jhurtwasqc2008f2.jpg

[prendrelemick]

I use my wife's moisturiser, just because you're a chap doesn't mean you have to put up with chapped hands.

[LitNetIsGreat]

:lol: We've gone from women, blood red steak and wall building to moisturiser use.

[Emil Miller]

:lol: We've gone from women, blood red steak and wall building to moisturiser use.

What next?

http://youtu.be/BvAJnbrvwwk

[YesNo]

What next?

http://youtu.be/BvAJnbrvwwk
Men in skirts. I guess I just found something that would not make me feel masculine. I don't use moisturizer either, but then I don't have dry skin.

[LitNetIsGreat]

What next?

http://youtu.be/BvAJnbrvwwk

:lol: "Are you ready to take the plunge and wear a skirt in public?"

No.

[Emil Miller]

:lol: "Are you ready to take the plunge and wear a skirt in public?"

No.

Thank heaven for that!

[Taliesin]

Hmmh - I actually think that it would take quite some cojones to wear a skirt publicly.
I think that I agree with Mark on this question - how would you separate the sensation of being male from all the other sensations of being yourself?
(I suspect that one could answer that using biology, testosterone levels and control groups but that does seem somewhat of a bother to me)

[krymsonkyng]

Yelling FUS RO DAH!

[Paulclem]

I use my wife's moisturiser, just because you're a chap doesn't mean you have to put up with chapped hands.

That's because you do a masculine job of work with your hands. Any use for other reasons than this is....:lol:

What else can I chuck in the mix....

[Darcy88]

:lol: "Are you ready to take the plunge and wear a skirt in public?"

No.

When I was 10 I wore my cousin's high heels into town because her friend dared me to. I got 5 bucks out of it and spent it all on candy.

[Scheherazade]

Refusals make me feel masculine:

1. Refusal to ask for directions even though I should have reached my destination at least 15 minutes ago.

2. Refusal to read the instructions on DIY kits even though the task should have finished half an hour ago.

3. Refusal to admit that I lost an argument even though everyone else present realised it at least 10 minutes ago.

[Emil Miller]

When I was 10 I wore my cousin's high heels into town because her friend dared me to. I got 5 bucks out of it and spent it all on candy.

But would you do it now ?

[Darcy88]

But would you do it now ?

Would depend on the stakes, on what I would get out of it. If I made a bet in which the terms required the loser to walk around in public with heels on I would do it.

[Emil Miller]

Would depend on the stakes, on what I would get out of it. If I made a bet in which the terms required the loser to walk around in public with heels on I would do it.

You would get a lot of wolf whistles and more that a few propositions if you tried it in the UK.

[LitNetIsGreat]

:lol: Now, now.



1. Refusal to ask for directions even though I should have reached my destination at least 15 minutes ago.

Men are like homing pigeons; we don't need maps or directions!



2. Refusal to read the instructions on DIY kits even though the task should have finished half an hour ago.

But, but, the instructions are all in Japanese and it's not our fault if there are two section Fs and no slots for point Ds...and two missing A4 screws. The diagram is also an unreadable scribble which looks like it has been drawn up by a monkey. No, much better to fumble along.


3. Refusal to admit that I lost an argument even though everyone else present realised it at least 10 minutes ago.

Men never lose arguments.


You would get a lot of wolf whistles and more that a few propositions if you tried it in the UK.

Especially if he had a pint in that colourful pub you mentioned the other day.

[Emil Miller]

:lol: Now, now.
Especially if he had a pint in that colourful pub you mentioned the other day.

It would indeed be unwise unless the wearing of high heels had reached a point where the wearer began to like it. In which case, there would be many of a similar disposition inviting him to join the club.

[JuniperWoolf]

Yea but thats because, you are a total dude. Maybe Mark is a total chick?

Bah! Litnet is always implying that I'm gender-impared, I don't get this kind of guff in real life. Women and men are expected to be able to chop wood and clean* a deer in the frozen rural wastelands of Northern Alberta.

*to "clean" means to "gut" in the language of you soft-handed scholars who wouldn't know a compound bow from a recurve bow.

[Alexander III]

Bah! Litnet is always implying that I'm gender-impared, I don't get this kind of guff in real life. Women and men are expected to be able to chop wood and clean* a deer in the frozen rural wastelands of Northern Alberta.

*to "clean" means to "gut" in the language of you soft-handed scholars who wouldn't know a compound bow from a recurve bow.

You were born in rural northern Alberta. My dear, there was never any chance of you not becoming gender-impaired.

Have you ever met a parisian girl? They are the most obstinant, elitist, high standar, delicate, arogant and ladylike of all the women. It would be facinating to see you with the parisian girls.

[Emil Miller]

[QUOTE]You were born in rural northern Alberta. My dear, there was never any chance of you not becoming gender-impaired.

:smilielol5: Ha ha, you got there before I did. I think a small reminder now and again would be in order.


Have you ever met a parisian girl? They are the most obstinant, elitist, high standar, delicate, arogant and ladylike of all the women. It would be facinating to see you with the parisian girls

I can attest to that, but the nearest to Paris LitNet's gender-impaired member has been, is the plaster of paris that is applied when she occasionally injures herself fighting grizzly bears and chopping down trees.

[JuniperWoolf]

Have you ever met a parisian girl? They are the most obstinant, elitist, high standar, delicate, arogant and ladylike of all the women. It would be facinating to see you with the parisian girls.

Haha, yes it would be. I guess our interaction would depend on whether they're in my world or I'm in theirs.

I've never met an "upper class" girl, at least not the classic film-style variety. The rich people in Alberta are world-class rich because of our oil sands, and they're all about cowboy stuff, think Texas-style rich. the closest I've ever come to a person who was "delicate" and "elitist" was a girl who I was briefly partnered up with on my first day of bio 108. Apparently, she was from a private school in America (I was very impressed, I assure you). Chick didn't even know how to focus a microscope.



I can attest to that, but the nearest to Paris LitNet's gender-impaired member has been, is the plaster of paris that is applied when she occasionally injures herself fighting grizzly bears and chopping down trees.

You don't fight grizzly bears, duh. You back up slowly, holding your hands palm foreward at shoulder level and say "woah bear" over and over in a soothing tone. If they rush you freeze and if they take a swat at you go limp, unless they start to bury you which means they plan on eating you in which case go for the eyes and nose.

...What? Doesn't everyone have "how to survive a bear encounter" in their elementary school curriculum?

[Emil Miller]

[QUOTE] If they rush you or take a swat go limp, unless they start to bury you which means they plan on eating you in which case go for the eyes and nose.

:lol: I'm definitely beginning to warm to grizzly bears.

[JuniperWoolf]

:lol: I'm definitely beginning to warm to grizzly bears.

Don't get too excited, they very rarely go that far. 99% of the time they'll just sit there on their fat bear *** going about their business and ignoring you completely, their sense of smell is insanely strong and they've known you were in the area for a long while. I've been in three bear encounters (two black bears and one grizzly), most people here have had at least one and no one that I personally know has had any problems. You just see them, usually from a distance, you get a little scare, they don't even look up and you leave the area ASAP.

[Emil Miller]

[QUOTE]Don't get too excited, they very rarely go that far.

We can but hope.:lol:

[JuniperWoolf]

We can but hope.

Haha, this blatantly wishing young girls dead, is that the kind of maturity I can expect when I reach your ripe old age? Gee, no wonder you're so proud of yourself and the kind of person you've blossomed into.

[qimissung]

Refusals make me feel masculine:

1. Refusal to ask for directions even though I should have reached my destination at least 15 minutes ago.

2. Refusal to read the instructions on DIY kits even though the task should have finished half an hour ago.

3. Refusal to admit that I lost an argument even though everyone else present realised it at least 10 minutes ago.

:lol::lol: The last one in particular brings out my "manly" side.

[Delta40]

I wouldn't want to equate a feeling of power over men with masculinity because that would detract from feeling feminine. I work in debt and often reduce a man to tears because of his situation but I don't feel like I've grown some balls over it. I do feel in total control though - with some of them, I actually enjoy it, while others illicit a more tender response from me but it's power all the same. So I would have to say that power and feeling masculine are not exclusive.

[stlukesguild]

You don't fight grizzly bears, duh. You back up slowly, holding your hands palm foreward at shoulder level and say "woah bear" over and over in a soothing tone. If they rush you freeze and if they take a swat at you go limp, unless they start to bury you which means they plan on eating you in which case go for the eyes and nose.

...What? Doesn't everyone have "how to survive a bear encounter" in their elementary school curriculum?

The grizzly bear curriculum was eliminated here sometime back in the early 19th century... if not even earlier. I doubt a grizzly bear could survive in urban America for long. Bows are the last thing they would need to fear as the only people owning them are sports-hunters who employ them on weekend jaunts in forests of Pennsylvania or West Virginia. Any grizzly around here would have far larger concerns than some goober with a crossbow starting with gang-bangers armed with automatic weapons.

[JuniperWoolf]

[The grizzly bear curriculum was eliminated here sometime back in the early 19th century... if not even earlier. I doubt a grizzly bear could survive in urban America for long. Bows are the last thing they would need to fear as the only people owning them are sports-hunters who employ them on weekend jaunts in forests of Pennsylvania or West Virginia. Any grizzly around here would have far larger concerns than some goober with a crossbow starting with gang-bangers armed with automatic weapons.

...That was the obvious implied knowledge that I was banking on when I first employed sarcasm in the following sentence:


...What? Doesn't everyone have "how to survive a bear encounter" in their elementary school curriculum?

I was trying to make people think "haha, no one outside of Northern Canada has 'how to survive a grizzly attack' in school anymore, silly, no where else has grizzly bears of course! And no one except for a hunter would care about the distinction between a compound and a recurve bow, that's completely useless knowledge to most people!" without this obvious conlusion in mind, the light-hearted point I was trying to make (that I'm considered "boyish" to many litnetters because of my location and the lifestyle/hobbies, such as hunting, adopted by my Northern-Canadian friends and family including myself) doesn't work. The entire point of all of this being that I know that I'm strange to some of you in terms of gender stereotypes, and I am the way I am (as you are the way you are) because of my upbringing, which implies that the way we think about gender is the result of environment rather than genetics (or "nurture rather than nature," although I hate that stupid trendy term).

I'm tired of explaining my posts, I've got to remember to ALWAYS include the sarcasm disclaimer. I thought that the "...What?" pre-curser was classic-comedy-sketch enough to hammer the implied sarcasm home without the disclaimer. Ah well, I was warned that this would happen.

[Patrick_Bateman]

Sex, opening pickle jars and driving like a wideboy. Wearing sunglasses too (for some reason) :cool:

[Emil Miller]

Sex, opening pickle jars and driving like a wideboy. Wearing sunglasses too (for some reason) :cool:

Well for those of the weaker sex (and I mean that most sincerely), here's a little tip for opening pickle jars, if you don't know it already.
Take a sharp implement, such as a kitchen knife, and puncture the tin lid, that will release the air pressure and allow you to open the jar easily.

[Mutatis-Mutandis]

...That was the obvious implied knowledge that I was banking on when I first employed sarcasm in the following sentence:



I was trying to make people think "haha, no one outside of Northern Canada has 'how to survive a grizzly attack' in school anymore, silly, no where else has grizzly bears of course! And no one except for a hunter would care about the distinction between a compound and a recurve bow, that's completely useless knowledge to most people!" without this obvious conlusion in mind, the light-hearted point I was trying to make (that I'm considered "boyish" to many litnetters because of my location and the lifestyle/hobbies, such as hunting, adopted by my Northern-Canadian friends and family including myself) doesn't work. The entire point of all of this being that I know that I'm strange to some of you in terms of gender stereotypes, and I am the way I am (as you are the way you are) because of my upbringing, which implies that the way we think about gender is the result of environment rather than genetics (or "nurture rather than nature," although I hate that stupid trendy term).

I'm tired of explaining my posts, I've got to remember to ALWAYS include the sarcasm disclaimer. I thought that the "...What?" pre-curser was classic-comedy-sketch enough to hammer the implied sarcasm home without the disclaimer. Ah well, I was warned that this would happen.
I think StLukes was also responding with some very dry sarcasm there, which, if the case, makes that post pretty funny.

As for bears, I take Stephen Colbert's stance. They are bloodthirsty, killing machine marauders of the night, and they must all be exterminated.

[Varenne Rodin]

"Grizzly Man" was fascinating. That guy who lived with and was ultimately eaten by grizzly bears. Sad, interesting story. Have any of you seen it?

[JuniperWoolf]

"Grizzly Man" was fascinating. That guy who lived with and was ultimately eaten by grizzly bears. Sad, interesting story. Have any of you seen it?

Yeah, that guy was whack. I wonder what the bears were thinking, they've likely never seen behavior like that from a human before.

[Varenne Rodin]

Yeah, that guy was whack. I wonder what the bears were thinking, they've likely never seen behavior like that from a human before.

He was like a little child, thinking he was having squabbles with other kids on the playground or something. Picking his favorites, calling others "brats." It seemed inevitable to me that he would be killed, even as far back as his visits to David Letterman's show. He was mentally ill. At times his behavior was really amusing and endearing, but perhaps someone should have stepped in and redirected him to checking out otters, or dolphins, or little baby chickens.

[tonywalt]

That was a brilliant documentary, although disturbing. His girlfriend's actions made it more tragic.

[Mutie]

I often brood about how tough a man should be. Most of my favourite novels challenge the tough "Jack Reacher" version of manliness. But If im out with a friend and someone starts a fight for no reason (as can happend here), all those interesting masculinity theories aren't going to help me. I also feel I lack a strong father figure which doesnt help.

[Pensive]

Hitting people when they attempt to insult my beloved? Or maybe hitting them even when they just try to hit on my beloved.
Oh not to mention telling the opposite gender I like them instead of just like a girl, girlishly, waiting for them to make the first move!

Or maybe just my mustaches.

[Scheherazade]

It seems only fair to ask.Yes, it does seem so!

Please discuss!

[Lykren]

Okay!

I don't feel any attachment to the idea of my masculinity, which makes me think it doesn't exist. Then I worry no girl will ever love me if I don't put on some show of masculinity which would be a total charade. Or at least not the girls I want to attract. That's my dilemma.

Next!

[Pompey Bum]

I see one's gender as a private business for which none owes an explanation. I do, however, feel a confraternity with most men as fellow souls bearing the experience of our sex. I just wish they'd knock off the whole professional sports thing and deal with their masculinity without the need for canned stadium cheering. And that's my dilemma.

Anyone besides Lykren (since 2012) have the testes to respond to this thread?

[Scheherazade]

Sports is not a masculine territory... And for most it is a profession, is it not? Rather than a confirmation of their sweaty testosterone infused declaration their masculinity?

PS: There are no tests required to be able to post in this thread... It is open to all!

:leaving:

[Pompey Bum]

Sports is not a masculine territory... And for most it is a profession, is it not? Rather than a confirmation of their sweaty testosterone infused declaration their masculinity?

No, I was talking about the perceived need of males to watch professional sports (and specifically American football) on the television all weekend and, as my society would have it, to measure their masculinity against things these utterly weird announcers yell at them while pretending to speak over augmented crowd noises, and while over-paid celebrities lift their bottoms into the air. To me, masculinity is more about sharing your strength.


PS: There are no tests required to be able to post in this thread... It is open to all!

:leaving:

That, too, is something of a misunderstanding, since my comment simply reflected my surprise that so few men had responded to the question (recently), and certainly not that women should not post on the thread.

[Clopin]

I don't watch sports (except olympic hockey), I can't fix anything, I can't navigate anything to anywhere, I've never been in a physical fight as an adult and I can't read maps. Despite all of this I feel my personality is suitably masculine though I guess I could be kidding myself.

As far as feeling masculine, I never think about it. I play Super Smash Brothers Melee semi competetively and with my friends and that's a very male experience. And I don't think I've ever even seen a girl at a chess club, which is too bad because a girl beating me at chess would be pretty sexy.

[Marbles]

Okay!

I don't feel any attachment to the idea of my masculinity, which makes me think it doesn't exist. Then I worry no girl will ever love me if I don't put on some show of masculinity which would be a total charade. Or at least not the girls I want to attract. That's my dilemma.

Next!

Couldn't have put it better but maybe my beard will help me, and also the fact that I like being in control like a typical patriarch of yore would. But sorry, no violence, no careless swagger, no messy rooms or disastrous wardrobes for me; in short, no grand displays about having a penis really, and very little of sports, save cricket. But these are secrets I don't reveal!

[Ecurb]

The "manly" virtues include honor, honesty, courage and fortitude. Of course there's no reason that women can't practice them, but as a man I particularly look down on my fellow males for failure in these virtues.

As to what makes me feel masculine: sex. Some women are particularly adept at making their lovers feel good about their masculinity.

[TheAlertDriver]

My beard, I'm not kidding. One time I had to shave it for a job interview and my confidence went down hill, I used to be pretty shy when I was younger, now I'm going out more, flirting with women more often, etc. But once I lost my beard I don't know I kind of "went backwards." It grew back, its all good now lol.