I sure as hell ain't no "manly man."
1. Always treat women right. A man doesn't strike, insult, belittle or otherwise mistreat his lady. He supports her, holds her, listens to her, comforts her, and makes her feel like she's the only woman in the world. Never cheat on her or disrespect her.
I treat women
too right. I dunno, its like my brain was simply born without the sense of "aggression."
2. Learn to shave like your Grampa. Get yourself a nice shaving kit.
I only shave something like 2 times a month. My facial hair doesn't grow that fast. When I do shave, however, its all meandering around (but rarely cutting, I got naturally thick skin) over and over until its done. I freaking left a patch under my neck tonight for example :?
3. Real men know how to drive a stick shift. This is a skill that I think everyone should learn, but men especially. Men have a special relationship with their vehicles and a stick makes one feel more connected to their machine, like they're an integral part of it. Plus in an emergency a stick shift vehicle may be the only thing that's available to you.
I know how to drive stick shift, but not with experience. I've only "learned" twice in my life, and that was for prospected jobs, neither of which I got. Modern cars these days have automatic, there was just no need for me to grow up knowing how to drive stick. Like I said though, I do know how to operate it.
4. Learn how to ride a motorcycle. Motorcycles are very manly machines. They take strength, coordination, finesse, and guts to ride. A motorcycle makes you feel like you are a part of it, even more so than a car or truck. You use your whole body to ride a motorcycle because you have to lean with it to turn it. It requires brains, skill, and cojones to ride a 300-900lb machine that offers no protection if you make a mistake. Plus boots and leather make you look like an alpha male badass. Doesn't matter how ugly you are because with that skid lid on your head every guy looks like Chris Hemsworth.
Oh, I agree. Motorcycles are awesome. That's an investment for me, though. Someday I may acquire a four-wheeler. Those are even more kickass.
5. Find an appreciation for artistic things and literature. Music, art, books...all these things expand your mind. Women like an intelligent man who has a sense of class.
Only in the past 2 years have I begun to expand my mind with music, and it's been great so far. But as for books, I'm gonna sound like an idiot, but I can't stand reading books. I simply have too much attention-deficit-disorder to properly read a book. I'll read words but it won't sink it, causing me to have to reread paragraphs, which gets aggravating for me. I doubt this will ever change, lots of people have attempted to get me to change my mind, but to no avail.
6. Expand your vocabulary and learn to use it. Eloquence is an excellent trait of manliness. It shows women that you are a man who is intelligent and have better ways of expressing yourself besides monosyllabic drivel and, worse yet, can only drive your point home with profanity.
This is rather difficult to pull off. I'm kinda a shitty talker in real life. It's really hard to start a conversation with anybody (despite what others think, I do NOT expect them to start it). That being said, when I AM talking, I got perfect eye contact going, smooth speech, I do listen when you confide with me…
7. Men have manners. Pulling a woman's chair out for her, opening the door for her, offering her your arm when you walk, giving her your jacket when it's cold...etiquette shows your woman that you have class and are not some farting, belching, uncouth simpleton.
Agree. My dumb thing is, I don't have a jacket myself, cold weather actually doesn't bother me. This winter has been different so far though, for health reasons.
8. Learn how to dress and groom yourself. You don't have to be a clean shaven stiff, but at least put some thought into your attire. Again, women love a man with class.
I still have problems with this. In recent years, my wardrobe has become things like fluorescent colors and blue jeans. I just love easter egg colors and such. I often wear long tube socks and I rarely polish my shoes (but I have been doing so from time to time with these new white sneakers I recently picked up since I really like them). My hair is really hard to keep control of though, I have naturally wavy hair and it really gets unkept when its windy. I made a decision to grow it out for the first time in 2011 and I've fallen in love with my new hair. I've never been so happy to look in the mirror to find my stupid big forehead now covered by sexy bangs (and bangs are sexy on girls). Like I said, I'm no manly man. Lol.
9. Facial hair is manly, especially when you are well groomed. A rockin' 'stache, a finely sculpted goatee, a tidy and well trimmed beard, a pair of finely cultivated chops...facial hair is what separates the men from the boys.
Like I said, my facial hair doesn't grow too fast. I can have a mustache on my upper lip after about 6 weeks of letting it grow, but its not going to be too thick. It isn't a "Puberty mustache" though, I got those at 16.
10. Learn how to take care of at least some things on your car. At the least learn how to change the oil, spark plugs, and light bulbs on your vehicle. Learn more if you can. You can save money just by learning how to take care of a few simple things like the oil yourself instead of paying someone else to do it, and it will make you feel manly getting some grease under your nails.
I own a purple colored Suzuki. Its fan belt squeaks at night. It sings during the day.
11. Pampering isn't just for the ladies. Things like high quality shampoos, high quality shaving soaps instead of that crappy gels, aftershave and oils, massages, even manicures can be manly. High quality shaving soaps instead of that garbage they pedal at your local RXall or Wally World are one of the best investments you can get in to grooming wise. A good quality puck of shaving soap or tub of shaving cream gives you a smoother shave with less irritation and is better for your skin and facial hair. You can even go one step beyond and get a pre-shave lotion that will make your razor glide even smoother than soap/cream alone. It softens your beard, moisturizes your skin, and provides a soothing lubricant for your razor, a MUST if you use a safety razor or cut throat razor. You'll get less razor burn and nicks and virtually eliminate ingrown hairs. Taking care of yourself doesn't make you a sissy.
Pssh, I take my personal hygiene way too seriously. I am absolutely offended at my body being all sweaty and I always, always shower directly before going out.
12. Buy a gun and learn how to use it. A man should have a means of defending his family and loved ones, and himself of course, and be skilled in it's use and maintenance. You're the man of the house, the patriarch. It is your responsibility to provide security and safety for your lady, your children, and your home. Target practice is an excellent way to work out stress and requires work and dedication to build your marksmanship skills. It's not enough to learn to punch holes in paper accurately, you must learn to use the weapon for defense. Defense of yourself and your home, but most importantly defense of your wife and children. Cleaning and maintaining your weapon is equally important. Like shaving, cleaning your weapon can be very relaxing and even zen like. You can clear your mind of all your worries and just focus on the task at hand. Having a simple task for your MANOS while allowing your mind to relax and just focus on the cleaning can reduce stress. It works with other things like stirring a cup of tea or even twiddling your thumbs while letting everything else leave your mind for five minutes or so has been proven to reduce stress and tension. I like to think of a phrase while cleaning my weapons. "Break the machine, clean the machine. Break the machine, clean the machine." It's something my Dad taught me.
I am pro 2nd Amendment, but to own a gun isn't for me. There aren't any shooting ranges where I live and frankly people would think I'm crazy for having one.
13. Share your skills and passions. Learn to be a teacher. Teaching people, especially your kids, new skills that someone taught you once upon a time is an excellent way to bond and to keep traditions alive. It creates memories and as I said keeps traditions alive. And one day that person will pass those skills and traditions to someone else.
This is perhaps my biggest problem in life. I had no role model, and I have no protege. I was a guy born into a big family and all my aunts and uncles only had daughters (except for 2 other guys). Thus, you have a 5 year old me playing Super Mario Bros with 4 of my girl cousins around the ages of 10-13 and their all talking to each other about why "Mario isn't wearing his swimsuit" in the water levels. My life would have turned out to be so much better if I had a brother, preferably a younger one.
14. Don't worry about going grey or your hair thinning. Grey hair makes a man look distinguished and dignified and there are many sexy, manly men with no hair. Look at Vin Diesel. If your hair is going thin and you don't like it just shave it bald. Don't try to color your grey hair. It makes you seem desperate and insecure, very unmanly.
Well, I at an age where I don't have to worry about either. My hair probably will go gray by the time I'm 45 though, since I enjoy dying my hair (new things in the mirror to see!) but I will never allow my hair to go bald. Never.
