posted
05/31/12
Manhood, it seems, is so often defined by the norms of society. We work, we play, we drink, we grill, we watch sports, we chase women—and we subconsciously live up to traditional expectations. And yet, the masculine life is far more nuanced than we let on. To be a real man, you’ve got to move beyond the stereotypes. The following secretly manly acts just might trump tossing the pigskin while drinking scotch, talking about girls and eating a raw porterhouse at the same time.
1. Apologizing
“Sorry about the tacky vest. Oh, and that thing with your sister…”
When you admit you’re wrong, you’re doing a few things right: showing that you care enough to give another person the satisfaction of being in the right, displaying confidence in that you can accept your faults and, most importantly, demonstrating that you can learn from mistakes and move on. Being a man is often about taking ownership, and that means rolling with both the good and the bad.
2. Facing Problems
“This is silly. Can’t we just settle it with an abs-off?”
It’s easy to shy away from ordeals rather than battle them head on. But the easy road is not the manly road. Identifying a problem, confronting it and taking steps to prevent it happening again is the manly road. Problems don’t just go away. And if you are the type of guy whose emotions range from “menacing glare” to “grunt of approval,” you might need to open up a bit to solve them.
