While there's obviously tons of sexism that women face in today's society, we don't talk enough about how gender norms negatively impact men.
Luckily, u/starryeyed229 brought up this important conversation when they asked, "Male redditors, what is something you'd like to do or wear, but you don't because society considers it 'unmanly'?" Here are some of the most thought-provoking responses:
1. "As a ginger and one of God’s palest creations, I’d definitely rock a manly parasol given the opportunity."
2. "I'm heavy and starting to go running to try and get fitter. A bra would be great."
3. "One of my favorite hobbies is sewing. But when I talk about what I like to do with others, I always talk about fishing and woodworking and my other 'manly' pastimes. I want to talk about sewing, damnit!"
4. "When I was younger, my sports teacher was an asshole. I walked from the bus to the school and arrived with gloves on. He told me that I was weak and I should man up. The years after and still now, I sometimes feel bad for wearing gloves when it's a little cold."
"I have Raynaud's syndrome. I need to wear gloves when the temperature is 50 degrees or my hands will be pretty painful."
5. "Skip. I find that when I need to run somewhere, I feel the urge to skip simply because I find it fun, but catch myself because I feel like it’s seen as a 'girly' thing to do."
"So I constantly do a weird half skip that looks even more awkward."
6. "Receive flowers. They are so wonderful, and they brighten any room you're in."
7. "Eyeliner. I wanna be like Bowie."
8. "Honestly, I find mermaids beautiful. I’d love a mermaid figurine as a home decoration."
9. "Purses seem pretty cool. You carry stuff around without making your pockets explode."
10. "I'd wear skirts to work all summer long instead of pants if it were socially acceptable."
11. "Dyeing my hair. I get bored with having the same look all the time. My hair is naturally dark brown. One time, I dyed it a lighter brown, and everyone immediately thought I was gay, so I dyed it back to my original color."
"I’d love to go full platinum blonde one day, but given my previous experience, I don’t think I’ll ever do it."
12. "I wanna wear a cropped leather biker jacket out in public without getting shit for it."
13. "I want to use a loofah. I don't know why I haven't bought one; I live alone. Every time I see one in a store, I think about it but can't bring myself to do it."
14. "I own a dress and have worn it a few times, but only indoors, when I have the house to myself. The other night, I changed out of it just to get the pizza I ordered from the front porch. I doubt I will ever have the nerve to wear it in public."
15. "I wish I had the balls to order a sex on the beach or a cosmopolitan."
16. "Painting my nails. There's something about them that would just look cool, especially, like, a matte black."
17. And finally, "Hug my friends."
It's heartbreaking to see that so many men restrict themselves because of society's outdated opinions. Gender norms should be a thing of the past!
Note: Some submissions have been edited for length and/or clarity.