Ah.... Masculinity. It is something we as men are told to strive for, yet it is quite vague. How often in tense situations have people told you "Be a man"? By double standard expectations, "men" aren't allowed to cry, we're always eager, and so on. All those stereotypes can really push someone's gears. However, this thread will explore "manliness" in a different light. 

For the males here, what do you think it means to "be a man"? What is "manliness" in your opinion? For the females, what do you think makes a man? What kind of man would you most idealize? (If you swing that way, of course....). Thanks for listening, fellas.

Wow what a question...anyways. I do say men are allowed to cry but like only to do with the right moments for instance if a close friend has died or family members. There are others not sure what they are sadly. What makes a man? Girls don't like to see a man crying every second for something they have done wrong. Its fine if you have done something wrong and to improve on it. But, all men are different with how they do things. Girls I'm sure like to men do something for them not a lot of others can do. Its different for everyone so I can't go more depth into that sadly.

Manliness is quite a stupid term in my opinion, the ones who care about manliness and looking and acting like a man all the time are only hurting themselves. What I would define as manliness is to be if a guy doesn't give a darn about being manly or not, pure and simple.

Manliness is when you act like a man is supposed to act. Going to the gym to lift 700 pound weights and take shirtless selfies of you flexing in a nearby mirror to showoff your physical prowess on Instagram, and being a total douchebag to everyone DOES NOT make you "manly". Apparently that's what a lot of people think, but it's not true. A true man knows when he is in the wrong and can admit it instead of covering it up to protect his ego. A true man is able to put aside his ego and do what is best for others, whether that be family or friends. A true man loves his spouse and his (possible) children. A true man doesn't hit his wife or his children to assert dominance or authority, that's just what a coward does. And with the crying thing. Men can cry whenever they want, it's their right to express their emotions, good or bad. 

Manliness involves a lot of things:

1. Taking responsibility for your actions.
2. Caring for your family.
3. Working hard to do the right thing.
4. Treating all people with respect and love.
5. To empathize whenever you can, to "mourn with those who mourn, to comfort those who stand in need of comfort".
6. If you're a father, presiding over the home and making sure things work out as well as possible.
7. Also, to treat your wife as the #1 person in your life, even before your children. This doesn't mean you neglect your children. But eventually, the children are going to move out and move on...and at that point, what you're left with is the love you cultivated with your wife.

Manliness is just the word we use for masculine gender roles. It doesn't prove your worth as a man, or anything of the sort. Especially since it's based on sexist principles, like the prejudice of men being stronger than women (And therefore have to protect them or what not), that men are expendable, that men are only a paycheck, that fathers have less worth than mothers, that men need to have a certain body type, that men cannot show emotions, etc...

To be fair, the same can be said about femininity, or female gender roles.

Honestly it's quite dumb in my opinion. The term masculinity and femininity are becoming less and less meaningful in modern society, and there's a good reason for that.

I'm really really confused by the last part:

"For the males here, what do you think it means to "be a man"? What is "manliness" in your opinion? For the females, what do you think makes a man? What kind of man would you most idealize? (If you swing that way, of course....). Thanks for listening, fellas."

Why wouldn't a female swing towards a male?

Anyways, I think for myself what makes a man is taking care of your family and doing your duties no matter the cost since it's for your family.

supernerd117 : You covered it.

Manliness is a thing but it is not sitting there posing in front of a mirror. I'm 34, with kids, and a career, and a wife and I've been coaching high school soccer for a while and I was in the military so I have a decent (I think) opinion on what defines manliness from my life experiences.

Manliness is taking responsibility for your actions. It's knowing what you want and what is and is not culturally acceptable to do. It's respecting other people's thoughts, opinions, and acting where you're taking care of self-interests without infringing on other people's rights. I learned a while back to never make fun of other people because it's a bad look. That is one facet of manliness.

Manliness is continuing self-development and improving your intelligence, your strength, your emotional quotient, your mental toughness, your empathy, and your treatment of the world and everyone else in them. A man is a male who constant tries to improve and do better. He understands he can fail and he knows he has weaknesses but he takes steps to make those less weak.

Manliness is where a male respects all those around him, including and especially himself. He treats his body, his mind, his possessions and other people and things with care and even if he fails to agree with them, he gives them the right to their opinions. He is creative with his criticism and he helps others who want help or ask for it. He turns away no one and accepts everyone for who they are, even if he doesn't believe in their belief system. He does protect those who cannot protect themselves and takes actions against those who would harm others, however he can.

Manliness is expressing gratitude and happiness. If a man likes something, he continues doing it. If he does not, he does not complain. He simply changes what he is doing. He is a master of his emotions and he controls his destiny. Emotions are not evil. They simply are and experiencing them is not wrong. But manliness means stepping up and changing what doesn't work.

A man is bold, he exercises initiative, and finally, he acts. He takes action because nothing good ever happened sitting in a swivel chair.

Well said,Ghostbear. That does cover what manliness should entail. Being manly does not mean drink a crap-ton of booze and then sleep with some girl you do not know. Being manly is being responsible for your own actions and how they affect things or people around you. Being manly is respecting others' opinions when debating someone. Being manly is trying to be a little better than you were yesterday,whether it is doing something without being asked,doing 1 more rep than usual,or accepting something about someone without being a jerk.

Don't be so confused. I meant LGBT people, namely lesbians. Those folks don't swing for the other side. (Transgender people can vary, and so can bisexuals).  Plus, I have a friend who is LGBT.... I'm trying to be self-aware that not everyone swings in the same boat, sir.

tRIUNE : if a female doesn't swing towards a male i think it's because she swings towards other females. yeah yeah obscure guess i know

NintendoFanKimmy : I think another good question is: "Just because a woman is into women, does she still have a definition of manliness?"

I have no idea. I'm a dude and I'm into chicks.

This is what I define as manliness:

Being strong, having courage but also having the wisdom to know when to walk away, being there for those who you care about when they are in need,  having emotion yet knowing how to not let it control you, being a protector for those who cannot protect themselves, being able to listen to your instincts and most importantly - being true to yourself and those around you.

NintendoFanKimmy : Obviously I knew that. My point was why bring it up?

For the females, what do you think makes a man? What kind of man would you most idealize? (If you swing that way, of course....).

Couldn't we post stuff without referring to being gay or bi or lesbian or whatever?

Remember my old thread about god? Someone there was an atheist, and I didn't consider that, so I wanted to be aware of others while writing. There are exceptions to everything, actually. Remember my thread about being a loner or social person? Someone brought up the point of being a bit of both, an "in-betweener". Being social more so on the internet as opposed to real life. I want to expand my horizons. It doesn't hurt to be aware, sir. You don't need to make a big deal about one little thing I said.

Also, I was thinking of a friend while writing this. She's a member of the rising LGBT community; I don't want to exclude her. Can't anyone have a stance on this topic? Also, her opinion would be interesting. Keep this in mind: I'm not a philosopher, so stop quoting me. I'm not in the mood for petty arguments, so stop criticizing me. I don't wan't to start a long argument, so let's be civil. If I ever mention anything that deviates from the norm in the future, I don't want to be questioned and quoted about it. Please understand, I want as much collective input as possible, thus I must address people from all walks of life. Don't be so bothered. Let's end this argument. Thanks.

tRIUNE :  if that really was your point then the question you asked made no sense whatsoever. just saying. also, "couldn't we post stuff without referring to being gay or bi or lesbian or whatever?" dude, i'm so lost right now. what does that even mean? it's like saying "couldn't we post stuff without referring to being straight or whatever" in response to "for the males, what do you think makes a man? (if you swing that way, of course...)" either way it'd just be there to let everyone know he's not a complete ignoramus and acknowledges that there are people who are different from him. if you believe that the lgbt community is immoral then it's none of my business but there's no need to be so passive aggressively salty about someone who's just trying to be self-aware and polite. 

NintendoFanKimmy : it's like saying "couldn't we post stuff without referring to being straight or whatever" in response to "for the males, what do you think makes a man? (if you swing that way, of course...)"

That's exactly my point. I guess without causing drama I should just say that when I view relationships (or read about them) it's between opposite genders; so I take offense to things which involve same gender relationships. Just like the LGBT community, but opposite.

Well said,Tornado and Alpha. A man loses his man card when he acts like an absolute jackhole,cannot handle his responsibilities,hits a woman or child or rapes someone. That person would need to have his junk ripped off for the last two and needs to get his *** kicked by a dozen men.