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As the great Cyndi Lauper once said, “Girls just wanna have fun.”
But recent data suggests that boys, too, may be fun-inclined.
For more on this, we go to Reddit:
Boys, if it was considered more universally acceptable, what is a “girly” thing you would do?
byu/eicaker inAskReddit
What are some guys itching to break free with? Let’s find out.
1. Trust me on the sunscreen
There’s nothing wrong with skincare as a man, at a very minimum you should be washing your face and moisturizing.
If froo froo smelling creams turn you off, there are unscented options out there. I have a personal preference for Gold Bond’s daily moisturizer.
Also, wear sunblock.
– duffman13jws
2. Does sound great…if really expensive…
I wish spa days weren’t seen as girly.
Go get a manny peddy while I read some Harry Potter. Hop in a sauna for a bit. Go get my man bits waxed.
Get an hour long massage then finish it up with a nice hair cut and beard trim.
I don’t care who ya are, that sounds f**king great.
– StruggyBuggy
3. For real?
This reminds me of the 4th Harry Potter book when all the wizards had to dress in muggle clothes and one old man was walking around in a dress, because he liked a healthy breeze around his privates.
– SSwinea3309
4. Double dressing standards
Wearing any clothes we d**n well please.
I get keeping things covered, that’s fine.
But women can dress as a guy all day everyday and get little to no s**t, but a man in a non kilt skirt or dress is completely unacceptable.
What’s up with that?
– Nic2334
5. Embrace the shave
I don’t care what people think of me to be honest, I do a lot of “girly” things cause I like them.
I shave my armpits for example, a lot of my friends see it as girly. I think it looks awful and I prefer the feel without it so I shave it.
– seenthewolf
6. Makeup
Wear makeup.
Have you seen how an average chick can turn herself into a 10 with makeup? It’s incredible
Wish us guys could do that.
Only thing we can do is grow a beard to change how our face looks
– Dangerclose101
7. Give it a try!
I’m a guy and I paint my nails black and burgundy, I do it because it looks nice and helps me not chew my nails , also helps with me playing the piano cause my eyes are bad so it gives hints to where my fingers are 🙂 give it a try
– Fine-Can9830
8. Swallow the pain
I’d admit if something hurt.
I’m a former catcher, and my knees, feet, elbow, shoulder, and back are pretty much always sore.
My wife is even a physical therapist, but I don’t want to bother here with more works, and I would feel like a wimp if I told her how sore I am constantly.
Instead, I’m her rock, and I just let her vent about how her days are and if something is bothering her.
– DLIPBCrashDavis
9. Wear skirts
They’re so god d**n comfortable.
I wore them in high school when I was a burn out /punk / weird kid but now I’m a (slightly more) respectable adult.
Also, it’s just easier not to deal with the hassle of behaving against general norms
– bacchus_underpants
10. Fun and affirming
Oh man, I would definitely wear dresses and light makeup. My fiance lets me try on lots of her stuff and tells me what I look pretty in. Why can’t I be a moderately buff dude in a pretty dress? What the h**l’s wrong with that? I’m completely dead serious.
I would also probably have a bit more “female” inflections and expressions in my voice and speaking style and body language because I find them just…fun to use and affirming.
Some of my best times were hanging out with a good gay friend of mine years ago because I felt so much more free to be me without judgement while traveling in his circles. I would be a very manly man that feels comfortable in his masculinity, yet acting like people think a fun yet educated women acts.
– mrmoe198
11. Nailed it
My fiancée talked me into painting my nails with her a bit ago, and I low-key loved it.
I also got a lot of compliments from people when I was out and about, so it was legitimately a huge self-esteem booster.
Now that things are opening up again and I’ll be heading back to the office, I feel a lot more self-conscious about doing it again.
– laserdollars420
12. Nothing
Nothing.
There’s nothing that is “girlie” that I would want to do that I wouldn’t just do. One day it hits you: Who f**king cares?
What’s the worst that can happen? Someone gonna make fun of you for doing what you want? That’s on them.
As soon as you call it out on them that they’re the “p**sy” for denying what they want to do, that you’re more “manly” for doing whatever you want, nothing stops you anymore.
– TheLateThagSimmons
13. Braiding hair
I’m a guy with hair down to the bottom of my shoulder blades.
While we were hanging out one evening, one of my friends decided she wanted to braid my hair.
Oh my god did it feel amazing! I love the feeling of someone else playing with my hair. Now every time we hang out I secretly hope she’ll ask to do it again.
– MasteringTheFlames
14. No more f**ks to give
Guy in his 40s married with two kids. My hobbies include playing drums / woodworking / hiking.
I take baths and put bubbles in because I like nice smells and it relaxes aches after working.
I use moisturiser that includes sunblock because I’m in my 40s and my skin looks fucking great. I use conditioner on my hair because it’s no extra effort and makes a massive difference.
I drink whatever cocktails sound appealing / I haven’t tried before because you only live once.
I prefer mixed company because guy chat can be tedious.
I take care of what I eat but I’m not obsessive about exercise.
I enjoy gardening and my home is full of houseplants which I tend religiously.
I have a huge interest in design / art and music of all types with a special interest in jewellery design.
If somebody tells you s**t is girly its pure ignorance and at my age I have zero f**ks for that kind of limited mindset.
– sosogos
15. Cry me a river
I cry all the time. Good things happy things sad things bad things. Zero sh**s given.
Have cried in a work meeting in the first month. (Tears are mostly ok in my field).
My daughters and partner see me cry weekly and zero shame. I hope my kids know empathy is never a bad thing. And I hope my son learns real men communicate and sometimes they cry.
In a world that is absolutely full of s**t a little empathy goes a long way.
Cry my fellow brethren. Zero shame in it.
– SOBStoleMyLine
16. Give. Me. Compliments.
I’m a guy and it’s kinda been a goal of mine this year to give more compliments to people, especially my guy friends.
I’ve noticed sometimes that if I give a guy some random compliments over the course of a month, his attitude towards me becomes a bit more open and will start complimenting me on random stuff too.
It’s like, everyone has those thoughts of “Huh, John’s hair looks freaking great today”, but a lot of guys won’t say it unless you show them that you are okay with that kind of discourse.
– jet_bunny
17. The dollhouse
Not a guy, but one time I went to a famous toy store with a guy friend and they had a HUGE dollhouse section.
I was freaking out because I love dollhouses, and my friend’s eyes got really big and he confessed that he had always loved dollhouses but never felt like he was allowed to play with them as a kid.
So we hung out looking at tiny furniture for like an hour
– PutItOnMyTombstone
18. “Girly” drinks
Bartender chuckled at me a bit when I ordered a liquid marijuana once (it was clearly listed on their drink menu so it wasn’t the name). It’s not my fault that s**t is tasty as f**k.
This was at a work party so of course people are asking what I was drinking. So I tell them, tell them what’s in it, and offer a taste.
20 minutes later, half the dudes there were walking around with their own.
– Keinichn
19. It’s sad
I’m deeply interested in guys who actually do the stuff listed here but I understand why it’s hard to do them for some.
It’s sad that a lot of people are afraid to act on their desires because of the useless judgment.
I wish we would normalize masculinity in all its forms and not take away someone’s identity because of simple interests
– kawaiipie69
20. Touchy/feely
Be more touchy with people. It’s so crazy seeing girls just touching anyone without it seemingly creepy or gross.
I can’t remember the last time I’ve casually touched someone.
– EIannor
21. C’mon, Karen
Definitely girls sleepovers, I really like the ongoing vibe that is depicted in a girl sleepover, nothing sexual, just doing some dumb s**t with your gals.
But besides being a “girly” thing that I would totally do, also not being considered a creep just bc of that.
C’mon Karen I just want to do dumb s**t and paint some nails while having a revitalizer mask on my face
– Randomdudenotsuspic
22. Whatever I want
I do whatever I want, real manliness comes from being comfortable enough with your masculinity to know that adopting feminine traits makes you no less of a man,
For specific examples I’m rocking that long long chick hair right now, I also used to have a la fleur Samsung phone and unapologetically like certain “chick” shows
– IShallPetYourDogo
23. Media we consume
I’m already into so many “girly” things now from the music I listen to, the movies I watch, etc. I even go to salons to get my hair done and sometimes put on light foundation when I go out especially on dates.
I don’t care if it’s universally acceptable or not anymore. I like it and I don’t give two sh**s about what people think.
– IGotQuestions15
24. Bathtime
If people think that taking a bath is girly, then they need a psychological recalibration.
I am a man, and love a nice bath, and there is nothing feminine about it.
It is soaking in hot water, where you can relax, read a book, listen to music or a podcast, browse Reddit (hi guys) or do whatever you want.
– artaxerxesnh
25. Purses
Carry a purse at certain times.
My phone is almost the size of a laptop now, I have probably 200 plastic cards in my wallet, plus keys and anything else. I can barely fit my hands into my pockets some days.
Sometimes I feel like I should either have a purse or a tool belt on to carry everything around that I need.
– drblah1
26. Oversized hoodie rage
Call me a girl because oversized hoodies are comfy as f**k and I will fight anyone that calls me girly for wearing one I just realized that sentence was extremely contradictory but who cares
– sharpshot877
27. For the kids
Taking care of kids. Some people assume men who like taking care of babies and small children are either girly or ped0s.
I just like children, they’re fun and cute and it’s a powerful experience doing things to positively influence a future adult.
– noah_river
28. No time to worry
Guy in his 40s.
I sew for a living, bake like I was born to do it, and my crochet has such beautiful tension and stitch definition that it makes old ladies weep with jealousy.
I don’t have time to worry about the gendering of the things I love.
– TheRoyalAstronomer
29. Just go for it
As an easily straight passing bisexual I’m here to tell you all to just do these “girly” things because nine times out of ten these days, no one cares, and the people who do usually very easy to roll over.
I mean, my favorite drink is straight whiskey, I ride a motorcycle exclusively, and sometimes I f**k dudes. Everyone I’ve told that to doesn’t care.
If I can literally have s** with a man and the majority of people don’t care, you can order a fruity drink or braid someone’s hair. Don’t be afraid to be yourself.
Life is too short to be too prideful about doing things traditionally considered feminine. And if someone gives you s**t about it, strut your masculine s**t and tell them to eat s**t.
I spent a lot of my life afraid of my feminine side and it’s not worth it. Be you. Do what you like. Be happy, my friends. Life is so much better when you stop caring about what other people think
– TheRoboDuke
30. Live your best life
Obligatory “not a man” comment but guys in the comments here, please don’t be afraid to do things because it’s “girly.”
You only get one chance at life. Why not do things that make you happy?
Gender is a social construct, & you don’t have to abide by its rules. Your happiness is way more important than some unspoken societal rule.
If it feels better to cry, then cry. If you enjoy styling hair, keep doing it. If you like to sew, or you like the color pink, or skirts make you happy, or ANYTHING that’s ruled as “feminine,” embrace it. If anyone has a problem with it, they’re not worth your time.
Your main goal in life should always include happiness, & if people do not want to support whatever happiness you pursue, then they aren’t worth it. Even if they’re family. Even if they’re your best friend. If you can’t get them to understand why happiness is so important, then that’s on them.
Live your best life. Even if it’s more “girly” than expected.
– arnethyst
Bottom line: unless you’re in some super backward area where it might literally get you killed – just do the dang thing.
Guys, is there anything “feminine” you wish you felt more free to do? Girls, anything “masculine?”
Give us your thoughts in the comments.
