Women have heard some pretty ridiculous things about themselves. Ignorance is bliss. However, for every common myth about them, there's an equally popular and equally nonsensical misconception about men.
To find out more, reddit user navisnadakkal asked guys to share the fallacies about themselves that infuriate them the most. And they heard it. The post has received over 73K upvotes and 33K comments, and it should become a must-read for every gossip magazine "journalist" out there.
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'Men can't multitask'
Every time I hear that I have to stop what I am doing so I can get angry
A report called Boys to Men: Media Messages About Masculinity, stated that the most popular stereotypes of male characters are the Joker, the Jock, the Strong Silent Type, the Big Shot and the Action Hero.
The Joker is a very popular character with boys, probably because laughter is part of their own "mask of masculinity." A potential negative consequence of this stereotype is the assumption that boys and men can't be serious or emotional. However, some researchers have also argued that humorous roles can expand the definition of masculinity.
F**k, where to start? I was a stay at home Dad for 2 years. The sheer volume of Karens at parks and playgrounds used to drive me up a wall. They were always dumbfounded when I didn't need their help.
Yes, I can change a diaper. Probably faster than you can.
Yes, I have snacks. Celery, carrots and a little ranch
Yes, I have drinks. Water bottles and juiceboxes
Yes, I have lunch. Chicken cutlet sandwiches. No, we didn't buy them at the deli, I can actually cook.
No, I don't need wine. It's 10AM, Karen. Get a f**kin grip.
The Jock is the one who's always willing to "compromise his own long-term health; he must fight other men when necessary; he must avoid being soft; and he must be aggressive." The jock wins the approval of other men and the adoration of women primarily by demonstrating his power and strength. He's a winner.
The Strong Silent Type is in charge, acts decisively, contains emotion, and succeeds with women. This stereotype reinforces the assumption that men and boys should always be in control, and that talking about one's feelings means showing weakness.
I hate when I hear from someone when I have my kids and my wife is working that I'm "babysitting". It drives me insane. I don't babysit. I'm raising my kids, I'm not a volunteer or a hired hand. Ugh.
The Big Shot is all about the professional status. He is the "epitome of success, embodying the characteristics and acquiring the possessions that society deems valuable." This stereotype suggests that real men are economically powerful and socially successful.
The Action Hero is "strong, but not necessarily silent. He is often angry. Above all, he is aggressive in the extreme and, increasingly over the past several decades, he engages in violent behavior."
I really hate how fruity drinks are associated with women, like damn can I just enjoy my strawberry daiquiri.
It's getting better now, but back in the day basically every guy on TV was a sports-obsessed, car/motorcycle loving, beer swilling moron who couldn't function without his wife to look after him and the kids.
My wife went away last week for work and I'll have you know that only half my kids got eaten by wolves.
My wife is going to earn 1.5-2x as much as me when she's done with her study. So I'm gonna work for 2-3 days and take care of the kids when she's done.
People act like I'm a traitor to the whole Male race and that I'm crazy of being a half stay at home dad.
Maybe I like to stay at home to spend time with my kids?!
Daughter to a single dad here...
There was this myth I discovered when I was young. It's something almost all my female friends were told, but thankfully not me. The myth is the belief that there are such things as "girl business" where only your mom or other older females in the family should help you with.
As the only girl in the house growing up my dad helped me understand and deal with a great many "girl business" problems. Meanwhile all my friends had their moms to handle it for them. When my friends found out my dad was sort of in charge of handling those with me they were shocked. They asked me why I didn't have an aunt or grandma to help instead. Well, my aunts all live at least ten hours away and grandma is even further.
I began to realize over the years that there might actually be negative side effects to this "girls only" way of thinking. Sure, having another female assist you with those issues might be less awkward and embarrassing, but there's already an inherent awkwardness and embarrassment associated with it. Learning to overcome the embarrassment is part of growing up and accepting your body.
Furthermore, I have since grown up and began studying psychology, and done some research into this further for my studies. I'd have to do a more in depth and wide reaching survey and analysis to come to findings I'd be comfortable with being peer reviewed, but I have a theory that the "girls only" mentality causes relationship issues later in life. Young girls grow up thinking that there are some aspects of womanhood men not only don't understand but can't understand. It makes them not only less trusting of male partners, but also keeps them from seeing men as equals when it comes to parenting.
Sure, if you're a mom of a young girl there's no reason for you to not continue helping her with all the complex feminine issues she's going through. Just be careful not to make her think her dad doesn't empathize or understand too. Don't make him this distant third party who will never get it, or someone who should not be involved because he has a penis. That's the same toxic female attitude that causes soccer moms to call the cops on a dad when he takes his daughter to the park to play. Men can parent too, and they're surprisingly good at raising young girls on their own.
That all those rich white guys in Congress are looking out for me because I, too, am a white guy. They don't give any more of a s**t about me than they do about you.
Greedy Old People never look out for anyone else than Greedy Old People.
Showing emotion is a weakness. It isn't. We have just as many emotions as women, and our emotions are just as valid
I am not a male myself but i hope it is ok for me to comment, It really annoys me when people say that men can not be raped because if they got a hard on they must have wanted it. Shit like that causes men to not report rapes and makes them feel shit about themselves. ANYONE can be raped, no matter age, sex or if the rapist is married to them. No means no. It is as simple as that.
This is a common misconception. Just because they are erect does not mean they are enjoying it, it is often a natural response to stimulation whether wanted or not. I know a man who was raped by a woman and when he went to the police they laughed at him. This is going back 30 odd years ago and still effects him to this day. He will not get close to any woman and hasn’t had any kind of relationship since.
We're all unable to control our nature to have sex. Believe me if I couldn't control myself you'd have noticed by now.
No, im not going to a strip club. no, that doesn't mean I'm gay
I never understood the idea of a strip club. For me, it seems a complete waste of time and money. And my time is quite expensive.
'There are plenty of fish in the sea, just get over it.'
F**k you... I liked that fish. Even if it was kinda mean and cruel.
Man who works at daycare are phedophiles Every year there are people who complain I work there
My wife was listening to the Chalene Johnson podcast this morning and she was literally saying never allow males to look after your children as "87% of sexual predators are men". Seemed a bit extreme to hear her basically write off all men as likely sexual offenders of children to be honest.
Get too close to a child and you are automatically branded a pedophile. I work as low tier manager in toy store, and even though I have company t-shirt and name tag. People still ask me if i work there, people still look at me weird when I am going around the store doing whatever. It's sometimes hard to ignore. I just hope people will understand that working at my dream job doesn't mean i want to do stuff to their kids. It hurts sometimes.
Erections mean we want sex. Even as adults, they can still be random.
This is like saying if girls get wet mean they want sex... those is just a biological reflexes that we can't control.
That only women suffer from negative body sterotyping.
Really? REALLY? I grew up in the 80s. Have not seen He-Man? Swartzenegger, Fabio, Jason Momoa...
That if we like children but don’t have children of our own we’re automatically given at the very least a little grilling, if not straight out asked if we’re a pedophile.
I like dogs too, for pretty similar reasons. Nobody ever asks me if I’m a dog fucker.
That we miss signs that women give them because they are stupid. We see them, but we don’t want to be creepy/jump to conclusions.
That we can never NOT be in the mood and if we are we must be sick or cheating.
The whole "Men think about sex every 7 seconds" thing. If you think that's true, I have a bridge in Brooklyn to sell you
But I bet it's not as cheap as the one I have for sale in London.
"All men are the same."
God, I wish. Can't tell you how many times I've been to a stupid event with my girlfriend and she disappears and I'm left hanging out with the other boyfriends and husbands and there's nothing for us to talk about.
I'm not into car shit or sports or any other basic male activities.
All men are not the same.
That we cannot parent as well as a woman. That we need a random woman to come hold a man’s child because they’re crying. That we are “babysitting” when our spouse isn’t with our babies.
The whole s**t with " you are a man" when it comes to pain, lifting, sadness etc.
Men are worse communicators than women.
Really depends on the man, and the woman!
uhm, something that gets me rather annoyed at school is the whole "girls can't wear leggings because the boys get distracted" mostly because it's assuming that all boys can't control themselves.
Ana J, have you forgotten about when people said this about women when they accidentally showed off their ankles? I can't believe this is still a thing.
Load More Replies...This is a nice post. Not only it shows us an introspective into the world of men and boys, but it also lets us see that we aren't so polarly different after all. Many of these stereotypes apply to all genders and it's interesting to see the other counterparts' perspectives. Stay strong, brothers, this time it's about you.
uhm, something that gets me rather annoyed at school is the whole "girls can't wear leggings because the boys get distracted" mostly because it's assuming that all boys can't control themselves.
Ana J, have you forgotten about when people said this about women when they accidentally showed off their ankles? I can't believe this is still a thing.
Load More Replies...This is a nice post. Not only it shows us an introspective into the world of men and boys, but it also lets us see that we aren't so polarly different after all. Many of these stereotypes apply to all genders and it's interesting to see the other counterparts' perspectives. Stay strong, brothers, this time it's about you.