Here Are 33 Of The Most Bizarre Things Folks Heard That "Real Men" Don't Do

If you've spent some time online, it’s likely you have encountered men genuinely using terms like alpha, sigma, and whatever else they come up with in this area. 

Or maybe you've even encountered such people in real life – those with very strong opinions about what a “real man” should look like. And these people tend to like expressing such opinions, no matter how crazy they actually are. 

Today’s list is a collection of various bizarre statements of the “real men don’t do” mentality netizens have heard throughout their lives and decided to share in an online thread under a question: "What's the craziest thing you've heard that 'real men' don't do?” Here you’ll find a whole spectrum of things, from reading books to liking cats. 

Well, some folks will dub anything “unmanly” just to feel more “manly” themselves. Yet, the irony, as this person on Quora pointed out, is that usually, actual real men aren’t that preoccupied with defining these things. Basically, what they imply is that insecurity is the drive behind folks obsessing with this label. 

And what blossoms under insecurity about manliness? Toxic masculinity, yes. In a nutshell, this term refers to a collection of offensive, harmful beliefs and behaviors taken to the extreme, which are rooted in and “excused” by traditional male roles. 

Typically, the “victims” of this syndrome believe 3 key things. The first one is that men have to be “tough” – physically strong, emotionless, and aggressive. 

Then, they tend to believe in “antifemininity” too – anything that’s somehow related to feminine behaviors is unacceptable to them. As we saw in today’s list, anything, even something as human as showing emotions, can be assigned to this category. While from a side view, these categorizations look irrational, for some they apparently make sense. 

The third key belief of toxic masculinity is “power.” Essentially, they believe that men should work toward obtaining influence and status, as it’s what makes others respect them. 

As you can probably tell, toxic masculinity doesn’t seem like a very healthy lifestyle, neither for a man himself nor the folks around him. 

On a personal level, it harms a person's mental well-being, as non-stop clinging to the mentioned ideals might actually not be in the man's nature.

For instance, he might be rather an emotional person, but according to these beliefs, showing emotions is a no-go, so he’s forced to hold back this part of himself. Suppressed emotions lead to increased stress, and mental struggles and can even negatively impact physical health.

Then, on a societal level, the spread of such toxic ideas leads to aggression, discrimination against women, homophobia, transphobia, and other similar nasty things. 

Sadly, while stopping this whole toxic “movement” in one go is impossible, all we can do is try to educate ourselves and as many other people as possible so they won’t fall down this rabbit hole. 

Examining and challenging unconscious biases, taking a stand against harmful speech and behavior (making sure it’s safe for you to do so), avoiding gender stereotyping (especially in front of very impressionable children), and so on – there are plenty of ways to fight it. Maybe one day, step by step (no matter how small), it will get better. Or we’re just too naive.