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This Is What Men Would Do If They Weren't Scared Of Being Seen As 'Feminine'

"If I didn't have a penis I would only wear yoga pants."

Although we've come a long way to breaking down gender norm barriers, some people still think men shouldn't act "feminine."

But what if there was no such thing as gender roles and men could act as "womanly" as they wanted to? (And just a side note: Being "feminine" or "masculine" can mean whatever you want it to. There are many ways to act "manly" and "womanly" even though society dictates a set of "rules" of how men and women should behave.)

Well, a recent Reddit thread asked that question, and the answers — hundreds of them, in fact — might surprise you (in a good way!).

The Reddit user posited the question, "Men of Reddit; what thing would you do if it wasn't so 'feminine' or socially 'unacceptable'?" and dozens of guys answered.

Some men said they wish they could wear makeup or leggings and skirts without being judged, while others longed to do crafts such as quilting, while sadly, others wished they could express their emotions freely if they are feeling sad.

Suffice to say, we think men should be able to act as "feminine" as they want without fear of reprisal or judgement. Because really, it would be better for men and women if they did.

Here are some of our favourite replies:

  1. "If I didn't have a penis I would only wear yoga pants."
  2. "Honestly, I think I'd get into quilting. I live in Pennsylvania and there's some damn impressive quilting happening here. And, to top it off, I think it's awesome that you can make something like a quilt and give it to someone, who'll literally wrap themselves in the gift you've made them. Fuck it. I'm making a quilt, you guys."
  3. "One night, my girlfriend decided to use one of those face mask things. So, I decided why the hell can't I make my skin all nice and soft? Now I'm addicted and do them at least twice a week."
  4. "Laser hair removal on my ass. Actually I finally starting going (am in my 4th session) and omg it is amazing. I so should have just swallowed my pride and done this sooner."
  5. "I had a way with young kids and really enjoyed seeing them make connections for the first time almost every single day. I just hated the first few months of the school year where parents were on high alert with me. I understood why, having been a parent, but it was why I moved up to older kids."
  6. "It's a really simple thing, but girls just f**king smell good. When they come out of the bathroom after showering and freshening up, it smells like someone knocked over a jar full of polka dots or something. They're all flowery and fruity and sweet. I wish I could smell like a flowerbed all the time without getting judged."
  7. "Drape myself in velvet."
  8. "Cry... it's hard to keep things bottled up all the time."
  9. "Skirts. We need the ball room."
  10. "In high school I wouldn't sit in a chair with one leg crossed over the other because I would get comments. 'Doesn't that hurt?' 'That looks gay' etc... Now I sit like that all the time. It's comfortable and I've seen many older men whom I respect sit that way. It makes me feel a touch distinguished for some reason."
  11. "Say that cute things are cute."
  12. "Be the little spoon - sometimes I want to be the cuddlee instead of the cuddler."
  13. "Wear makeup for the dark circles under my eyes."
  14. "Compliment a girls [sic] sense of clothing And or wear it myself. They have so many choices. It's not fair."
  15. "I love gems and jewelry. I'd wear more jewelry if it was socially acceptable. I mean a ruby studded gold bracelet or some shit. Hell, it would be neat to get a piercing and put a gemstone in it."
  16. "Order fruity drinks without being judged."

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