Gaby Hinsliff, an author for The Guardian, in one of her pieces, says that people should stop rolling their eyes when they hear the phrase “modern male struggle.”
Let’s look at a Reddit thread where men were asked what they wanted to stop being judged for to get a better idea of what it means.
Keep scrolling to see some of their most popular answers about everything from how they look to how they act in public.
1.
Being short. Literally, no one can change how tall they are. People should be judged on what they *can* control.
2.
Instead of beer, drinking cocktails. Or “girly drinks”. Damn it, it’s my money, and I’m going to drink whatever that suits me.
3.
Having fun with kids. That just doesn’t make all men pedophiles.
4.
Trying to get help with your mental health. I grew up in a place where this wasn’t okay, but as an adult, I really needed help working through things because I didn’t have the tools or knowledge to do it on my own.
5.
complimenting another man.
6.
Having hobbies that people think are girly.
Like cooking, gardening, making clothes, and other things like that.
Elaborating, I love gardening myself, and having a growing garden has helped me a lot with the anger issues I used to have. When people come over, they always think it’s my wife’s work, which is why I brought it up.
7.
Taking the full amount of paternity leave that their employer lets them.
8.
Having feelings or not having feelings. How we feel should be up to us.
9.
Not wanting to have sex. So many women (and men) take it personally. We too, get too tired sometimes.
10.
Taking long showers. I wish I could take a long shower without everyone in the house thinking I’m going to the bathroom.
I just want to soak in hot water because it feels good.
11.
Stoicism. I get that this is the modern age and that people want to talk about how they feel and feel free to cry. But it’s a two-edged sword. If a man wants to keep his feelings to himself and in check, that doesn’t mean he’s backward or cold.
12.
Not peeing standing up. It’s much more comfortable to sit.
13.
Being shy.
14.
For not having a house, a car, or a stable source of income. I’m trying my best, okay?
15.
Taking care of your body, like getting a massage or going to a spa. Why should only women get that kind of stuff? The best thing is getting a massage, especially if you do a lot of heavy lifting, sports, or other “manly” things.
16.
Expressing ourselves.
My wife is pregnant and works full-time. Since she’s been pregnant, I’ve done all the cooking, cleaning, errands, grocery shopping, rubbing her feet, and taking care of her (when she gets home from work, I put on her favorite show and tell her to relax for the rest of the day; I won’t let her do any work), etc. This is on top of the job I already have, where I pay all the bills, take care of the yard and vehicles, etc. I work from the moment I wake up until we go to sleep.
I really care about my wife and want this time to be as easy as possible for her because I know she’s going through a hard time. She knows that I’ve been busting my a*s lately, but people on the outside might think that men don’t do anything during this time. When I talk to other people, they usually criticize me or the men in the relationship by implying that I need to step it up more or that I’m not doing enough. If I dare to say that I’m overwhelmed, I’m seen as weak and not good enough to be her husband.
I get it, though. There are some really bad guys out there, and they’re taking out their anger on me, but it’s discouraging for those of us who are actually trying. Because of this kind of behavior, many men just don’t say anything. We’d rather not say anything for 15 minutes than deal with hours of drama.
17.
Parenting kids, working at elementary schools and being a babysitter. When a man does these things, people just assume that he is a pedophile and shouldn’t be trusted. But no one ever suspects a woman? It doesn’t make sense. Do a background check on people if you want to keep your kids safe from bad people.
18.
Existing.
Even though I’m out at night, I’m not a rapist. I’m not a bad person just because a child works for me. I’m not dangerous because you’re defenseless. You can’t tell why I’m there, so I’m not a creep. I’m not an incel because I care about men and you don’t.
19.
Buying a sports car, new clothes, or whatever. When I was younger, I didn’t have enough money to buy the cars I wanted. It’s not a phase or a crisis in the middle of life. Stop calling men immature just because they like things they couldn’t enjoy when they were younger. Hobbies and interests don’t show how mature a person is.
20.
Taking the sudden wide step to free our balls from sticking to our thigh.
21.
Not being able to trust women. We’re supposed to accept that women have trouble trusting men, but even when men have good reasons. Men aren’t taken as seriously as women.
22.
Getting along well with their parents. A man is not a “mamas boy” just because he is close to his parents or mother.
23.
Bringing up something about their partner that bothers them, no matter how big or small.
Honestly, it’s not worth it because you’ll have to deal with your partner’s feelings for the next two hours after they hear it. So that crap gets put in a bottle.
24.
Having a tea party with their daughter.
25.
Being lonely and depressed.
