Guyliner, pouty & sensitive men, manbags, and ubersexual sissies

this is such a goofy thing to me, but it is becoming prevalent. even worse, i have noticed its entrance into the church. there is nothing i enjoy more than poking fun at my friends who have adopted man purses, Euro glasses and skinny jeans.

What i hate a lot more than this trend, is the real sissies who refuse to confront sin and lack of spiritual growth among the men in their churches. That weakness has far worse consequences and it seems to be running rampant in churches as well.

I’d say http://www.us.dockers.com/season/landing.aspx] this answers to that. :)

[Diane Heeney] I’d say http://www.us.dockers.com/season/landing.aspx] this answers to that. :)

Great. After reading that I have an insatiable desire to eat vast quantities of undercooked red meat and spend the rest of the night shooting guns and wrestling large carnivores that want to eat me for dinner.

Thanks a lot.

I carry a map bag (smaller than a messenger bag) just about everywhere. I always have a couple of books with me in case of delay, not to mention papers for work, flash drives, etc. A briefcase is too formal for my setting and a backpack too informal. Maybe DC is just more masculine than Pittsburgh, but neither I nor most of the other guys I see with a bag goes in for makeup, etc.

FWIW, I think the bag is just an urban thing. I see them everywhere here in DC or when I travel to NYC, Philadelphia, Chicago, and Minneapolis. Not so much when I visit family in more rural parts of the midwest. Think of it as a wearable car trunk!

Yeah, if only we could go back to ye olden days of manlyness:

http://www.jamescameron.com.au/postpost/images/Louis%20XIV.jpg

http://cydwicker.com/images/imaginative/renaissance_man.jpg

http://dallasvintageshop.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/07/monk_with_cowbe…

There is a difference between a “man bag” and a “messenger bag.” I think I’ve seen the latter far more often in cities and I’ve worn them myself on a few occasions. The true “man bag” does not have a long strap and consequently hangs around chest-level. If it hangs around lower back or side of the waist it’s a plain old messenger bag and is far more acceptable.

I still prefer a straight-up backpack though. Maybe I’m just old-fashioned…

The article states:
The truth is men have always become whatever it is women want.

This states the problem right there. Men do not think properly.

Another funny line in the article is:
If your car breaks down in the middle of nowhere, will there be any regular fellows around who know how to fix things and don’t mind getting their hands dirty?

This already exists regardless of whether the man is ‘manly’ or ‘sissified’. I know too many men who are not able to change a tire, swing a hammer or handle a wrench.

The problem is that this series of comments shows the prejudices which exist in humans as a whole, that they do not like anyone who does something differently from them. Sort of like the pictures supplied by Charlie with the long (or longer) hair. Do we make these judgments by what society dictates at the moment (or the herd one is currently moving with)?

This discussion may also be the reason I have recently heard the term ‘manly’ in church more often. One of the more memorable statements was how ‘Jesus said (insert Bible quote here) in a manly manner’. Seemed nonsensical to me at that moment, and rather absurd. But this discussion now brings the issue to light as to why this usage of the term ‘manly’ is now becoming more prevalent in church.

Sort of absurd, and just displays personal prejudices and the herd mentality which exists rather than thinking independently and looking at a person’s actions to determine what their heart is. People make a judgment which must be overcome by the ‘judged’ person if it is wrong. My personal opinion is that this ‘herd’ thinking (and looking to please as society dictates) is the reason we have so many women with ‘blonde’ hair now. This is probably a prejudice of mine, but I try not to judge them for this decision but for the person they are.

Jim

It does seem that more women want their men to be girlfriends. Ick.

There is [URL=http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090326100714.htm some solid research[/URL] about how plastic bottles may be leaching estrogenic chemicals into the liquids they contain- who doesn’t walk around with some liquid in a plastic bottle any more? Estrogen-like endocrine disrupters are also found in high concentrations in many sunscreens and shampoos. These chemicals result in early puberty in girls, but delayed puberty in boys, an increase in feminine characteristics, and decreased sperm count. So there is possibly a physiological component here, not just societal.

I imagine that the combination of cultural and physical factors is not entirely a coincidence, and every time I read about this stuff I think about Isaiah 4:1. Creepy.

The truth is men have always become whatever it is women want.

This states the problem right there. Men do not think properly.

Ya know, years ago my Dad once commented on a young man’s appearance (I don’t remember anymore what it was that was unusual about him) saying, “Any guy that runs around looking like that is doing it because some girl is telling him he looks great.” I do wonder how much that plays into it.

@ Susan: And then there’s the hormones etc. in dairy and meat products to add to the mix…although I don’t know that having one’s chemicals out of balance would necessarily cause him to want to carry an evening bag or wear makeup. I’m not hung up on the satchel thing from a utilitarian standpoint. Pockets can only hold so much. If you start adding rhinestones and pink maribou…well. Men years ago used to carry something called a “war bag”…maybe if we use that name it would seem more manly. :)

I wonder how much of this over the top stuff is the influence of affluence. I look at Bro Charlie’s first posted image and (after suppressing a strong desire to exclaim, “Sink me!”) can’t help but think that Hollywood (the new aristocracy), with its inclination toward excess and self-indulgence (very soft lives), not to mention the general absence of morality and blurring and abuse of sex, has a decided influence upon what is fashionable/acceptable. Kind of a duh.

On the other hand is there anything so grotesque as a macho male, all brawn, crude and brainless?!!!

At least Hollywood is still putting out über manly archetypes, cf. G.I. Joe, all four Die Hards, and I guess really any action film that’s been put out recently.

The thing about Hollywood is that they’ve found a way to have their cake and eat it, too. On the one hand we have sparkly emo metro vampires earning a truckload of cash this year, but look at the top grossing films of 2008:

1. The Dark Knight (exception given to the male villain who was head-to-toe face paint and eyeliner, but go ahead and just try to accuse the Joker of being effeminate)
2. Iron Man
3. Indiana Jones

Last year’s sparkly emo metro vampire flick landed at number 7. So they still must realize that there are folks who like it when the men are men, women are women, and small furry creatures from Alpha Centauri are small furry creatures from Alpha Centauri. (Couldn’t resist. Sorry.)

After finding great consolation in the above post ( ;) ), I was heartened to find this image:

http://images.eonline.com/eol_images/Articles/20071130/293.indiana.jone…