If I were a girl…

I am female, so I called upon the help of my dad, little brother, my boyfriend, fellow bloggers, and my guy friends to help me. This list is just the opinions of these men and I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments. I asked them what would be different if they were born a girl, and these were their answers…

• I could show emotion. Everyone I spoke to felt they had to be unemotional so they didn’t seem “weak”. But then they had to be emotional towards their partners so it’s very confusing.
• I could wear a wide range of clothes. Men sometimes feel that compared to women, their clothes choices are very limited. Plus a lot of shops either don’t sell male clothes at all, or they have a tiny section compared to the women’s clothes.
• Talking to children wouldn’t be seen as creepy. This point was made by one of my best friends, and when I asked everyone else they agreed. Men feel as though they are judged when around children, and that they feel as though they can’t play around children without being a “pervert”.
• I wouldn’t feel pressured to have a 6-pack. Some people are not built to have a six pack, does this make them any less beautiful? No. But men still feel like they have to be super muscly to be considered attractive.
• I wouldn’t worry about being threatening. A lot of men are seen as threatening, especially those that may be taller or larger. This can make situations awkward and can make men feel guilty for just existing! Which shouldn’t happen!
• I wouldn’t be limited to playing “aggressive” sports. My little brother is 15 and is training for his black belt in Karate. But he told me that men feel like they have to play stereotypical male sports, and they would get bullied if they participated in “female” sports such as gymnastics and ballet. Although my brother loves karate, he said he shouldn’t feel like some sports are off limits just because he’s male.
• I wouldn’t have to pay for everything. Again, this was a major concern for my little brother. He said he felt like he had to support his family when he grew up, and that when he gets a girlfriend he has to support her too. Men shouldn’t feel like they have to pay for everything. In my relationship with my boyfriend we split everything down the middle, or one of us will pay for a meal and the other will pay for the movie tickets. It shouldn’t be a mandatory thing for the man to pay for everything.
• I wouldn’t have to be aggressive. A lot of men feel as though they have to be constantly aggressive to be considered “manly”. If there’s a fight, the man can’t back down otherwise he’s seen as weak. There’s a lot of pressure on men to protect women and to be dominant over other men.
• I could get good grades without being a “nerd”. My brother said that if you get good grades at school, your friends tease you and call you a geek and a nerd. I think it’s sad that guys can’t be seen as intelligent without being bullied about it.
• I wouldn’t be judged by my weight. I never thought that men were picked on for their weight, but my brother said this is a massive thing at school. Even within friend groups they get teased for being larger, and this can be really upsetting. Men should love their bodies, and should aim to be healthy not thin and muscly.
• I could get support. A lot of men feel as though they aren’t supported by their friends, and that they can’t talk about serious things with their friends because it’s seen as being too emotional and weak. Men feel as though they need to be independent all the time, and this can lead to a lot of serious mental health issues.
• “Gay” wouldn’t be used as an insult. A lot of men are called gay when they show emotion, and this can be so offensive to people who are gay.

These are all the points I was given, but I’d like to add one of my own. While looking for a picture for this post I typed in everything. “Male empowerment” “Male Sexism” “Sexism against men” and the only thing that came up were people mocking men. I don’t think women are any better than men, but I don;t think men are any better than women. I wish that women had equal rights to men, but I also wish that men didn’t feel ashamed to be a man. I want my brother to be proud to be a man, and I think he can do that while showing respect to women. I just wish we had true equality.

Thank you so much for reading, and I’d love to hear your thoughts on this topic 🙂