Spawning from another thread . . . Do you think women should act a certain way? What about men?
As in:
The way they behave, talk, dress, conduct their selves in a stressful situation . . . and so on.
It kind of depends on what you mean, I suppose.
Pre-WW2 and some time afterward, there were established societal norms of what constituted "manly" behavior and "feminine" behavior. Some of these expectations were based on inherent differences between male and female biology and psychology; this is, imo, ok. Others were based on stereotypes established by society and instituted as custom; these limited both men and women in ways that were artificial and unnecessary, and I am glad those customs have largely vanished.
I am a man who loves children and enjoys nurturing them. I have always been like that, from the age of 9 when my first niece was born. I like babies, crying and diapers don't phase me a bit, and I enjoy caring for small children.
There was a time when this would have labeled me as "not manly", and furthermore I might have suffered some degree of social ostracism for it if it became generally known. Though there are still some shreds of that mindset still around, I'm thankful that most people don't think that way anymore. People might make comments, and then I'd have to kick wholesale ass to prove 'em full of bull. :mrgreen:
Nothing wrong with a woman being feminine, especially in appropriate venues. However, I've never been much attracted to the "delicate flower" who is too refined to sit by a campfire; I like women who like to
do things, even if there is a risk of chipping their nail polish. :lamo
On the whole, I believe in respecting and understanding the
real differences between the genders, but not imposing artificial restraints on intrests, hobbies, feelings or etc. Generally speaking I'm glad to live in an era when most men and women are relatively free to be who they really are, rather than what society expects them to be.
Edited to add: OTOH, I have known women whose behavior and manner I could only define as "man-ish", and I did not find that attractive at all. Explaining the difference between a woman who is active and "does things" and has confidence and courage, but "acts like a woman", and a women who act "mannish" is something I'm not sure I can define... but I knows it when I sees it.