Just what it says on the tin, what odd little quirks make you feel like more of a man? Not even a masculine man, just the gender in general. For me it's wearing a cotton undershirt. I don't know what it is, and it doesn't matter what else I have on, but I feel like much more of a man with one.
My binder definitely does. Clunky boots, having a gay guy check me out, shaving my face, putting on a tie, wearing boxers.... oddly enough, wearing eyeliner. XD I just apply it in what I consider a male way, and my old boyfriend introduced me to it.
Boxers, nice clean, fluffy boxers, with batman on them.... okay, maybe that is helping me feel like a guy and make up for lost childhood, but it's kinda my comfort thing. Uniform type clothes do it for me too, I love it when military-chic is the in style, I think it's the cut of those type of outfits that make me feel like I'm have a manlier shape, I don't know.
Shaving, even though I don't have that much to shave right now. Admiring my flat chest when I'm wearing a binder. Having a men's haircut.
I feel more like a man when I'm doing things that are often considered "feminine." Fixing my hair, dressing nicely, prancing around the streets, singing to Lady Gaga.
I feel the most manly when I'm schooling my friends on video games (not beating them, just trapping them in a chat about the plotline and mechanics of such-and-such game). I'm a force to be reckoned with when it comes to knowing the intricate parts of a plotline in a game I love.
I feel the most manly when I'm solving logic problems, fixing a situation, or doing manual labor (my job). Stereotypical, I know, but they're also things I genuinely enjoy doing.
I also feel manly when my girlfriend lays her head on my shoulder.
Suiting up!
sitting outside a pub with a pint and a ciggy
being referred to as "mate" by random strangers
Quote from: Kitian on January 07, 2011, 09:29:15 PM
For me it's wearing a cotton undershirt. I don't know what it is, and it doesn't matter what else I have on, but I feel like much more of a man with one.
This. Walking around with jeans and a white cotton undershirt... I feel like a "bad guy just got out of jail" kind. I don't know why, but it makes me confident.... unless there are other people around, because the binder can be seen under the undershirt. So I only wear it when I'm on my own...
Plus, doing ART is one of the things that makes me feel the most manlier man in the world. If I'm up on a tall ladder, with a chainsaw or a hammer+chisel, getting chunks off a huge tree branch, I feel so nice that I just don't get tired. I've passed like 8+ hours without resting just sculpting wood because it felt just right.
But, the most amazing manly thing is... when a girl rings your doorbell, you open the door, is your girl neighbour "Hey, can you open this jam jar for me? It's too tight!" And you open it almost without touching it and handle to her with a smile in the face "done :) "
Man, that is one of the most awesome feelings one can experience.
Interesting post since I had an experience that really rammed that point home this week.....
I went over to help a female friend put together her treadmill this week and during the act of doing that task it's hard to explain but I really felt firmly in my masculine role.
There have also been many times and situations in my life when I feel just like my father when it comes to handling certain situations. It's uncanny but it's almost as if he is talking through me....
I definitely have to say that walking out of the barber shop with freshly cut hair does it for me. Also, getting checked out by gay men haha- I've never had it happen unless I've had my sunglasses on though.
What makes me feel more manly is working out a lot and keeping my weight down. Everything works better, feels better, and looks better.
Wear a tie, for sure! It makes me smile!
Working on my bike. Also, as someone else mentioned earlier, when my girlfriend rests her head on my shoulder or chest. Going to the gym. Being surrounded by other men. And finally, the reassuring fact that I dont get "she'd" anymore. :)
For some reason, listening to 3OH!3 makes me feel like a guy, no clue why. Beyond that, binding obviously, just being able to go out walk around in the guy mentality...working out for sure
Definitley working out. Ive been showing off how strong Ive gotten and that makes me feel manly. Also, like someone else said, walking out of the barber shop with a fresh haircut or lineup. Shopping for boxers. Wearing my workboots. Hanging out with my guy friends.
There's a few things I've noticed make me really feel like a guy -- like, I was born a "cis-guy." I've noticed one is buttoning up a shirt over my chest when I'm wearing my binder: first time doing that I actually grinned it felt so awesome, then I ran my hands over my chest, haha.
At my last job whenever I'd walk a female co-worker out to her car because she was worried about a guy (one was basically being stalked, the other a bizarre regular that harassed her was hanging around outside) and giving them tips on the way, waiting until they were in their vehicle with the doors locked before heading back inside myself. My current job and my last job have/had me working primarily with girls/women, so whenever I'm working on fixing something or other or am asked to fix something I felt like one of the guys of the place. Also at my last job when I was had to deal with something because the acting manager/"person in charge" did not have the confidence or courage to do so I felt very much like the guy of the establishment -- especially when the guy I had to confront joked around with me during it (giving me a hard time but not being an ass) and then apologized after the fact.
Whenever I'm working on something mechanical, especially with my pops for some reason. Recently he had a flat he needed help replacing (he'd been in an accident a bit ago and wasn't able to get it himself) and when I said I was sorry, I'd help if I could (I had to work though) he said not to worry, he could ask my brother-in-law, but he knew I liked doing that sort of stuff so thought he'd ask me first (this was after I knew he knew, and he'd never really asked me before, so I kind of took it as his consciously treating me like a son even though we'd always done a lot of father-son type things together). Also when my girl tells me it kind of turns her on when I talk about vehicles and vehicle repairs.
Another recent one: while getting ready for work and trying to get a toy gun out of my nephew's toy fighter jet at the same time. Had to take it apart a bit in order to get it out and I imagined how many fathers probably dealt with the same thing before work, so the feeling sort of took root in me.
Being treated like any other guy by other guys in a conversation, especially when it comes to jokes.
When I'm asked to help move something (i.e. cabinet, large Tv) or I'm asked if I need help with something and I can decline, telling them it's not that heavy.
Recently on a walk when my ma asked if it made me scared or nervous to walk through the park in the dark and I told her no and she was surprised, even double-checked, confessing that it scared her a bit. I almost made a joke, but I behaved. :)
Okay, so that's more than a few...ah well.
Quote from: Mr.Hyde on January 08, 2011, 06:43:29 AM
But, the most amazing manly thing is... when a girl rings your doorbell, you open the door, is your girl neighbour "Hey, can you open this jam jar for me? It's too tight!" And you open it almost without touching it and handle to her with a smile in the face "done :) "
Man, that is one of the most awesome feelings one can experience.
Oh god, I love that one. But for me, it's when there's a bunch of guys together and they take turns trying to open it before handing it to me like "okay, Mr. I-do-martial-arts, show us what you've got," and then -pop- of course most of my guy friends are artsy nerds and hate working out more than anything so shouldn't feel that great about it... but i do ;D
Anything physical really. Hiking, working out, dancing, etc.
When I was a kid and anything needed fixing, maintenance, or assembling my grandfather would teach me how to do it. When I was about six he even got me my own workbench and tool set. He had me doing everything. From gluing my grandmothers nick nacks, working on the cars, chopping down trees, running wires through the house, to cleaning out the gutters. So whenever I'm doing any of these things.
A lot of the things I had to do for my mom. She was unmarried and my grandfather didn't teach her how to do anything. So I always checked the oil in her car, changed the windshield wipers. She was afraid of the dark and whenever there was a sound at night she would wake me to investigate. One time after we had an argument about me being trans the very next day she asked me: where could you buy bags of sand, would I taker her to get a few, carry them for her, escort her to her class room in a bad neighborhood, and set up a sand box. Her now husband asked for my permission to marry her, I even walked her down the aisle.
Wearing a binder and going by my masculine name. I feel more manly when others treat me as a man, even if it is just my friends who (on occasion) let me know how much I don't pass. But I'm slowly getting to where I pass more.
Oh man there's a bunch of things. Going to Cabela's and Home Depot, wearing a tie, wearing boxers and flannel PJ bottoms, drinking beer, watching the game at Buffalo Wild Wings with the guys, sweating, sitting with my legs open, grabbing/itching/adjusting my junk/packer, wearing men's cologne, enjoying a glass of scotch and a cigar, carrying a knife, firing a gun, wearing team apparel, flirting with women and checking them out up and down, shaving, lifting weights, owning two big dogs, having a wallet, itching my chin, having my Playboy subscription, helping my friends move, owning a truck, using power tools, mowing the lawn, lifting heavy items, being asked to open jars, pulling up my dress pants before sitting down, eating meat, grilling and so many more.
Quote from: JosephKT on January 08, 2011, 04:36:29 PM
Oh god, I love that one. But for me, it's when there's a bunch of guys together and they take turns trying to open it before handing it to me like "okay, Mr. I-do-martial-arts, show us what you've got," and then -pop- of course most of my guy friends are artsy nerds and hate working out more than anything so shouldn't feel that great about it... but i do ;D
This is definitely an anti-manliness situation for me. My thumbs are double jointed and as a result are weaker than normal and angle badly. Can't get a grip on caps. Plus I'm an artsy nerd too and would fail at it anyway. Random girls open things I can't. *sigh*
Sadly, I have really sensitive skin and have to have my girlfriend open most sodas for me (my skin will get irritated and stay red for hours).
I make up for it by smoking a pipe and having a swagger.
gotta say scratching my chin, or any other part of my face that will grow hair...or scratching anything. ::)
wearing a binder and packing feels so much better than not wearing those, soothing really.
getting my clipper/shave hair cuts they look like how the one in my pic does.
getting guy clothes
opening jars, boxes, bottles lots of stuff my mom can't because of her arthritis. doesn't really mean I'm a strong dude, it just means her knuckles are so swollen and sore all the time she really can grip next to nothing and no one else is around. it still makes me feel a little masculine lol "who can open pickle jars? I CAN!"
grilling chicken even though it's on a George Foreman inside the kitchen but....it's still grilling and i still get to put a lot of barbecue seasoning on it. yuuuuum lol.
that's about it, which is not much really. I'm the nerd type i suppose.
Wearing a tie and lifting weights, definitely. Pulling my wallet out of my pocket. When girls flirt with me...oh yeah. When out and about, being called "dude" and "man" by other dudes. The hitting-fists thing. When my friends remember to call me "he" when we're in public. Admiring the little bit of hair that came in on the bottom of my forearms when I was on DHEA.
You know... I don't know.
I don't feel any more or less of a man from day to day or situation to situation.
I feel more "myself" when I do things I like for my own sake, or things that are in line with my sense of honor or sense of self.
For me, doing things that aren't typically masculine is what makes me feel masculine, mostly because of the reactions. For example, when I play a ballad on a piano for someone and they tell me after that they hadn't expected that I was into that sort of thing, that makes me feel more masculine, because it tells me I'm getting read as masculine enough that I can do whatever I want and not have it impact how others perceive my gender. Also ditto to what Miniar said...something along those lines as well.
Gonna have to agree with the last two posts.
Quote from: Miniar on January 09, 2011, 07:53:20 AM
You know... I don't know.
I don't feel any more or less of a man from day to day or situation to situation.
I feel more "myself" when I do things I like for my own sake, or things that are in line with my sense of honor or sense of self.
This is how I feel too. I've been pretty self-sufficient since childhood and my parents did really well to reinforce/praise me for that, but when other people don't quite get it, it makes me feel quite weak. I do as much as I can on my own and readily help people out in whatever way I can. I'm a bit of a laze-about but I don't mind at all doing physical stuff so, lol.
Edit- When I first started binding my breasts down, wear more male clothes, wearing a packer and using hygeinic products associated with 'male' I felt pretty good but now it's just routine to me and I don't get that feeling anymore but it doesn't bother me.
Just gonna echo everybody that said "working out." ;D I'm a bit of a scrawny weed at the moment, but I feel myself getting stronger and stronger as time goes on and it feels amazing. Too bad I'm too scared to join a gym!
It's also kinda dumb, but about a month ago I bought myself a desk, hauled it up to my bedroom and put it together myself. It just felt really good, especially accompanied by the radio deciding to play Lady Gaga over my crowning moment of manliness :laugh:
Gotta say in addition to my last quote....today with four days growth on my face definitely makes me feel more like a man....gotta get a pic taken later!
The biggest thing for me is wearing clothes that fit. I've never really done that before. When I went through puberty I wore huge men's clothes to hide my body, and it's a habit I haven't kicked until very recently. After I got my hair cut, I could finally look at myself in the mirror and I realized I needed to dress a lot better. Since then, I've been getting more pants and shirts that fit, and I feel amazing.
Quote from: phoenixflorida on January 09, 2011, 05:08:33 PM
The biggest thing for me is wearing clothes that fit. I've never really done that before. When I went through puberty I wore huge men's clothes to hide my body, and it's a habit I haven't kicked until very recently. After I got my hair cut, I could finally look at myself in the mirror and I realized I needed to dress a lot better. Since then, I've been getting more pants and shirts that fit, and I feel amazing.
I can relate. I always wore baggy clothes from middle school on since I was comfortable with my body and it's curves. *shudder* Now that I'm thin enough that the curves aren't so obvious, I like buying closer fitting men's clothing.
Like others have said, workout out is one of those 'manly activities' for me. I'm still pretty scrawny, but I've got some definition on my arms and my shoulders now, and being covered in sweat feels pretty far from feminine to me. I recently joined a gym, and it can be discouraging when you get to a machine and it's set to like 160 pounds and you can only do about 70, but I still enjoy it.
Yeah..
The first time I wore 100% bloke stuff, packer and binder and all, it was really quite liberating.
Felt awesome, cause it fit "Me".
Holding my wifes hand as we walk down the street, carrying her bags for her,opening doors and hearing her call me handsome
hmm....wearing my leather bracer and boots, having that "i own this place" swagger, hiking and being in the woods, working out, talking about working out and soundind like i know what i'm talking about, packing, wearing a suit and looking snazzy, watching star wars and other geeky shiz, playing video games (especially violent ones like god of war), writing......
i could probably go on XD
This could be just as much (or more of) a rite of passage/acceptance kind of thing, but I've been watching football games lately with my pops unless I've been working on something else or wanted to catch something else on Tv. So watching ball games with him and talking about them in that "guys watching the game" sort of way, while wearing a binder, especially when checking online for the score and following that at the same time (because often we're behind when watching it on Tv) and jesting with people online about the game/teams...it's probably just as much the feeling he's accepting me more as his son as it is a case of it being such a stereotypical guy thing. Plus for years I couldn't watch games on Tv unless I was really invested in them because I couldn't get into them like I could if seeing the sport in person or playing it, so it's also kind of a case of..."arrival" in a way.
I have no idea if that made any sense whatsoever... :icon_weirdface:
Strutting around like I'm an MMA Fighter
Playing UFC Personal Trailer
Imagining that I'm a Russian Soldier and walking like one (don't ask)
Shadow boxing
Quote from: Malachite on March 19, 2012, 03:25:06 AM
Imagining that I'm a Russian Soldier and walking like one (don't ask)
You really shouldn't have said that, now I have to ask... ;D
Quote from: Sephirah on March 19, 2012, 03:30:45 AM
You really shouldn't have said that, now I have to ask... ;D
LOL well I just like that hardcore cold aura that is potrayed in the media and video games. That's not to say American soldiers or other soldiers aren't hardcore but it's just something about a Russian soldier that I like. I'm trying to explain it in a way that doesn't make me look anti-patriotic or that is offensive to others. o.o
Quote from: Malachite on March 19, 2012, 03:37:02 AM
LOL well I just like that hardcore cold aura that is potrayed in the media and video games. That's not to say American soldiers or other soldiers aren't hardcore but it's just something about a Russian soldier that I like. I'm trying to explain it in a way that doesn't make me look anti-patriotic or that is offensive to others. o.o
I think I understand what you're getting at. An indomitable will. Unfazed by adverse conditions. Did you ever see the film Enemy At The Gates?
Quote from: Sephirah on March 19, 2012, 03:45:31 AM
I think I understand what you're getting at. An indomitable will. Unfazed by adverse conditions. Did you ever see the film Enemy At The Gates?
I haven't heard of it until now but I just watched the trailer on it.
Might sound kind of odd but dressing up a bit and messing around with makeup. All my life I've idolized androgynous, makeup-wearing guys and on those rare days where I think I look good like that, its like a dream come true. Stomping around town in my big old boots and trench coat are nice, too. And having my hair half-shaved, I passed with it like this even before I was trying, which still makes me quite happy to think about. And (maybe) oddly, having sex with my boyfriend. Even though I'm extremely submissive with him, maybe its a trust thing or the way he treats me, but I've never felt even remotely feminine around him and I absolutely love that... and the one time he introduced me to a co-worker as his boyfriend. That was a huge deal for me because they've all always known him to be straight (if really weird and flamboyant), and the way he just didn't give a damn what they thought about it just...agh. He treats me like a friggin king sometimes.
I feel most like a guy when im extremly femenine or playing soccer with the other guys..
but I feel most like a man, when i'm wearing a suit or adressed like "mr" or "sir" (both are extremly rare, suit are only when your suposed to be pretty and mr and sir is almost never used in my languarge, but it did happent a few time in forregian countrys =))