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 

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.