25 men debunk male stereotypes that don't apply to them, offering an enlightening perspective

These days, people are breaking free from traditional roles tied to race, gender, or appearance. Men can enjoy crocheting as much as barbecuing, and women can find joy in both boxing and baking. Yet, some in society still feel it's their duty to dictate how others should live, often looking down on those who challenge conventions. A prime example is the expectation that men should always be the family's primary breadwinner.

Men are often seen as the providers, protectors, and leaders in society, with certain roles assigned to them based on cultural norms and gender expectations. u/Toadie9622 brought attention to these stereotypes by asking r/AskReddit: "Contrary to popular belief about guys, the single men I know keep their homes exceptionally clean. What male stereotypes don’t apply to you?" Here are 25 responses from men debunking common myths about masculinity—some of their answers might just surprise you. 

1. Spending money to prove manhood

"You have to spend a lot of money to prove you are a real man, such as big trucks and camo." -u/phlebonaut. "I drive a Corolla. I haven't had anyone make fun of me for it but I know if I had a macho kind of social circle (which I don't) then that would most likely happen. I don't see the point in buying a massive car (or a prestige car or sports car) unless you're a real enthusiast or you have a practical reason for doing so. Otherwise it's a waste of money." -u/deleted

2. It's not limited to gender

"I have a skincare routine." -u/anonymous. "I recommend using Cerave and Roche Posay for face products. And look for the ingredients, too much alcohol and parfume is too bad. And moisturize even if you have oily face. (Dont use a strong one in that case). I learned most of the things about skin care from my girlfriend." -u/Moshkut

3. Keeping it clean

"I keep my apartment clean. Also, I like The Sims." -u/DuncanIdaho88. "I love The Sims. Only have 3 and 4 but I have at least 2GB of custom content for both and can easily spend four or more hours building homes/apartments." -u/WeaponizedInsects

4. Men love peace too

"I find a lot of 'banter' just irritating, and gets in the way of what could be a good time." -u/deleted. "An old job I had last summer was spending a lot of time on sites and renovation projects with laborers and it just boiled down to who could call the other out in the most slamming ways, part of the culture of course but you can tell everyone is on defense mode ready to throw back the slur card whenever it's thrown at them. It's boring as hell, if you're gonna banter with me give me something good at least, not some bottom-of-the-barrel tier stuff." -u/deleted

5. Music is for everyone

"When I was young i used to be the biggest Selena Gomez fan. My brother made fun of me for listening to her on my CD player once, so I stopped listening to her all together out of shame for a long time. Now I just listen to whatever the hell I want. Life is short." -u/yannicdasloth

6. Do what makes you feel comfortable

"I played with my sister’s dolls as a kid and I will hug anyone in sight (pre/hopefully soon post covid). Stealing from someone else I also sit and pee. I remember my 3rd-grade teacher getting on to me for that (she was not a good teacher)" -u/anonymous

7. Cooking own meals

"Once I learned to cook I don't find most fast food very appealing anymore. That being said, there are dozens of places I enjoy getting takeout from, whether because it takes too much effort to make, don't have time to cook that night or it's just that good." -u/karm-a-holic

8. Men maintain hygiene too

"I love doing the washing up and having a tidy kitchen!!!" -u/torchy89. "I don't love it but I'm never going ugh I've got to do the dishes, it's just something that needs doing so I do it when I see it needs to be done. It's not hard or even particularly time-consuming. My girlfriend hates dishes and doesn't even dry them or put them away so she loves it when I'm home for dinner on the weekends because she knows I'm happy to do them. If I had my way though I'd quickly do them after every meal (if that meal used more than four things) rather than doing the whole day's at once." -u/Tonza443

9. A simple outlook

"I don’t care about my name living on or having a legacy. I came, I survived until I died and that’s all there was to it. I also don’t find sex worth the effort people go through for it, and I can't understand the need to pay for it." -u/anonymous

10. Nature lovers are the best

"I absolutely love flowers and plants. Small, big, geen, red, pink, whatever. I love them. I hate alcohol and I've started to dislike soft drinks too. I mostly drink water."   -u/EdyMarin

11. Men can do housework too

"I'm very nurturing and am happy and was perfectly willing to take on the primary caregiver role of our child, even with full-time employment. I also do housework. No issue with it. I am also much more gentle and soft-spoken than my wife, who is basically a (hot) bull in a China shop. Between the two, I am the peacemaker." -u/Eltharion-the-Grim

12. As we should!

"I'll admit when I'm wrong." -u/OldSpiceMelange. "A very useful skill. I'm serious, it's actually useful to be able to resolve problems and conflicts efficiently. The worst workplace experiences I've ever had involved people who just could not apologize or admit fault. The longer you spend braying on those, the longer it takes to get anything fixed, the longer it takes to get back to being productive." -u/762Rifelman

13. Women surely love men who can cook and bake

"I cannot stand beer. I think it is the most repulsive substance you could possibly drink. But mostly I just drink tea. I also bake nearly every day. I make cookies, cakes, brownies, muffins, etc. all from scratch. For Christmas, all my neighbors receive a plate of various cookies, cupcakes, brownies, fudge, and freshly baked bread, all made from scratch." -u/yeahyeahiknow2

14. No jack of all trades

"I can fix nothing. I am not into sports. I cook. I like kids. I am not a car guy. I work as a nurse's aide. The last one put me in high demand at the hospital." -u/Trygolds

15. Taking care of plants

"I love gardening. Every year I can't wait to fill my damn yard with sunflowers. If you don't like sunflowers I will fight you. Also, BBQ'ing, I have no idea what the hell a BBQ does or how it works and everything I cook turns to hell. I don't mess with the BBQ." -u/BlanketFortSiege

16. Well-groomed men

"I have a great fashion sense and love grooming myself, I am not gay." -u/bagman_. "Dude wear whatever you like. I have lived in many different countries and everybody kinda dresses in the same way inside their niche. For example, in Spain the rockers dress all the same in a certain way but kinda different than in America." -u/Exces95

17. And it's not mandatory

"I don't care about cars." -u/Kinetiks. "This one is kind of interesting because being a big car guy I actually really struggle to meet guys (and girls) who are into cars outside of known circles and as a rough estimate, I would say only 1 in 5 people I meet actually care or want to talk cars when it comes up." -BadgerOfParadise

18. Stuffed toys are our cuddle buddies

"I sleep with a stuffed animal. He’s a large broccoli and his name is Brock. We’re very happy together."  -u/deeayytch. "My friends gave me a stuffed broccoli for my birthday once because apparently my hair makes me look like one. I wanted to name it Brock Lee but I visited my family and my little sister insisted I name him Mr. Brocco Head so that's his name now." -u/FrostedWaffle

19. It's okay to express your emotions

"I tear up stupidly easily during emotional movie scenes." -u/kingcal."I am like that too, I just can't help it. It doesn't even need to be a big thing, just humans being nice. I put it on the fact that I don't really have a way to release my stress because every time I cry at a movie, I feel this huge relief, like removing a big rock off my chest. You wanna watch 'Hachiko' together?" -u/deleted

20. Progressive men

"Not interested in sports overly. Don't have a compulsive need to drink or bet. Not bothered if a woman earns more than me, her place isn't in the kitchen, it's where ever she wants that makes her happy. Don't bang everything with a pulse. Don't feel a need to prove myself or out-do others." -u/Mardanis

21. Not everyone marries just for the sake of it

"I love my marriage." -u/Ewokhunters. "I hate being in conversations with people who are just talking about how much their marriage sucks. I've been married for 12 years now and absolutely love it. My wife is my best friend and I just can't wrap my head around that view of having given up my freedom to get married. I love being married!" -u/justpophamin

22. The ideal househusband

"I’m not the breadwinner. I do all of the housework. I stay home with the baby. My wife and I have been married for five years. Three years ago I was miserable in a 9-6 office job and she just finished school with her Nurse Practitioner license. I got an opportunity to get in on the ground floor of a tech startup for equity involved (although minimal pay up front). We decided that I would pursue this opportunity and when we had kids I would be staying home with them while she works since I’d be working from home. It’s been three years since then. I co-founded a second company in March and our first child was born in May. We have family help, and I’m able to make my own schedule. I try to make life as easy for my wife as I can because I know her job is very stressful and she only gets to see our daughter 2-3 hours max per day. To us it was a no-brainer. For me to go back to an office job just for my salary to go to childcare seems foolish. So yeah, I do the dishes, cook, clean, grocery shop, etc. because it’s the best thing for my family at this time.10 years from now we could be living a very different life, and we’ll make the same decisions to better the lives of our children." -u/brenndog. 

23. Money management at its best

"Although I still live with my dad at the age of 26, I don't consider myself a failure and I'm not a slob. I have finished my university degree and have a full-time job in my field, it's just that renting is simply too expensive. I do every chore that an average 'independent' person does - I cook, clean the apartment, do the laundry, pay the bills etc. Basically dad is my roomie." -u/kidmaciek

24. Such a great creative hobby

"I like sewing. I’m working on my first quilt right now."-u/atlas794 "If you ever want to impress a woman just make her a scarf if you get to that level or like a shirt or even something really simple." -u/isaw2dogstoday

25. Laundry won't fold itself

"I find folding laundry relaxing. I always take the basket to the bedroom. Throw on an off-roading video and just fold. It's such a simple task. No thinking about what's for dinner or how the kids did in school. Just simple laundry."-u/publicbigguns. "Funny, my wife took over doing the laundry and she hates folding. I fold clothes while watching sports. She doesn’t mind me watching sports but over time I found it a waste of time (rather do other things). This allows me to be useful while watching sports guilt-free." -u/Haooo0123