Men share 25 wholesome 'unmanly' things they do without apology

Society often dictates strict roles for men and women, and when someone steps outside these norms, they're often judged harshly. For instance, if a woman works and her husband becomes a stay-at-home dad, their choices are frequently questioned. Despite our modern era, these outdated views persist. Recently, Reddit user u/RockNRollahAyatollah posed a thought-provoking question: "Men, what 'unmanly' things do you do that you're not ashamed of?" The responses were incredibly heartwarming.

The original poster started the conversation by sharing his own story, revealing that he collects stuffed animals—a hobby often perceived as unusual for men. He wrote, "If you disapprove then s***w you. Fred, Tony, Sampson, Lasagna, Chompie, Bert, Penguino, Bovina, Shelldon, Hamlet, Squiddy, R.J., Scorch, Kodi, and Roary wouldn't enjoy your company anyway." The post garnered around 1.2k upvotes. The responses were varied and relatable, with men sharing how they enjoy bubble baths, do household chores, cry during romantic movies, and let their kids paint their toenails. The replies were truly touching. Here are the top 25 responses that stand out.

1. Sewing

" I think it is helpful for spatial reasoning, attention to detail, and creativity. It is basically construction out of a very thin, flexible material that requires the builder to create the object inside out." - u/dangdatkat. "Fellow male sewer here. If my clothes are messed up, I'm not about to wait on someone else to do it and then not be happy with the way they did it. Lemme do it." - u/danpat.

2. Working at a library

"Work at a library. 95% of my co-workers are women. I am going to film on Tuesday our local channel's televised book club which will essentially be me (a 25-year-old dude) discussing the said book with a dozen probably older women. I'm fine with that. I find library patrons are often appreciative of a male influence especially when it comes to teen programming and storytimes for kids." - u/hipsterlibrarian.

3. Household chores

"I do our cooking, cleaning, and grocery shopping. I am also way too excited when my girlfriend comes home from work to a spotless house and dinner on the table." - u/[deleted]. "I have a list, either mental or otherwise when I shop. So grocery shopping always feels like a quest, one I can easily complete. For this reason I enjoy it. However, on the rare occasion the store is out of whatever product I desire; this cuts me deep." - u/[deleted].

4. Shopping

"I spent almost four hours in one store shopping yesterday and have been slowly working my way towards being more fashionable (albeit in a way that is traditionally masculine; nice boots that are still work boots and nothing you wouldn't see somebody like Steve McQueen or Clint Eastwood wearing)." - u/[deleted].

5. Romantic movies

"I enjoy romantic comedies. If you haven't already, go watch Serendipity right now, and just try telling me you didn't finish that movie with a huge grin on your face." - u/whatisthis8. "Shit yeah! Love them romantic comedies. You are guaranteed to feel good by the end of it. Have you seen 'You Got Mail' or 'Four Weddings and a Funeral?'" - u/koinphilip.

6. Bubble baths

"Bubble-baths. I don't take baths much but if I do you best believe there's gonna be bubbles galore in that bath." - u/catatonic. "I have a hypothesis that the bubbles serve as a foam insulation to keep the water hot for longer. So you're being environmentally-conscious, too!" - u/[deleted]. "Nothing better than a bubble bath with wine and a good book." - u/farceur318.

7. Emotional

"I cry. When it’s warranted and I’m not ashamed of it. My dog is getting on in years and he only has a few months left. When he dies I’m going to cry like a little girl." - u/accidental_a***ole. "Crying is a healthy thing to do. I haven't had a good cry in a while. But it's something that more men should do more often." - u/cdtco. "I cry all the goddamn time when I'm watching movies but nothing in my life has made me cry in years except pet deaths." - u/massgyo.

8. No sports

"I couldn't give a crap about any kinds of sports." - u/thethinboy. "I can enjoy watching a good baseball game but that's where it stops for me. I enjoy watching the Phillies just because I lived in Philly as a kid and watched many of their games. I couldn't really care less what their stats are at the end of the season though. People at school or work always refer to their favorite team as 'we' as if they are a member or something. I'm hate listening to heated arguments about why a certain player is better than another." - u/syncopatedstranger. 

9. Cried watching a movie scene

"Cried when mufasa dies in the Lion King." - u/majoro. "That may as well be a humanity test. Anything that doesn't cry is clearly not human." - u/lennort. "I prefer animated movies to live ones. Especially Disney princess movies. If I have a choice, I'll take Rapunzel over Inception any day of the week. Other favorites are Lion King, Hercules, Pixar in general, Mulan, Sleeping Beauty, Don Bluth in general, and the Prince of Egypt." - u/I_SELL_MONORAILS.

10. Buying flowers

"Buy myself flowers. It cheers up the room." - u/deleted. "That's awesome! I've always thought of fresh flowers as a default polite gift for women. This has changed my perspective." - u/[deleted]. "I always buy flowers to sit in a vase next to my monitor at home. It makes me feel rich!" - u/serendiptiouscat.

11. Sleeps with a stuffed toy

"I still sleep with a teddy bear, I got when I was 4, I'm 30 now. I hope to give it to my daughter when she is born/old enough." - u/monkeydimples. "I sleep with a stuffed Penguin. His name is Pengi. Pengi and I watch American Football together, play video games together, watch movies together, and own a small general store." - u/[deleted]. 

12. Loves blankets

"I love fuzzy socks, fuzzy blankets, fuzzy anything." - u/AlreadyMissingMyTime. "I love blankets. My birthday, Christmas, Valentines day; just give me more blankets. Let me make a cave of blankets and hibernate straight through until spring." - u/[deleted]. "Cashmere socks. They make any day better. Wear them to boring meetings, just zone out and focus on your socks." - u/yeomanscholar.

13. Music for life

"I like to belt Disney ballads in my car most any time I'm driving. I also cry when singing some songs. I'm a very music-oriented person." - u/[deleted]. "Dude, nothing is more awesome than being stopped at a red light, windows down, sunroof open blaring 'I Wanna Be Like You' from The Jungle Book, and singing along, loud as you can. I love watching people's reactions. I give no f***s whatsoever." - u/nightmareking. 

14. Carrying partner's bag

"Carrying my girlfriend's shoulder bag in public. Because  I love her." - u/sternhelden. "I do this mainly because she lets me dig through all her shit and play with it. Sometimes I find candy!" - u/tactile_feedback. "If I had a gf I'd do this for her. But in general if any girl I know hands me a shoulder bag to hold onto for a moment, it's going on my shoulder regardless." - u/[deleted].  

15. "Kiss my little boy"

"I hug and kiss my little boy when I drop him off and pick him up from kindergarten." - u/bushmeat. "I don't even find this something that should be considered abnormal, I would hope this is normal. You probably make all the mothers/female teachers swoon." - u/[deleted]. "All men need to do this. Thank you for being a great dad." - u/herecomesthesunshine.

16. Love for cat

"I dated a girl for about a year and a half. Three months in, she and her cat moved into my apartment. Six months in, I bought my own kitten. I had this kitten for about a year when we broke up in July 2010. She asked to keep my cat. I said yes because I wanted our cats to stay together. Last night I broke down and cried about it for about a half hour. This happens every couple months. I refuse to look at pictures of her. The cat, not the ex." - u/mibre.

17. Uses skincare

"I use skin care products. I also watch Jersey Shore, but in my defence, I watch it because it's funny to see how stupid they are." - u/deleted. "Omg, let's be bestfriends! Girl here, everytime I tell my friends they make fun of me. And won't believe me when I tell them I watch for a good laugh at how stupid they are." - u/toastwithjam.

18. All-rounder 

"I know how to sew. I cried during The Notebook (although I blame this on watching it the day I broke up with the only girl I ever loved). I know how to apply makeup." - u/RandianHero. " "I remember seeing the Notebook in a theatre and crying and when the lights came on there was this other dude 2 seats away from me who was also crying. We looked at each other and started laughing. It really was too funny." - u/wisdomaker.

19. Takes good care of clothing

" Despite being happily married, I wash, dry, and iron my own clothes. I love ironing. Who wants to leave the house looking like a bag of smashed assholes when it would take 10 minutes with a hot iron to look presentable?
I also like to sew. Everybody laughs at the guy that knows how to care for clothing until theirs stuff goes to shit and they don't know why." - u/[deleted].

20. Love for fashion

"I spent almost four hours in one store shopping yesterday and have been slowly working my way towards being more fashionable (albeit in a way that is traditionally masculine; nice boots that are still work boots and nothing you wouldn't see somebody like Steve McQueen or Clint Eastwood wearing)." - u/[deleted]. 

21. Baking and Adele

"I bake stuff all the time, like bread and cookies and so on. And I enjoy music such as Adele and Taylor Swift.I usually do these two things together, while drinking tea. Splendid." - u/[deleted]. "Bake and listen to Adele. Sometimes at the same time." - u/PantsTurkey. "I spend a lot of time baking, and this legit made me lol. I know I'm gonna be singing this in December." - u/chicklette.

22. Part of a choir

 "I sing in a choir. I'm one of 4 guys in the choir at my school (the other 3 aren't there voluntarily), and I'm proud of it. Whenever you hear the tenor/baritone part in our choir? That's me. Like a boss." - u/dirmione. "Musical theater, and I sing [tenor] in 4 choirs, too. I also talk about my feelings a lot." - u/emmber.

23. Puts effort into a relationship

"Tweeze my eyebrows. Watch romantic comedies. Shed a tear at very emotional scenes in movies (I can't deal when Shadow is stuck in the mud pit in Homeward Bound). I put a great deal of effort and faith into romance, which seems to be considered unmanly anymore." - u/[deleted].

24. Cooking and using products

"I am proud of my cooking. Women absolutely love it. Fun fact: I've gotten a nice happy ending to every date when I've cooked fettuccine with sweet-pepper and cayenne Sauce. Look it up on Allrecipes, guys.
I use facial products to keep from breaking out. Such as abrasive scrubs. That's probably my girliest thing," - u/[deleted].

25. Stay-at-home dad

"I am a stay at home dad by choice, not based out of circumstance. Although some find it unmanly to not be the breadwinner, I think nothing is more manly than being a good father." - u/gr8hucker. "I am a pretty good cook and baker. Though, I usually only bake if I am taking it somewhere. Pumpkin pie made from real roasted pumpkins for Thanksgiving dessert? I am your man." - u/walken4life.