Bruce Lee, one of many reasons that fiction thinks "Testosterone" means "Awesome".
"I’m not on board with this modern trend of telling men that they should act less like men. I dream of a world where the beer is cheap and plentiful, violence can still be an acceptable solution to life’s problems"
Many cultures have certain expectations of what a man should and should not be. These qualities are deemed "masculine" and the men who embody them are called "real men." Common traits include bravery, diligence, endurance and strength. Failing to achieve this standard often meant rejection and mocking, while living up to it meant being stuck in a rigid role. Thankfully, these demands have loosened considerably in many parts of the world.
Some guys just never bothered to care, though.
Whether or not these tropes are positive or negative, they demonstrate what society considers masculine.
Compare Tomboy.
Contrast Bishōnen, Femininity Tropes.
Not to be confused with The Real Man.
Tropes
- Action Dad
- Air Hugging (a side effect of Real Men Hate Affection below)
- Basso Profundo
- Boys Like Creepy Critters
- Carpet of Virility
- Cock Fight (fighting over a woman to show manliness...and get laid)
- Eunuchs Are Evil
- The Grunting Orgasm
- Guys Are Slobs (being disgustingly dirty means being manly, apparently)
- Hunk
- I Want to Be a Real Man
- The Lad-ette (a girl with stereotypical masculine traits)
- A Lady on Each Arm
- Leg Cling
- Macho Camp
- Macho Masochism
- Male Frontal Nudity
- Man Hug
- A Man Is Not a Virgin
- Manly Gay
- Manly Tears (the masculine way to cry)
- Manly Men Can Hunt
- Masculine Girl, Feminine Boy
- Men Are Strong, Women Are Pretty
- Men Are Tough
- Men Are Uncultured
- Men Can't Keep House
- Men Don't Cry (unless they are manly tears)
- One of the Boys (a girl who does guy things with the guys)
- Papa Wolf (when being fatherly to one's child equates being a real man)
- Passionate Sports Girl (a girl who is passionate about playing traditional male sports)
- Pec Flex (flexing or bouncing their pecs to show manliness)
- Perma-Stubble
- Pink Is for Sissies (wearing that color makes a guy un-masculine)
- Purple Is Powerful (involves purple being seen as a manly color)
- Rated M for Manly
- A Real Man Is a Killer
- Real Men Cook
- Real Men Eat Meat
- Real Men Get Shot
- Real Men Hate Affection
- Real Men Hate Sugar
- Real Men Take It Black
- Real Men Wear Pink (Defying the notion that anything feminine ruins masculinity)
- Scary Black Man
- Shirtless Captives
- Shirtless Scene (fanservice that emphasizes masculinity)
- Tall, Dark and Handsome
- Testosterone Poisoning
- Unmanly Secret
- Walking Shirtless Scene
