Male is a biological term, referring to physical gender. Male is a low level, biological, DNA based characteristic. That’s pretty simple.

Masculinity is much more complex because it’s not a physically determined thing; it’s a more social, psychological and behavioral characteristic or concept among humans, not animals. Furthermore, it’s vague and very few people can define it, making it extremely difficult to discuss. So I’ll define it for this discussion:

“Masculinity is the mindset and behavior associated with a desire to create, to make an impact, to be a masterful actor in the greater world. Masculinity is the urge to mastery.”

When you combine a male with the urge to mastery, you have the start of a much higher concept; the man. Of course, failure to take action on that urge to be masterful tends to negate the growth into manhood.

If you noticed, the definition of masculinity does not address the physical gender. Rightfully so. Males and females can both express masculinity to varying degrees. The same applies as both males and females can express femininity to varying degrees. There is some evidence that male testosterone and female estrogen will bias circuits in the brain towards one or the other, but as intelligent humans much of that can be overridden by our choices.

They are all one, but it is broader than that. Being trustworthy, kind, loving, faithful, honest, and guided by principals that most can recognize. If you are a Father; love & respect your children and give them the feeling of being loved & respected. It’s a tough balancing act, but he/she, they are yours forever. They are your offspring, be responsible. The worst thing my Dad ever said or did to me was when I got busted for camping illegally in a state park. I did did have pipes & papers , we had buried the pot out in the trees, so they didn’t really get us for much, just enough to spend the next 4 weekends in Seymour’s jail., it was a good lesson. The worst he said to me You can do better. I felt ashamed and cleaned up my act. Starting in 1997, I made a personal vow to be a man he could be proud of. I served their basic needs for the next 17 years, seven days a week, They put up with a lot from me. I felt it was the least I could do: to pay them back. They each became my best friends, instead of their son. It was a worthy sacrifice and one of the best times on my life.

Men have narrower pelvises and wider shoulders. They have larger joints and tendons, and testosterone gives them more body hair and a higher muscle mass. All of those features means that most men are larger and stronger and faster than most women . Obviously there are some exceptions but in general that is the truth.

Women have wider pelvises and narrower shoulders. Their joints and tendons are smaller and more flexible. Estrogen gives them less body hair and a higher fat percentage. Because of those features women are more suited to having children and their extra body fat ensures that they are able to nurture pregnancy and child even in times of food scarcity. Women also have smaller, dexterous hands which makes them suited for fine motor skills and work. Women have better balance because of wider hips and lower centre of gravity.

As far as personality traits are concerned it really does run the gamut and a lot of the personality traits of men and women are socially constructed. For example men tend to exhibit more aggressive competitive features . Women also have these tendencies (especially when they are fighting or promoting their offspring)but They are not encouraged in our society so they are rarely expressed. A woman who is aggressive and competitive will be labelled as a “ball buster” and a “butch”and be marginalized socially by mainstream society. Women in general tend to be more nurturing. We take care of everyone. Chances are if you put a post on social media that you have the flu and you’re feeling sick it’s going to be the women in your life who come to your house with soup and gravel and tidy up your kitchen for you . It’s not that men don’t have the ability or instinct to nurture, but if they exhibit those traits they are marginalized by society and called “weak” or “pansy”.

Overall men and women are more alike than different. We are the same species after all . We all want love, safety, happiness, opportunities for self expression, and our children, friends and family to experience the same. Societies with the highest levels of happiness, prosperity and health tend to be less religious and more egalitarian. People and cultures who try to drive wedges between the genders and emphasize the differences to isolate and try to put themselves above the other are a problem.

i’ll keep my answer short and sweet (like me, ladies)

Masculinity deals with being physically strong enough to stand up and defend yourself. It deals with being confident enough to be yourself. It deals with being a role model to those around you.

Manhood deals with being independent and charitable, rather than needy or greedy. It deals with healthy communication with your community. It deals with responsibility, and stepping up to be the person that is required for you and those around you to prosper. It can also deal with being responsible for your own mistakes and flaws, and acting to better yourself in any way necessary.

Maleness is an interesting one. Maleness can deal with portraying yourself in a respectable manner (e.g. dressing nicely, showering, playing sports, being educated, being humble, being wise)
Maleness is also defined by ‘cool’ as in being calm in stressful situations.

A combination of all of these things will result in a Man (or whatever you call yourself) being respectful, wise and providing a service to those around him. Also, all of these definitions are required if you are to become a father (which is the ultimate definition of a true man) and can provide for your family health, wealth and knowledge. In this way a man can be a role model not only to the people in his community, but most importantly be a role model for his sons and daughters, a model of a good man.

I'd love to put my views here.

What make a man truly masculine?

Promoting misogyny? No.

Abusing girls? No.

Thinking that masculine gender is the supreme gender? No.

Thinking that a woman only belongs to kitchen? No.

Now according to my views, I am going to tell you what makes a man truly masculine.

• A man who can stand against each and every struggle and can fight against it using full force is a truly masculine man.
• A man who can make girls comfortable with him instead of giving creepy vibes is a masculine man,
• A man who will become 10 times stronger with each and every challenge is a man with true masculinity.
• A man who will be independent and will lead is life with full self respect can be termed as a truly masculine man.
• A man who will respect the women who deserve to be respected is a man who is truly masculine.
• A man who will fight against his problems all alone and keep a smile on his face so that no one can understand what he is going through is a truly masculine man.

Courage, respect and independence truly defines a man.

To answer this question, I’m going to explain an episode from one of my favorite cartoons, Gravity Falls.

In this episode, Dipper is feeling insecure about his masculinity, as many pre-pubescant boys do. His great-uncle and sister mock him about it. “Look, face the music, kid. You’ve got no muscles, you smell like baby wipes, and let’s not forget last Tuesday’s… ‘incident’.” [Cut to Dipper in the bathroom, singing along to a parody of “Dancing Queen.”]

Dipper goes into the woods to brood (and bench press a twig) and he runs into a Minotaur (or rather, a hyper-masculine “Manotaur”) named Chutzpah.

Chutzpah agrees to teach Dipper how to be a man, and brings him back to the Man Cave to introduce him to the other Manotaurs. (Among them are Pubetaur, Testosteraur, and Pituitaur.)

The Manotaurs put Dipper through what is basically an elaborate hazing ritual. They make him complete tasks such as plunging his fist into the Pain Hole, running across a river on the backs of alligators, jumping across a gorge… His final challenge is to slay a beast called the Multi-Bear, the Manotaurs’ sworn enemy.

Dipper travels to the Multi-Bear’s cave (wearing a loincloth and temporary tattoos) and finds a talking bear with multiple heads who offers him a chance to leave with his life. Dipper attacks him, and this twelve-year-old kid actually succeeds in tackling a many-headed bear. He’s a lot more badass than he gives himself credit for! The bear could probably still kill him, but instead, it surrenders. Dipper is about to cut off his head, and exclaims, “A real man shows no mercy!”

The Multi-Bear requests to die listening to his favorite song, which just so happens to be the “Dancing Queen” parody. Dipper is thrilled to find someone he can relate to. Realizing that the Multi-Bear never meant anyone any harm, he goes back to the Manotaurs and refuses to kill the bear:

Dipper: I’m not gonna do it.

Leaderaur: You were told, the price of manhood is the Multi-Bear’s head!

Dipper: Listen Leaderaur, alright? You too, Testosteraur, Pituitaur, and… I dunno, whatever your name is… Beardy?

Beardy: It’s Beardy.

Dipper: You keep telling me that being a man means doing all these tasks, and being aggro all the time? But I’m starting to think that stuff’s malarkey! *Manotaurs gasp* You heard me, malarkey! So maybe I don’t have muscles or hair in certain places, and, sure, when a girly pop song comes on the radio, sometimes, I leave it on! ’Cause dangit, top forty hits are in the top forty for a reason, they’re catchy!

Chutzpah: Destructor, what are you saying?

Dipper: I’m saying the Multi-Bear is a really nice guy! And you’re a bunch of jerks if you want me to cut off his head!

Leaderaur: KILL THE MULTI-BEAR, OR NEVER BE A MAN!

Dipper: Then I guess I’ll never be a man.

The other Manotaurs, even Chutzpah, call him weak and abandon him. Dipper goes home, dejected.

He tells Stan and Mabel what happened:

Dipper: It’s just these half-man, half-bull humanoids were hanging out with me…

Stan: Here we go…

Dipper: But then they wanted me to do this really tough, horrible thing, but it just wasn’t right, so I said no.

Stan: You were your own man, and you stood up for yourself.

Dipper: Huh?

Stan: Yeah, you did what was right even though no one agreed with ya. Sounds pretty manly to me, but, what do I know?

This is the difference between toxic and non-toxic masculinity. The Manotaurs represent toxic masculinity. They demand that Dipper achieve a ridiculous standard through performative masculinity. They mock him for liking a girly pop song, and reject him when he refuses to prove his manliness through cruelty.

Stan (of all people) helps Dipper to recognize and appreciate authentic masculinity—his fortitude and moral fiber. Liking a “girly” song doesn’t make him any less of a man, and refusing to murder someone certainly doesn’t make him less of a man. It takes balls to stand up to peer pressure, especially when you’re twelve. Dipper is able to look that giant monster in the face and say, “Then I guess I’ll never be a man.” He’s willing to compromise a part of his identity in order to do what’s right.

Obviously, the Manotaurs are as exaggerated as possible, but this episode gets the point across. “Toxic masculinity” describes the way masculinity is portrayed and enforced. Masculinity itself is not toxic, nor are stereotypically masculine interests and behaviors. What is toxic is when a performative standard of masculinity is forced on men who just want to listen to ABBA in peace. Being a man doesn’t mean that you have to like certain things or do certain things or avoid certain things. “Real men” know they have nothing to prove.

A boy should not be ashamed, for a boy will one day turn into a man. It’s a matter of growth. Now a boy can age and get tall and look like a man but behave like a boy.

The difference between a boy and a man is maturity.

I have a friend that got pregnant early at the age of 16. To her she felt like her life was over. She was pregnant by a 16 year old boy, and they both panicked beyond belief. The boy had no jobs, stayed with his parents and didn’t even know what he wanted to do after high school. When his girlfriend got hormonal, he lets it get to him. And by the time the kid was close to being born the girl’s mom moved away with her, and for the first couple years he felt powerless.

Now if he was a few years older, even at 18 with the maturity of a man he would have stood up pull up his sleeve and started planning on how to finance his kid. Many people believe that having children early is an automatic game over. Most young women panick that their life will be held back. Few consider abortion and adoption because they feel like they can’t handle it. But in reality this is when a man stands up, and take the hand of the pregnant mother and tell her we are going to get through it. Hold her and paint mental pictures of what he dreams for his young family. A man knows his strength.

These qualities shows up in a man as he gets older. But there are times when a man that looks like a men shows the quality of a boy.

A man can be in his early 20s. He just got a nice young woman pregnant. With her hormones driving her crazy, he does not step up and show her that this is just the beginning of a beautiful journey. The young woman does not know how she’s going to take care of their child, but her boyfriend is in the club dancing with short skirted cutie.

A man knows that his girlfriend or wife is the one and only. But a man that behaves like a boy is easily impressed. He acts like he’s new to puberty and the girl in the short skirt is doing him a favor. As if he can’t believe his eyes. He forgets his worth. He forgets that there’s someone carrying his child that’s in a bathroom vomiting her dinner. Just like a boy he does not understand responsibility.

A boy does not care where his next meal is coming from or why the lights and water is on. He wakes up and the fridge is full, and plays video games not giving a second thought of the concept of electricity. He bathes in a hot shower, and day dream about the girl that seats next to him in class.

A man, you don’t work you don’t eat. And worse you don’t work your wife and kids can’t pay the electricity. Even if your wife/girlfriend works a man always finds a way to contribute. A man don’t stop planning to better his family.

A boy is hot. Where’s as a man is cool, unless he needs to get hot. And even when he gets hot he’s easily cooled because he has a better understanding of consequences. A boy is more likely to jump off from 6 feet and land on his legs. Even if he does land with little injuries he did think about the ER bill his parent has to pay, or that he could caulk permanent damage. A man knows he’s legs helps him feed his family and will take part in activities to get hurt not even to prove he’s a man.

A boy dreams, but a man plans. A boy will say he’s going to be rich. He says he’s in love with the beautiful girl next to him, but he has no plan on how to fulfill his dreams.

Some men talk and take action on their talk. Some men don’t talk but just take actions. But a boy just talks.

There are a million ways a boy and a man are different. And there some males over 18 that look like a man and behave like a boy, just like there are some boys that have quality of a man.

In my junior year in high school I had friend that just turned 17. As soon as his girlfriend got pregnant, he committed his time to the navy. Did training and that was in the navy after high school and help take care of his baby. He was a year older than me, but I took notes from him.

A boy is very different from a man. It’s nothing insulting because a boy grows into a man. A boy learns from a man on how to be a man.

The most amazing thing to happen to happen to a boy is growing up into a good man.

I think this male lion is very masculine.

Don’t be scared. A lion is just a bear with a definite article. Or was. In Latin languages. In the Middle Ages. Or so.

A level of maturity makes all the difference. But then maturity is subjective.

Jumping off of a helicopter may seem ridiculously immature to a 50-year old businessman but then it is the most maturely calculated life-threatening risk a 21-year old professional skydiver is taking.

So I have a light-hearted yet serious POV on this.

A man would answer “Yes” to the following questions, a boy would not:

1. Have you worn clean underwear every single day for the last 2 years?
2. Are you able to find your keys 95% of the time?
3. Do you treat dogs amazingly well?
4. Have you helped anyone in need - emotional, financial, physical, any way - in the last 7 days?
5. Do you let a woman pull her own chair to sit on and not consider it as your ‘chivalrous duty’ to always make a woman comfortable first? (To me that kinda gesture just goes to show that men think women are delicate. Gender equality isn’t born from those gestures. Not one bit.)
6. Do you always turn off the lights when unnecessary?
7. Have you told someone the bitter truth ON THEIR FACE in the last 30 days? Not over text or email, straight face to face difficult conversations are what I’m talking about.

I guess I can keep coming up with more such questions. Hope you get the idea.

A man doesn’t become a man when he reaches a certain age but this is true for all adults. We use the word ‘adult’ these days as a physical descriptor only. Women are acting like children just as much or even to a greater degree than men are these days but we don’t hold them near to the degree of accountability or impunity that we do men, but that’s neither here nor there.

Before publishing my answer to this I was able to pick the brain of a friend of mine who I consider to be a man, like a ‘real man’ however people might interpret that. Some of what I am publishing here is part of the discussion that we had about this topic. But I also glean from him as an individual and his individual path and his individual struggle because a boy can only become a man through the struggles.

So what’s the difference between men and boys?

We live in a world full of boys who are emulating men (or trying to) and acting like men but they aren’t men. They aren’t doing a very good job of it but boys never do a good job of acting like men. That’s part of what makes them boys.

• Men have gone through rites of passage. Rites of passage are a lost art. Many cultures have held rites of passage as an essential part of growth and personal identity. Our Western culture completely lacks any of this. Boys aren’t put in situations where they need to confront themselves and find themselves and it shows. The rites would help them find themselves by helping them through a process of courage and growth.

One of the most fundamental differences between boys and men is that they go through their own rites of passage and gain many benefits from doing it. Their identity changes through the process, they change from having other people be their masters to being their own masters.

• Boys have something to prove and they think that they need to prove something to other people because, as boys do, they’re worried about how other people are perceiving them when men don’t really car. Men are only trying to prove things to one person. Themselves.
• Boys need to be ruled. They need a ruler. They need to be instructed and told what to do, men do not. Men are self-governing. Boys have to be instructed and they seek permission to be their own person or to make their own decisions and men make their own decisions.
• Boys sacrifice their individuality for group conformity. Men know that it’s okay to live a life that other people don’t understand or approve of when boys are afraid to stand out or stand alone. Boys are afraid to be their own person while men are determined to be their own person regardless of the consequences.
• Boys avoid taking accountability for their lives when men seek to take what one great man calls “extreme ownership.” Men accept responsibility for their lives and their experience with it while boys are busy avoiding it. Boys are detached from their role in their own lives while men practice radical ownership of their lives. Boys blame other people or other things for their issues and their afflictions while men take ownership of those things.
• Boys don’t respect their strength or their power. They wield it poorly and cause harm to others. Men understand their power and they understand how much harm they can cause and so they are respectful to themselves and others.
• Men choose their battles while boys, like small dogs, are barking at anything and everything that comes along again, because he’s trying to prove something to someone else. Men choose their battles. They know that their time, energy and attention is a finite resource and they’re
• Boys avoid anything difficult, challenging or painful. They expect life to be easy and comfortable which makes them weak. Boys are weak even though they want to be strong which is why they feign strength while coming across as weak. Men know that life is hard and they know that true strength comes through doing difficult things. Instead of avoiding difficult things, men take them on directly and do them deliberately. They’ve accepted this reality of life and they know there isn’t a better way to become strong.
• Boys are afraid of emotions. They’re afraid of their emotions and everybody else's emotions. If someone is upset with them, it’s terribly distressing for them, it feels like the end of the world to them. It triggers some deep and intense shame for them because they haven’t learned to support themselves or be their own person while lacking emotional intelligence. They psychologically sustain themselves from other people. It’s especially troubling to them when the person who’s upset with them is a wife, girlfriend or mother. Men learn to emotionally sustain themselves and while they love getting affection and validation from those they love they also know that life doesn’t owe them anything and they know not to allow their wellbeing to depend on this from others and so they learn to depend on themselves above all others. Men aren’t afraid of emotion and they’re thick skinned so they’re able to handle themselves when people are upset with them.
• Men are emotionally intelligent. This is a big and major factor. When he becomes emotionally intelligent, he grows up. Men become emotionally intelligent by taking the difficulties of life head on instead of running away from them. They work through difficult and painful things and they grow up in the process.

It’s very simple, ladies and gentlemen. Masculinity is doing what women can’t or won’t do.

Now, now, don’t flag my post for violating a BNBR policy just yet. I’m being sincere and honest.

But the truth ain’t a kitten snuggling close to the fire on a cold winter night. This truth is brutal, it’s what separates the laid versus the un-laid, the rich versus the poor, the men from the manchildren in the promised land.

A man must do what must be done.

“Honey, honey, I can’t open this lid!”

Hehe, man upping time! Big bad you will show her how a dude opens his girl’s lid. “No… problem…” shit, did Arnold Freaking Schwarzene-imma-make-this-impossible-to-open seal this? “Ummm, baby pie, I can’t.”

What now? Ladies, are you telling me that you’re aroused by your man not being able to do what he must do?

Fellas, are you just going to admit defeat?

The lid must be opened! You have to do it. This is what it means to man the heck up!

Masculinity is wrapping a towel around the lid and becoming a living-breathing wrench till you yank that dang thing off!

WHEW!

You did it! What a man! That’s you: the swiss-army knife of her wildest dreams.

Still not buying it? Okay, how about when you hear a scary noise?

CRACKLE-DACKLE-DOO!

“Honey, did you hear that?”

It’s too 2 AM. Your kids are fast asleep. But something sounds like its moving downstairs.

Sure, she could pick up that metal bat and check it out. But she won’t or can’t. So as a man, you must do it. That is your duty.

Gender roles exist because God, or whatever, gave you the muscle to flex. You must squeeze your money maker. You must do what must be done and take that bat and shove it up whoever is downstairs’s sweet pie dispenser.

If you refuse because you’re scared, then you lose man points.

Protection and providing, that is masculinity 101. That doesn’t mean women can’t kickass or be the money maker. Heck, I know I’d prefer it. Who wants to brawl it out when there’s coffee to drink and cake to eat?

But if my woman can’t do something, you better believe I’ll learn how to do it before I have some wanker do it for her.

Spider in the house; give me my sword, babe.

Scary noise downstairs; hand me my gun, sweetie.

Muffin top needs baking; where did we put our copy of Kamasutra, lover?

But maybe I’m wrong. Maybe masculinity is crying over the daffodils that the big meanie jerkwad stepped on.

How dare he? I’ll write a letter to my senator explaining how rude of human being he is. That’ll teach him.

Or maybe it’s confronting the A-hole and telling him if he steps on those flowers again there’ll be trouble.

Civilizations have fallen because the men in those societies could not do what had to be done.

When aliens visit Earth, it will be up to the men and women galactic defenders to protect us if the ScallyWags from Sector 8 wage war.

If the women defenders fail, then the men must succeed or we will be wiped out.

To me, that is masculinity: preserving the human race when no one else can.

It’s a heavy burden to carry, but give a man his beer and he’ll, BURP, show those god damn aliens not to mess with planet Earth!

A number of answers to this question, primarily those that are objecting to the term, are claiming that toxic masculinity is just a nasty term for masculine behaviours, that shitty behaviours are shitty behaviours, that the term insults decent men, and that there's no reason to make this an anti-men issue.

But these answers are kind of off the mark, because toxic masculinity isn't referring to being manly, or even to being thoughtless and oblivious to your surroundings.

“Manspreading” (a term I'll happily admit is kind of silly at this point, even if there is a real phenomenon that it unsuccessfully tries to describe) is not an example of toxic masculinity, it's just shitty behaviour. Neither is drugging someone and sexually assaulting them, that's rape.

What toxic masculinity is about is not shitty behaviours that are performed by men. It's not really about behaviour performed by men at all.

Toxic masculinity is about the culture of masculinity. It's about culture that tells you that in order to be a real man, you have to behave a certain way, or do certain things. Many of those things are shitty, but many of them aren't. There's absolutely nothing wrong with a man who likes woodworking, or fixing his muscle car, or lifting weights, or watching football with a beer. But there definitely is something wrong with a culture that tells you that you're less of a man if you don't want to do those things. There's something wrong with a culture that tells you what a man needs to be like.

And this sort of culture is easily internalised. It's what leads to higher suicide rates among men—because it is much more difficult for men to turn for help when they're suffering, because our culture of masculinity tells us that real men are strong, and don’t complain, or ask for help. It’s what leads college kids to rape without even realising it, because they've been taught that girls don't mean no when they say no (something that, from what I see on Quora, a distressing number of girls have internalised, which is just a part of what I would term toxic femininity), and that men need to be forceful and take what they want. It's what leads to bullying of LGBTQ kids, if they don't live up to the right model of masculinity and femininity that society proscribes.

And that's what toxic masculinity refers to. It refers to a culture that says that men can't have feelings, or ask for help, because doing so isn't manly. A culture whereby men need to take what they want—including the women they want, because that's how men act. It refers to a culture that dismisses shitty behaviours with “boys will be boys”. It refers to toxic perceptions of what it means to be a man. It refers to a culture of masculinity that harms men as much as it harms women.

This culture is sometimes what leads to shitty behaviours that are being called out. But what's toxic is not the behaviour (that's just shitty, as we said). What's toxic is the culture.

Masculinity and masculine both are words referring to traits associated with men and boys. The difference is, grammatically, masculine is an adjective, while masculinity is a noun.

So you have sentences as

“’He’ is a masculine noun”

“The pronoun ‘he’ is associated with people who identify strongly with masculinity”

“Androsexuality is described as a sexual attraction to people with masculine traits, regardless of their gender or sex”

“When a person is sexually attracted to traits associated with masculinity, they are androsexual”

“He is trans-masculine/transmasc (referring to a female-to-male (FTM) transgender man)”

“This company’s work culture is rife with toxic masculinity”

And so on

I hope these examples illustrate the point.

This is basically a list of all the traits I lack, hence, I am a boy, not a man. (They refers to men)

1. When they know that career will pay bills, not popularity or relationships. Basically, they don't chase girls.
2. When they do not shy away to stand up for what's right.
3. When they don't put women on pedestals, but treat them like human beings.
4. When they know that actions speak louder than words, as hence let their actions do the talking.
5. When they are not afraid of being judged, and hence are not afraid of walking on a path less traveled. They are not afraid of taking risks.
6. When they understand that social skills are not learnt online (Even on Quora), but by opening up and talking to people in real life.
7. When they understand that issues between their partners are settled by actually talking to them, not by asking strangers online.
8. When they are careful of their friend choices, and stick to the ones that are actually trustworthy.
9. When they stop chasing fame, money and popularity and dedicate themselves towards their passion, knowing that fame, money and popularity will come along.
10. When they are confident in their own abilities, and understand that their appearance will get attention, but their personality and actions will earn them respect, which lasts, unlike attention.
11. When they realise that becoming a better writer on Quora, happens by having more experiences and learnings to share, which comes from real life. No matter how well-written your answer is, it won't get much attention unless it has a touch of experience. (Except for joke writers)
12. When they have the ability to carry out a resolution long after the excitement of the moment has passed.
13. When they are not afraid of failure, as it is better to aim high and miss, rather than to aim low and hit. Embracing failure helps you learn.

When people follow all these points, they are a perfect man.

But realistically speaking, no one is perfect, you can get closer and closer to perfection, but you will never actually get there.

I have an anklet that I’ve been wearing for over ten years. It’s a very simple, agate stone anklet.

A few days ago, it snapped, and all the charms fell everywhere. My husband collected them all; then he went to the craft store to get items to fix it.

The image of this big man with his chubby fingers, wearing a magnifying glass, with all the (overkill) pliers trying to work on the tiny anklet charms is one of the most manly things.

Masculinity doesn't need to be something as big as saving the world, it can just be the willingness to do a tiny thing that even doesn’t look masculine at all. Like fixing an anklet.

There is a guy, lets call him A:

• He is a millionaire.
• He is tall, handsome and has an appealing physique.
• He knows all the 64 arts of kamasutra.
• Girls find him attractive and manly. Oh yes, that’s what he thinks too.

Now there is guy B:

• Middle class, can’t afford a bike.
• Fat, dark complexion.
• Has never been in a relationship. Not a single girl finds him attractive.

Both A and B are friends with a cute girl C.

One day, they were hanging out on a mild cold night in the streets of Pune. Suddenly out of nowhere 3 goons came out and said “leave the girl, the money here and get lost.” B got angry, but before B could say anything A left.

A didn’t want any trouble that’s why he left, wise move. But B was not wise like A, he knew what would happen if he left too. His principles didn’t allow him to leave and he started fighting, he was fat he handled two guys. After seeing this C also joined the fight and hearing their struggle A came back to join the fight.

A, B and C they won. Quite the hell of a night.

So who is manly? I leave it to your wisdom.

Question is what makes him manly?

• His Courage
• He not only knew his responsibility but also fulfilled it.
• He accepted the challenge and bravely faced it without knowing the consequences.
• He didn’t turn his back on his friend.

Tangible goods and physique makes you attractive and a man, but not a MAN. Your action and your decision makes you manly. Where your lady feels safe with you.

This is fictional story, it never happened in real life.

Neha Garg suggested below edit.

A coward man can never be manly who don’t care for emotions of a girl and leave her in between,who can't stand for his words. No matter on which position he is in society, how good his looks.

Man is manly and attractive by his words,loyalty and integrity.

Not quite.

An effeminate male will have adopted female/feminine characteristics commonly found in women. This can be both physical appearance AND behaviors typically associated with females. This may vary slightly depending on culture norms and how one defines what is feminine vs masculine. These effeminate males aren’t necessarily transgender nor gays. An effeminate male may wear some make up (outside of doing performances), speak in an upward inflection when speaking regularly, or being agreeable just to avoid potential disagreements are a few characteristics of some effeminate males. Another example of an effeminate male is a straight male in my school who has a very feminine face. His buddies would joke to me that they can dress him as a girl, send him out and guys would hit on him thinking he is a girl lol. It’s kinda messed up to say since the dude is a straight male. This guy’s face looks more like a woman than Dylan from the Bud Light debacle.

Now can an effeminate male become more masculine by being more assertive? Yes. Can a masculine male share few similar characteristics of a effeminate male like being kind, and courteous? Yes. Can a masculine male be effeminate at the same time. No.

Most heterosexual women will gravitate towards men with more masculine traits than effeminate males. Effeminate males (regardless of orientation) would be friends with females due to several feminine traits they share.

There is no definition of masculinity. It varies in time and place.

Few examples:

In some countries, it's a custom for men to hold hands. In others, it's “feminine” to hold hands.

It's some countries, it's a custom for men to kiss each other when they meet. In others, greeting with a kiss is reserved only with women.

In some some countries, it's custom for men to care about how they look, how they dress, etc. In others, it's feminine to care about these things.

High heels and tights were originally men's clothes. But over time, our perception has turned them into women's clothes. Pink used to be the color of boys, and blue the color of girls.

I love the character Newt Scamander. He’s a shy, sensitive, empathetic Hufflepuff guy, and main protagonist of JK Rowling’s Fantastic Beasts screenplay.

In Rowling’s universe, a Hufflepuff is typically kind, humble, hardworking. Cedric Diggory is poster boy of this house. Cedric is an honourable gentleman, to other men, even one who is supposed to be competition (Harry). People today have the misguided perception that a man being a gentleman means serving exclusively the fairer sex. But in the Victorian Era, clubs of gentlemen can and do exist, and not for the purpose of obtaining sex.

Unlike the Gryffindors, a house consisting of members which Rowling confesses to being prone to showboating, Hufflepuffs work quietly, in the background, with no expectation of fame.

Harry Potter, a Gryffindor, fits the mainstream perception of what people expect from The Hero. He is bold, seeks adventure, headbutts through problems by sheer force of will and cunning. People are used to that sort of main protagonist. You see it in the media a lot.

Now, Newt Scamander is atypical for a main character. A genuinely sensitive guy who takes care of animals and values his friends, who isn’t afraid to show his emotions. A self-assured adult wizard who isn’t pushy about his powers. He is not one of the many aggressive, violence-prone, show-offy guys you usually see on the big screen.

And thus … he is universally snubbed by almost every review magazine in America as a “boring” man.

“Annoying” is the perfect term for his portrayal of Fantastic Beasts’ hero, Newt Scamander, a shrugging, slumping sack of stammers and tics.

Fantastic Beasts: Will Somebody Crucio Eddie Redmayne?

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is fine. It’s a very pretty movie with a few really good performances (specifically Dan Fogler and Colin Farrell). Unfortunately, the plot requires almost everyone involved to be unforgivably stupid or else the whole story would fall apart. And the stupidest person by far is the hero, Newt Scamander.

Newt Scamander Is the Biggest Idiot in All of Harry Potter History

And he’s at risk from the studios of being demoted to side character in the next films, if not outright removed. Personally, I hope Rowling has enough sway over the studios to keep him in.

See what happens to men who don’t fit the mainstream expectations of “being a man”? They get berated by the public, by male and female audiences alike.

Now, think, what is feminism trying to fix? What instinct is feminism trying to curb?

Answer: toxic masculinity.

Then, think, what else “could” you do about the patriarchal perspective. The system is trying to preserve the status quo that is very misguided in the first place.

You mean a male and a man. There’s no such thing as cis male! No one can identify as one either unless they are male. They can’t identify as a man either if they are transman. Trans means the opposite side of. To say you are a transman, means you’re on the opposite side of men, which means you’re a woman.

Trans people cannot call themselves women and men because my previous statement shows the deception of the meaning of words. A trans person is someone who lives as the opposite sex but they are not actually the opposite sex.

No one really cares how you want to live. But we do care about being lied to.

1. No man wants to hear these four words: "Oh, are you done?"

Women want to have great sex that makes them scream with pleasure.

If you’re falling short, you might find that your love life takes a real nose-dive.

Premature ejaculation is no joke.

It can happen to anyone, but there are ways to deal with it.

Because let's face it, you deserve a satisfying sex life… and so does your other half.

Pay attention to what your partner wants, slow down, and don't make it all about you.

The more you give sexually, the more she'll be happy to give back.

The man should take the lead and not wait for the woman.

2. A Provider

With enough money to take care of himself and the people he cares about.

Giving people the things they need to live and going above and beyond to give them more.

Having access to the basics and being able to get more than you need.

Men need to provide.

But before they can help other people, they need to be able to help ourselves.

When they leave their fathers' homes, they should know what to do and have the skills to do it.

They should also be able to find a partner to take care of and start a family with.

But it's fine to have more than you need before you decide to give it away.

The point is, think like a provider.

Try to give and you will do well.

He also needs to be able to lead.

3. Being logical

Whether you accept it or not, the truth is still the truth.

You can use the truth to your advantage if you know it.

If you don't pay attention to the truth, it will come back to bite you.

The truth hurts women too much.

So, they are interested in things like astrology.

Even the truth hurts women, they say.

Even though the truth is often ugly, a man isn't afraid of it.

You are not a man if you can't handle the truth.

Women are led by how they feel.

They can often let their feelings show.

As a man, you can't do that.

No one comes to a man's rescue.

A man should always try to make decisions based on what makes sense, or he will always end up in trouble.

Men have the tools they need to figure out how things work.

That's not done out of feelings.

This is done with logic, education, and an open mind.

It's not scary to fly an airplane or walk on the moon once you figure out how things work.

Men didn't do these things because they gave in to their feelings.

They did it by finding out how the world really works.

If I was supposed to answer it in one word, I would say Maturity.

A man is mature, but a boy is not. Maturity is what tells us whether someone has grown up (like a man) or he's still a kid.

1. A man has a sense of responsibility whereas a kid is always carefree.
2. A man has some ambitions whereas a kid keeps on dreaming something new, everyday.
3. A man has something precious to look after, whereas a boy doesn’t necessarily have one.
4. A man has passion and profession while the kid has only some hobbies.
5. A man doesn’t have time to spare on mundane activities whereas a kid needs some activities for his spare time.
6. A man always have some worries whereas a kid will always be relaxed.
7. A man has a goal to pursue whereas a kid has studies to deal with.
8. A man has a plan for his future whereas a kid wouldn’t ever have had thought of it.

I think that’s your mentality or perhaps maturity that makes you a man. Oh, by the way I’m a kid on a journey to become a man :)

There is sincerely no real answer to this, as what is seen as masculine or feminine will vary GREATLY depending on time and location. Exemple, pink used to be a “masculine" color and blue a “feminine" one. In the past, men where considered manly and wore wigs, dresses and so on. Before, women were not allowed to wear pants either, and no one at this period of time would have believed that most women would in the future!

You might be interest in reading about the Aka tribe too! Men are very invested in raising kids there!

Or if you go back even deeper in the past, archeologist have realised that men where not the only ones hunting big games, that almost half of the found burried hunters where actually females. A presumed male viking warrior was also realised to be female, pointing out that both genders would have fought in this culture!

All this to say…No one can really answer this question, as things where different before, certainly will change again, and also differ from place to place. It's all a social construct! Sincerely, I hope in the futur people stop classifying such things and pressure other into fitting a pre shaped mold. All genders should do what they want without being accused of being too stereotypical or non conforming (whatever of sex or gender)!

This is a great question.

Gender is the mental state of being male or female (as opposed to sex, which is the physical state of being male or female). Exactly what it means to be mentally male, female, both, or neither is a very complicated subject that plenty of people regularly debate. I will not attempt to argue exactly what gender consists of. However, I think I can safely say that gender, even if it is volatile, cannot be consciously changed. It is what it is, and it is a fundamental, inherent part of someone’s identity.

Masculinity and femininity are the qualities and behaviors associated with being male or female by any given culture in a given time and place. Masculinity and femininity are both superficial and arbitrary; social expectations for men and women can be wildly different between cultures. Things that were originally associated with one gender end up being associated with the other, for example, high heels were designed for cavalrymen but are now almost exclusively worn by women. Also, as often as it is argued that masculine or feminine behavior is coded into our DNA, it really isn’t. It’s completely possible for a man to be feminine and still be a man, or a woman to be masculine and still a woman. It’s also possible (maybe even common) for any given person to have an even mix of masculine and feminine traits and interests, regardless of what their gender identity is. Whether they decide to express those traits depends on social pressure.

So, when you hear people say “gender is a social construct,” what they really mean (or what they should be saying) is “gender expression is a social construct.” Gender identity and gender expression are often conflated, because gender is so hard to measure and define. Most qualities and behaviors are ultimately gender-neutral. To simplify — if it’s not your pink dress that makes you a woman, then what does? If it’s not your bulging muscles that makes you a man, then what does? This question is so hard to address that most people will just claim that gender expression is biological or that gender itself is a social construct to avoid having to address it. I don’t pretend to have the ultimate answer to that question, but I can answer this one: Gender identity is inherent, but the way society expects men and women to behave (or look, or be interested in, etc.) is arbitrary.

To be male, you need one x-chromosome and one y-chromosome in your DNA. Maleness is purely biological and built into your DNA. That’s it.

Being a man is a higher level concept and much more subjective. A man is a male with one or more of the following characteristics:

1. a man is a male who exhibits some degree of masculinity, that is, he has a mindset of being a masterful change agent in the world;
2. a man operates from a set of personal principles; he behaves in a consistent manner he has defined for himself;
3. a man has a sense of ethics that govern his principles;
4. a man recognizes the role of society and behaves with a respect for others;
5. a man balances his masculine behavior with some small degree of feminine behavior, that is, creating beneficial relationships with other people

Those are the main characteristics that I think distinguish a man from a mere male. There are certainly others but these seem to stand out.

As you can probably see, it’s hard to score these characteristics as to whether a male is a man or not. It is very subjective, but if you see a male who is oriented towards achievement, is held in high regard and has high social value, you are almost certainly looking at a man.

1. Leadership.
2. Character./ Authenticity
3. Strength.
4. Assertiveness.
5. Courage.
6. Passion
7. Honor.
8. Independence.
9. Resolute.
10. 10. Reason.
11. A man needs to have all these and then some. A proper Man makes himself, nothing makes a proper man, you need to understand right from wrong on your own and decide which type of man you are going to become. However my definition of Man is the single most accurate definition on the planet. Man: “Most powerful being under the heaven” until you decide to become the most powerful being in your life and Govern your mind, body, time and space. You ain't no Man. Therefore the Greatest defining traits of Manhood are RULING, Might, Ascension, Worshipping and Balance. A man needs to rule himself with an iron fist, become powerful and capable, worship God , better himself like he's about to die and never be flexible. You are flexible. One shot to the back of your head you are done. You believe in something, stand behind it. You stand for something, stand on it. Your name needs to mean something to you. Make something out of it.
12. In order to be a man one needs to choose it, it's a role , a position that comes with 4, responsibilities . Creation, Destruction, Maintenance and Supervision. Mind and handle your business which is yourself, Your life, your purpose in life. Forget about everyone else's business, if you can't create and produce for self you ain't no man. If you are not a man then you are everything else that's not manly, Aka, feminine, boyish or animalistic. You want to be a man. Get ready to become the best thing that's ever happened to humanity since humanity has ever existed. Choose wisely the type of man you are going to be. Lastly it's not too much work, it's just a lot.

I’ll answer from the ways in which “masculine” and “feminine” arise in humanity.

Masculine traits emerge from a core of purpose, direction, mission and decisiveness. Feminine traits emerge from the flow of emotion and loving connection.

This is not to be confused with being male or female, just two dichotomous physical embodiment of universal energy. Author and counselor David Deida describes them this way:

“A man may have a feminine core and a female may have a masculine core, or they could both be more balanced in their masculine and feminine aspects … The feminine is pure, boundless and infinite energy moving freely without any particular direction. It is directionless but immense, ever changing, beautiful and destructive. The feminine is the force of life and source of inspiration. The feminine moves in all directions, the masculine moves in one direction. The feminine needs the masculine to give it direction, focus and purpose. The masculine needs the energy of the feminine to give it drive and passion. The masculine and the feminine need each other. The masculine directs while the feminine projects. This is the relationship of yin and yang.”

In my experience, the masculine energy of aggression has been vaunted as THE masculine energy, the so-called “toxic masculinity.” This is the way of the shadow warrior: dominating, arrogant, destroying and cold. Aggression is only one component of masculinity, a tool among many that must all remain in balance. Just as emotions and loving connection are only single components of femininity that have been compartmentalized and used to stereotype women as “too emotional” or “too sensitive”. This is used as an excuse for the shadow warrior types to say they’re “alpha” (I call bullshit) and to control people.

Now that women lift weights, wrestle, and reach high rank in the military, it's increasingly difficult to name activities that are exclusive to men. About all I can say is that masculinity is a type of confidence, a willingness to take risks without researching them. It might best be summed up by Admiral Farragut's famous order, “Damn the torpedoes! Full speed ahead!” which provided an example of courage to his squadron in the battle of Mobile Bay and led to victory. When such bravery goes wrong, we label it as foolhardiness, and when it goes right, as heroism, but even when it leads to disaster, it feels distinctly masculine, especially when it inspires others. Women can be brave too, of course, but they are more likely to consider the odds first, for fear of being labeled as reckless.

Part of it is also an unsociability, a desire to do things independently and without consulting others. When Neil Armstrong was trying to land Apollo 11 on the Moon with less than a minute of fuel left, and confronted a field full of boulders in NASA's chosen landing spot, he did not report it to Mission Control, but just altered his course without authorization. This was the right thing to do regardless, but the fact that he didn't mention it was characteristically masculine.

Until now I have been a silent reader of Quora, however, this question intrigued me and got me thinking.

Well here goes my perspective..

Women want a man, they can look up to. Someone whom we respect and respects us as much.Someone, who understands that we can be difficult to deal with at times, but are pillars of strengths when the need arises. A man who understands that we are not the better or worse halves , we are the equal halves..

Men don’t have to be the embodiment of chivalry and suave .. it sure helps.. but that’s not all we look for.

A man who stands up for his opinion, stands by his partner while she figures out how to face challenges, someone to laugh with when we goof up,someone who understands that we like splitting the bill, someone who discusses their problems, who tells us how bad their day was and then how its all good now,someone who wants to know our opinion, someone who’s proud when we do good,and someone who will tell us what went wrong.

Well, that sums up masculinity for me :)

Gender is same 😛

Body parts are same 😛

what is different is mind and understanding capacity ! At one time maybe one boy will teach you the way a man couldn’t.

And at one stage may be a man can give you a good impact rather then a boy.

It just about what environment they are having and what are the qualities of thier life and what are their view of living a life and see a things at different perspective!

Toxic masculinity consists of standards so extreme that your harm yourself (and those around you) trying to live up to them. Typically stuff like never showing fear or uncertainty; always being in charge; always “winning.” Donald Trump is Exhibit A for that last one. He will never admit that he lost the election because his father treated anyone in the family who ever lost at anything like dirt. Trump lives in a constant state of anxiety about how he is perceived. He dismisses any negative news about himself as false or malicious.

True masculinity is about using your male strength to benefit those who need it. Making your family feel protected and loved. Supporting your friends.

I was returning from office yesterday, needless to say, the bus was crammed with maximum number of people possible. Office hours, I tell you. I was holding the rod, and trying to keep my mind calm in that suffocating atmosphere. A filthy man was standing beside me and he intended to do something “offensive” with me. I was frowning, burning red in anger and disgust. This man was standing on my left side. On my right side, there was another guy standing, may be around the same age as mine. He was returning from work, as suggested by his bag and formal wear.

He looked at me, and could guess the trouble I was in. He changed his position, saying “Please move, my stoppage is nearby”. He came and stood on my left side, pushing the filthy man away towards the door. He stood beside me, giving occasional glances to that god-forsaken man! Soon, my stoppage arrived. I looked at him, gave him a smile, and got down of the bus.

I do not know who he was, I do not know what his name was, but I know that he had saved me from yet another horrible experience.

He is not my lover, not my friend, but certainly a good man, I suppose. I have also seen men ignoring such incidents, and continuing to be engrossed in oneself. But, he came forward, and helped me.

This is the kind of man I am “attracted” to, who will understand me and be with me through thick and thin. The man was not like John Abraham in Dostana, he was normal built with pretty ordinary features. For being “manly”, abs and muscles are just not enough, I opine.

(No offense intended to any one, just my personal observations and opinions are stated)