What is your definition of "a real man”?

I don’t like overly masculine men either. It’s just like a cover for a book, and it can fool people into thinking that the book is good. And overly masculine men aren’t very compartible with women because they are too different from women. I agree with your definition of a real man, and also want to add “a real man needs to respect other people, women include”.

@Mimishu1995 Well said, I wholeheartedly agree.

Someone with a penis; other than that, I don’t find the phrase useful at all.

One who realises that he is inferior to women.

Any corporeal being that self-identifies as a man.

@ragingloli Now now, play nice!

Someone who can perform the can-can in flipflops without them flying off during the high kicks.
Must also adopt a cheesy grin throughout & not be afraid to shed a gentle tear of joy at the end of the dance…a real man? Simply fabulous darling!!

@ucme Well it certainly takes guts to do that doesn’t it? There is a lot of guys who are simple not man enough to attempt that (pardon the pun) haha

@NerdyKeith Having holidayed in Spain I can say without fear of contradiction that i’ve been there, done that & worn the tutu, those acrylic wigs don’t half itch ;-}
The notion of a “real” man is thoroughly outdated & crass, never interested me at all, I do what I do & how I want, I cried at the end of Wall-e..nuff said.

He is an emotionally mature, accountable, and compassionate male, a definition that flies in the face of rigid stereotypes about the “Sensitive New Age Man” and the “Macho Man”.

It’s the same as “real money” or the “real world”. Reading your definition forces me to ask for your classification or tag for those men who don’t pass muster. And just which or how many of those requirements listed disqualifies those flawed individuals from “real” status. We all know the traditional definition of a “real” man was around masculinity and the absence of limp wrists, back when the expression “a man’s man” did not evoke the ironic giggles it would these days.

I don’t use the term “real man.” It’s an odd term to me. I do admit to using the terms: good man, macho man, and stand-up guy. To say a man is not a “real” man to me assumes the sexes are very different right from the start. People are people. How can you be real or not real? You can be good or an ass.

One who doesn’t worry about being a “real man”.

A non-fictional male.

@ARE_you_kidding_me Are you implying He-Man is not a real man? Outrageous!

I don’t have one. A “man” is a product of a culture and how that culture defines a man. There is no singular definition.

Someone who identifies as a man is a man. If he is a real person, then he is a real man. No extra masculinity (whatever that means) is conferred by adding the word “real”.

If someone makes an effort to tell me he is a “real man”, that communicates to me that he is insecure about gender, and that he probably values old stereotypes of male behaviour, and associates the female gender with weakness. On those bases alone, he’s probably someone I would not choose to spend time with.

Edit: On reading your details more fully, I am struck by this passage: “To me a real man is a man who follows his convictions, embraces his individuality, is not afraid of the truth, is prepared to better himself and is willing to admit when he is wrong.”

How are any of these qualities specifically male? If you met a woman who had these qualities, would she therefore be a “real man” by your definition?

“Real man” is not a phrase I’d use, myself. It seems to belong to a variety of ideas that don’t fit my ideas very well at all.

However I do have a semi-related idea, which is that modern Western cultures have lost most “initiation to adulthood” rituals, which it seems to me is an actual loss. It shows up in practice in the identities and ways of being of our chronologically old-enough-to-be-adult men, who are lacking strong identities as coherent healthy people with integrity and sovereignty and self-awareness and emotional intelligence. This often shows up in the form of childish outbursts, irresponsible behavior, homophobia, misogyny, and other projections of inner suffering.

Just look at the GOP presidential candidates attempting to debate and devolving into penis-size put-downs as if they were 6-year-old boys.

A human who identifies as male

With the exception of having male genitalia, I don’t want to suggest any other characteristics define a person as a ‘real’ man. Doing so suggests men who don’t exhibit those characteristics are somehow not real.

First, he has to be real, in other word, tangible. Second, while I’m tempted to say that such person should possess a penis, it’s needless for ‘him’ to own a male-specific genitalia, as many transgender female-to-male individuals identify themselves as males while not owning a ‘penis’ due to their inability to purchase one.

As an addition, but not a standard. When a man can please me in bed so super good that it makes me breathless and my hole swells with all sorts of imaginable pleasures, I’ll whisper in his ear “You’re a real man”.

“When you bite him on the neck, he farts and flies out the window!”
– Madame & Wayland Flowers