Diary of a Middle-aged Woman

02/26/07 - What Happened to Men?

My husband made the comment the other day "You know Vick, men aren't men anymore." I thought about this for awhile, and I realized that he is right.

There was a time when men totally 'ruled the roost'. They had the last say on everything and everything was decided upon by them. Now, men are lucky if they get to choose what they wear.

Think about the movies that we watched growing-up. Remember how John Wayne always saved the day? Or how about Clint Eastwood movies. They were take charge kind of men who got the job done, no questions asked. They didn't have time for wimps or wusses.

Now, we have Johnny Depp as a pirate who wears make-up. Or Tom Cruise, who is scary in real life, but in movies, well, he just doesn't do it for me. Even the musicians of years ago had more masculinity than those of today. Think about Robert Plant compared to Clay Aiken. There is no comparison. Robert Plant exuded sexuality, while Clay Aiken is just, well, asexual. Even Clint Eastwood had "The Bridges of Madison County" or whatever it was called. Times sure have changed.

Now, men are more in-touch with their "feminine-side". This phenomenon can be traced back to the 80's. I hate to say such a negative thing about my era, but it's true. That's when women started the notion that men had to be more attuned to their own feelings and just let them show. We began seeing Hawkeye Pierce on MASH cry and singers of the time took on personas such as Boy George and George Michael. We began to lose "men" then.

The other day I was introduced to a man and when I shook his hand, it was softer than mine. I'm not sure what that says about him or me, I was just embarrassed that a man's hands would be softer than mine. There was a time when men had hands riddled with callouses from hard work.

Don't get me wrong. I know it is still a "man's world", but it is a wimpier world at that. I don't know what the answer is. I know that my husband doesn't fall into that category. He is one of a dying breed I guess. He can still fix just about anything, and I know his hands are rougher than mine from the work that he does all day. He might not exactly 'rule the roost' but when he does explode in anger, we all take cover - me, my daughter, and the cat.

Have a great day!