I think a man should take care of himself but without overdoing it. I've too many guys with pencil thin arched eyebrows.
Gotta admit, I shave/trim certain spots and I'm not really a hairy guy... I just like to be clean and presentable in those places if a situation happens. Unibrow isn't allowed so that gets plucked every so often, and work requires me to keep my hair how I do (which I like anyways). But, some go way too far, and around here they get poked on for it.
If a guy spends more time in the bathroom than me he's not making the cut. I'm pretty dam low maintenance too.
But this is about more than grooming habits. When I'm doing all the yardwork year round, working full time, cooking, cleaning, painting and installing flooring by myself while the man is glued to video games it's not a relationship any more.
YEs I'm bitter and no man will tempt me again. I can hire a male escort and be perfectly happy on my own!
You obviously haven't met a country boy. I have a PS3, but hardly know how to do anything but turn it on and off, those 13 year old kids pwn me so I don't bother. Only game I ever play is one that basically teaches me guitar, so really I'm just jamming, which I do without my console.
Grew up installing flooring, working on a farm, had "chores" around the house as I was the "man" with a single mom, always had some type of jeep/truck/sled/bike to play with and work on, and now I've moved on to include fixing really physically messed up people, had jobs building houses and doing renovations, so I'm a handy dude... And better yet, I would rather be out in the garage all greasy fixing stuff, or out in the yard getting a sweat on enjoying the sun doing some work than trapped in the house staring at the tube... I'll save that for the crappy winter days that I'm not out skiing or sledding.
Play some of the roughest sports there is, I'm sore Monday mornings from actually playing hard on the weekends, and usually have a new bruise or limp to show off when I come in to work.
And, there is a protective side I think most guys don't have. Most guys won't risk their safety or clean clothes to help someone else, and most will back down from a challenge to fight. That's something I avoid, but sometimes it has to be done (I believe Kenny Rogers has a song about the "coward" sticking up for his woman and layin the smack down)
There are manly guys that have what women are looking for are out there... We just don't always look like pretty boys or scum bags, it's those guys that are "normal" that get overlooked that are usually the most surprising.
Back in the day a guy having a girlfriend/wife meant many many perks. It meant you got regular sex, dinner made for you every day, the house clean, etc. etc. Women were the prize. It was harder for a single guy to get laid without paying cause people would generally get married early and not as many women were willing to have sex before marriage.
Than things changed, the birth of feminism came and there was more of an equalization between the genders. Most women work now, MANY young women don't even know how to cook and certainly have no interest in staying home and catering to a man's will. On the other hand many men now became MORE independent out of necessity. We cook our own meals, do our own groceries and look after our own houses. We don't NEED women for any of this stuff. Most men I know in their 40's and 50's don't even know how to make tea!!! Now most of the "hot girls" in their teens and twenties are the ones who don't know how to turn on an oven let alone cook you dinner.
So what do I, as a guy get from being in a relationship now? Someone to take care of you? Nope? Warm meals? Nope. Clean house? NOpe....get married and divorced and you will have NO house. Regular sex? Ok, that's still true. But if a guy wants to just bust a nut now there is SOOO much freely available porn on the internet now that you can access in about five seconds and than instead of having to listen to a girl nag for the next two hours you can go back to some entertaining video games. Of course sex is better, but how much better? Does it justify the effort you have to put in?
And here lies the final nail in the coffin. Now adays women actually have BIGGER egos and expect the guy to put in MORE effort to have sex and/or date them than before. So wait a minute. As a guy now there is far fewer benefits to having a gf but the amount of effort to obtain one is greater? YOu know what? Maybe I'll just stay home and play video games and look at some porn. I think when you look at most men dating age now you will see they hold a similar opinion.
PS: I have a girlfriend and she's great. But if I'm getting into a relationship I do expect MORE from a girl than just having a vagina, and a pulse. I expect her to put in at least close to as much effort into a relationship than me.
Perfect.
Here's what I've received from my relationships that was worth it:
Some good sex, some fun memories, and one of them was there for the hardest time of my life (but then she made that time even worse near the end). That's pretty much it.
Here's the crappy stuff:
$3000 in the hole for a freakin' ring that I'm glad she never got since I found out she was cheating while I was away, working, making money so we could have a life together when I got home.
A bashed up mentality on women. I have very very little interest in getting close to someone and putting trust in someone enough to rely on them.
Lots of wasted $ and time on dates and short relationships that have for very few times as a result of me gone sour. I'll admit, I have screwed up a time or two, but not to the severity that I've been handed.
So why would I put things on the back burner that I love to do like hanging out with my buddies (no drama, no stress) racing my bike (what woman wants to come to the track and camp all weekend) going where I want when I want, and having no stress or concern about where she is and who she's doing.
Didn't intend to turn it in to a relationship thread...
On topic, I think most guys are too feminized. If you're afraid to get dirty, play rough, sweat, or care about what tag is on the collar of your shirt, you're too girly.
If you have no spine then you don't deserve to walk around with ILS (invisible Lat syndrome).
If you don't stand up for what you believe in, OR have the balls to admit you were wrong and apologize and truly mean it.
If you wouldn't risk yourself or make a sacrifice to help someone truly in need.
If you don't treat people with respect:
You are NOT a MAN.
Being a man isn't about the show you put on, or how you look. It's the person you are on the inside, that you put forward for the world to see with no GAF.