Women Love Macho

For some time I’ve wondered why women weren’t knocking down my door while seeking a mate.  I thought I had some qualities they sought. Things like a secure job, own my house, healthy and in shape, a good listener and sympathetic soul. However, I have now discovered that they’re not falling all over themselves to reach me because I have too many pictures of me with various cats. I’m not the macho man they really seek.

 

The Models

Researchers at Colorado State University compiled data on whether women liked a man pictured with a cat or the same person sans cat. They preferred the cat-less guy.

 More Neurotic Guy

"Men holding cats were viewed as less masculine; more neurotic, agreeable, and open; and less dateable," the authors wrote.

 Macho Man

A short time ago I blogged about macho men. Basically talking about how society tends to push us towards that image.  However, at the time it didn’t occur to me that women would be drooling more for macho men then those wimpy types who hold cats.

 Wimpy guy

For years, we’ve heard stories or read articles by women who claimed they wished men were more caring, willing to show emotion, or had a more compelling desire to talk about their feelings.

 Macho, Macho Man

Little did I know that they were kidding. Nope, women want the tough, macho guy.  Oh, you probably clicked on the link above and read how the data came from women who were 18 to 24 years old.  You may have said to yourself “well, those young women aren’t like us more mature, experienced ones.” However, stereotypes and beliefs are not independent. They are taught or ingrained—from our elders.  So this means that it’s not just young immature females seeking macho men, it’s all of them. They’ve passed that desire to the younger generations.

 Agreeable and open guy

A few years ago I blogged about how women were just as superficial as men. I stated they stereotyped men just as much as men did women. However, I missed this new, important point. Then I posited that men tend to stereotype women based on looks while women did it towards men based on status and wealth. Wellllll, I should have guessed that women stereotype on looks just as frequently as men.

 I wanna be a Macho Man

Let this be a lesson to all men. Oh, you should keep your cat, they are great creatures with distinct personalities and qualities, but be careful about having one around when there’s a camera. And if you make a mistake and a woman you are attracted to discovers a picture of you with a cat, act fast. Tell her that the cat was your sister’s or better yet, an ex-girlfriend who insisted you hold the fur ball. That may actually get you a few extra points in her eyes.

 Ahhhh, James Thurber

We at The Thurber Brigade apologize for once again making fun of the foibles of women. We thought that it would be good to get away from another sidestep about police brutality or the idiocy of the guy occupying the White House. We also thought it would make us feel better as it points out that women are just like men and have a variety of tics, faults, misgivings and other less than perfect qualities that make us all human.

Macho Man

It permeates society from advertising to driving. It causes wars but also discoveries. It leads to conflict but also acts of bravery. Machismo. The scourge and also blessing of all men.

All males feel the need to be macho. Some of us only need to display it occasionally, some view it as a required constant lifestyle. We can't help it, it's partly due to testosterone, partly due to upbringing.

If someone pushes you or calls you a name, your testosterone kicks it up a notch and you respond. When you were a kid and you tripped rounding first base and smashed your nose and you began to cry, your coach would extol you to be a man and get up and keep going.

Oh, I should point out that this only relates to the majority of us guys, not “the other team” (clever Seinfeld reference) since I don't play for them and don’t know their macho status. "Not that there's anything wrong with that."

Macho is observed in many forms and styles as well as degree.

You see it a lot while out driving. Of course road rage is an obvious and extreme extension, but there are other indicators. For example, I notice it all the time when I attempt to pass someone who's going slow only to discover he's sped up as soon as I make my move. Similar to that, is the driver who wants to get into your lane but wants to do it in front of you, not behind. Even if there is no traffic behind you, the guy will smash the pedal to the metal to get ahead of you.

I admit to my own displays of macho. Although I have no problem merging behind someone in traffic, I’ll be damned if I let a guy in if it looks to me like he's trying to jump in line because he didn't want to wait. Such as when the right lane is obviously closed ahead but instead of getting in the long line to left, this guy speeds ahead and darts into the lane further ahead. Macho.

I display my machoness by wearing clothes that I think are manly, albeit not fashionable. Yeah, you'll find an array of flannel shirts in my closet.

As you might expect, we guys get macho around women. There are the super macho guys who'll get in a fight over a woman (not me) to the guys who will stand around trying to look macho (yeah, that's me with a hand in his pocket while holding a drink, leaning against a wall disinterested in life. Subtle, right?).
   
So there are all sorts of different machismo that you may encounter in us guys. I should point out that I blogged about a similar phenomenon in our aggressive competitiveness, which is a little bit different. No matter the variety though, if it offends you or is something you don't appreciate just ignore the guy or move farther away. However, don't verbally confront him, his machoness may kick into high gear and then who knows?

 Ah, James Thurber (who was macho)