Monday, March 21, 2011

I like my husbands' testicles

Did I just hear the sound of hundreds dozens several mouses clicking away?

NO WAIT! this isn't as bad as it sounds. And there are no photos, I promise. Not of testicles, anyway.

When I first proposed this blog post title to my husband, his reaction was -- well, gratifying in a weird kind of way. Heh. I do like to keep him on his toes.

And, of course, none of us SERIOUSLY like testicles, do we? Girls, I mean -- fellas seem pretty keen on them for some reason.

But I do like one thing about testicles -- TESTOSTERONE.
Yeah.
I'm a girly girl, and I like manly men.

It seems to me that there's been a concerted move right across all forms of media over the last decade or more, to 'girlify' or downplay the role and reality of men.

I get that fashion changes, but once, hairy-chested men were all the rage.
Who can ever forget that eye-searing Jack Thompson centrefold? (if you've never seen it, be grateful.)
Or this iconic 'spread'?


Yes, indeed, ladies, once upon a time, Burt Reynolds was hotter than your nanas' flannie sheets.

Now, it's all about the waxing and there's not a chest hair to be seen on any model or actor.

Another example -- think about all the popular TV shows. How many of them feature a smart, manly man who can think for himself, without farting or ogling female body parts, and who doesn't need a woman or some smart arse kids to rescue him every week?

TV ads -- when was the last time you saw an ad for a 4WD that showed a MAN driving?

Even my favourite serial killer, Dexter, came under constant criticism from his wife and sister for being a bloke, and doing bloke stuff. What the...?

I like it that men are different from women.

I like the way they think, I like how their friendships have a completely different set of rules from female friendships, and I generally like their conversations a lot better at a barbeque!

I like that my man smells like a man, and works a man-job, and yes, sometimes he farts and it nearly kills me, but he also holds the doors for me and warms my towel in the dryer in winter, and if he wants to go fishing on the weekend, that's OK because I'm not going to make him choose curtain fabrics with me instead.

I don't need him to be another girlfriend (one with whiskers and big feet).

I need him to be my man, my spider-killer, my looker-afterer, my car-fixerer, my wet-towel-draping, remote-controlling-tv-flickerer; my hairy-chested, going bald, four-wheel-driving MAN.

I really do get it that women have had a hard slog to try and balance the 'battle of the sexes'. I know I'm standing on ground that was broken for me by suffragettes and feminists whose names I don't even know, and I'm grateful for the contributions that they've made to our lives.

But I don't think that, as a society, we have to discount the role that men play in order to elevate the status of women.

As a mum of 4 boys, I'm very conscious of teaching them that it's OK for them to be blokes. I don't want any of them to grow up thinking that they're unacceptable by acting true to their nature.

There's a great post on this, written by Brent Riggs. He says it all much better than I have, and if you have a minute, hop over and have a look, it's only a short post.

And please, let me know what you think in your comments.

12 comments:

  1. Best post title I've seen all day. I laughed before I'd even read the rest of what you'd written. (Very thankful I'm by myself in an office today, not in the open plan area of work.)

    ReplyDelete
  2. :)

    thanks..... heh..... I thought about the title for days before posting but I loved it too much to ditch it.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Well said Toni!!! Like you I like my man with his odiferous man smells, big feet,hairy chest (makes me go weak at the knees) and bed cover hogging ways. In fact I am going to "pinch" your topic...like you it has been something I have been thinking about and I saw an article on this not so long ago in Marie Claire I think...

    I bet Fabio is pleased you like his testicles!!!

    ReplyDelete
  4. I don't REALLY like testicles -- let's face it, they're weird looking....

    But yeah, pinch the topic, I look forward to reading your post.

    ReplyDelete
  5. GREAT TOPIC Toni, and I luv my 'MANLY' Man, wouldnt change him for anything ..... even his "odours" ????? hehehehehe

    ReplyDelete
  6. Great post. Got me thinking a bit... like when S says to me " you should really be telling that to a girlfriend" :)

    ReplyDelete
  7. I'm afraid I spent far too much of my life pretending to like men's testicles. They are hairy and squashy and erm ... well, enough said really. Perhaps that is why I am single ... Glad you love your hubby and his bits though. xo

    ReplyDelete
  8. Brilliant post, Toni, and not just the title! I fully agree with you. I don't know what went wrong either... x

    ReplyDelete
  9. I'm with you, manly men and chest hair. Vive la difference!
    Hopping on over to read Brent Riggs now.

    ReplyDelete
  10. lol'd quite a bit after just the title!
    Nothing better than watching shirtless hairy chested men working on a car or chopping wood...

    ReplyDelete
  11. Best post title ever! :D

    A photo would have killed you though?

    ReplyDelete

Hey, thanks for taking the time to leave a comment. I love to hear what you have to say even if you disagree with me. I have only one request -- please keep it polite.
Thankyou.

xx