Ain't No Other Man

Since burning the brassiere turned out in vogue decades back, women have learned to roar when pressing situation calls but it seems the unfortunate payback is that some men of today are barely making a whimper. Let's face it, women's lib has been around for generations and yet gender stereotyping still exists.

After years of political correctness, men and women are still judged by different standards. Judging by a radio commentary today ( overheard on my way back from work ), if for some obscure reason a man lives off a woman, he's branded a spineless leech, a ne'er do well, a useless parasite - while if a woman does the same, she'll probably be given a firm salute for achieving many a parent's goal, possibly even an object of envy for many of her peers. Quite glaringly obvious from the number of lunching tai tais sauntering lazily around the malls during working hours in their Pradas and their Guccis. If a healthy, reasonably intelligent man were to do so, he'd probably be clapped up and stoned in the public square.

Even the traditionally 'feminine' arts are not looked on favourably. When a man takes up knitting or ( God forbid! :) ) fashion design, he's automatically tagged a limp-wristed fag, nelly or a sissy while a strapping Amazon who's holding a bloody machete in one hand and a loaded machine gun in another is lauded for advancing women's rights. Seriously. Would you prefer a slinky Versace gown with ornamental safety pins or several crying orphans in a war-torn country?

Due to unforgiving societal expectations, men are required to be intelligent, smart, resourceful and able to hold down a reasonably stable job. Any small aberration from the above and they'll be relegated to the lowly, unsavoury company of bums and drunks. On the other hand, there would be no raised eyebrows if some little girl were to make a wish to snag a wandering prince charming and live happily ever after with her three Indonesian maids, limitless credit and a walk-in wardrobe full of designer couture.

And along with all that material success, men are supposed to be sweet, sensitive and submissive. Holy Stepford Husbands! Talk about a near impossible benchmark! Be without those paragon-like qualities and the significant others would start wailing in distress to their chic girlfriends over Cosmopolitans. Has anyone ever bothered to wonder why it's rare to find guys complaining about their girlfriends to their buddies in the sports bar?

Trust me. Women love to rage occasionally about the difficulties of being all female ( and I certainly do sympathize but you have strappy Manolos to compensate! ) but really, it isn't all that easy being a guy either - much less a heterosexual guy. After all that, does it come as any surprise that most sensitive new age guys are turning gay? :)