Bruce Lee, one of many reasons that fiction thinks "Testosterone" means "Awesome".
"I'm not on board with this modern trend of telling men that they should act less like men. I dream of a world where the beer is cheap and plentiful, violence can still be an acceptable solution to life's problems"
Many cultures have certain expectations of what a man should and should not be. These qualities are deemed "masculine" and the men who embody them are called "real men." Common traits include bravery, diligence, endurance and strength. Failing to achieve this standard often meant rejection and mocking, while living up to it meant being stuck in a rigid role. Thankfully, these demands have loosened considerably in many parts of the world.
Some guys just never bothered to care, though.
Whether or not these tropes are positive or negative, they demonstrate what society considers masculine.
See also Rated M for Manly.
Contrast Bishōnen, Pretty Boy, In Touch with His Feminine Side, Femininity Tropes.
Compare/Contrast Gender-Blending Tropes.
Not to be confused with The Real Man (though the attitude of such players can be rooted in these tropes).
Tropes
Categories:
- Abhorrent Alpha Male: An unpleasant guy who acts like an "alpha male."
- Action Dad: Unlike a useless Bumbling Dad, this dad is tough and proactive.
- Air Hugging: A side effect of Real Men Hate Affection below.
- Boys Like Creepy Critters: Boys are believed to be interested in things that would gross out the fairer sex, like insects or other weird pets.
- Briefs Boasting: A man seems somehow more masculine if he wears briefs.
- Carpet of Virility: Chest hair emphasizes a man's masculinity, especially on a muscular physique.
- Cock Fight: Fighting over a woman to show manliness...and get laid.
- Cocky Rooster
- Emasculated Cuckold: If a man's wife cheats on him, he's not manly.
- Eunuchs Are Evil: Being less masculine because of their lack of testicles and therefore testosterone, eunuchs must be weird and creepy not-males, and cannot be trusted.
- Father's Quest
- Fiendish Fraternity: Groups of men are bound to be hyper masculine and usually dangerous.
- Final Battle-Induced Shirt Loss: The antagonist will reveal your manliness after they get rid of that shirt.
- Finger Extinguisher: Putting out a flame with your hand.
- Fire Is Masculine: Maleness or masculinity is associated with fire or heat.
- The Grunting Orgasm: Men are not supposed to outwardly show any strong emotions, even during sex, the thing they allegedly want most at all times.
- Guys are Slobs: Being disgustingly dirty means being manly, apparently.
- Hunk
- I Want to Be a Real Man
- Jerk Jock: Playing sports means that boys and men are hypercompetitive, arrogant, and prone to bullying.
- The Lad-ette: A girl with boorish masculine traits.
- A Lady on Each Arm: A true player is a man who can attract several women at once to accompany him.
- Leg Cling: In a "primitive" setting like the distant past, women will literally cling to strong and dominant men for protection.
- Lovable Jock: Unlike the Jerk Jock,
- Macho Camp: A man who has "camp" (effeminate and believed to be gay) mannerisms but is also muscular and a "tough guy".
- Male Frontal Nudity: While female nudity is more normalized, such as for fanservice reasons, showing naked men is less common, at least if their genitals can be seen.
- Man Hug: Men stereotypically hate being touched and showing affection to each other, but of course there are times it does happen (even if it's a little awkward).
- A Man Is Always Eager: Men always have a high sex drive and always want sex (typically with conventionally attractive women) and can get turned on right away. If they don't, there is something wrong with them.
- Manly Gay: A homosexual and masculine man, unlike the Camp Gay stereotype that gay men are always effeminate.
- Manly Man
- Manly Men Can Hunt: Hunting what you eat is peak masculinity.
- Masculine, Feminine, Androgyne Trio: A feminine character is grouped with a masculine character and an androgynous character.
- Masculine Girl, Feminine Boy: A feminine male and a masculine female are featured together.
- Noble Male, Roguish Male: Two classic versions of masculinity.
- One of the Boys: A girl who does guy things with the guys.
- Passionate Sports Girl: A girl who is passionate about playing traditional male sports.
- Pec Flex: Flexing or bouncing their pecs to show manliness.
- Perma-Stubble: When men are so manly that their beard grown simply cannot be stopped by mere shaving.
- Pink Is for Sissies: That color is a unexpected fit for a guy.
- The Quarterback: American football is believed to be a high-status sport for males to play, and this position on the team is seen as the most important and for true leaders.
- Real Men Eat Meat: Virile men only eat red meat, the rarer the manlier.
- Real Men Pee Standing Up: Sitting to urinate as a man, or standing to urinate as a woman, is weird or embarrassing.
- Real Men Take It Black: Men are far too tough to put anything in their coffee. The more bitter and acidic, the better.
- Red Hot Masculinity: The color red is associated with masculinity.
- Scary Black Man: Because they're stereotyped as more aggressive and prone to criminality than other races, black men are dangerous, or at least someone to be wary around.
- Sensitive Guy and Manly Man: One man is feminine, and the other is masculine.
- Shirtless Captives
- Shirtless Scene: Fanservice that emphasizes masculinity.
- Sissy Shaming: A man is mistreated for having "feminine" hobbies and interests.
- Tall, Dark, and Handsome: The classic beauty ideal for men is to be much taller than women, and darkhaired (if not in skin colour).
- Tomboy and Girly Girl: One girl is masculine, and the other is feminine.
- Unmanly Secret: Unlike Real Men Wear Pink, this is when a man has a "feminine" trait but it's something to be embarrassed by and want to hide.
- Vigorous Bull: Bulls are a symbol of fertility, masculine pride, power, and virility.
- Virile Stallion: Horses are used to represent unbridled manliness and sexuality.
- Walking Shirtless Scene: A classic way to show off masculinity is to walk around shirtless to show off one's musculature.
- Working Out Their Emotions: Real men don't let out their emotions—they exercise them!
- Double Standard: Rape, Female on Male: Real men can't be raped by woman, which is something that supposedly only happens the other way around. Besides, it's assumed that A Man Is Always Eager for women. (Ignore that women can use weapons and that psychological abuse can be awful too.)
- Double Standard: Rape, Male on Male: A man being raped by another man makes him "unmanly" and weak and humiliated, and therefore it is allegedly funny and not horrific.