How Manly Do You Like Your Man?

Alright, everyone--it's high time for me to reveal a side of my past that may have a big effect on what you think of me as a man. You already know I'm a total dandy. I've fessed up to manscaping. And my obsession with finding the perfect pomade for my high-maintenance hair is borderline pathological. How could things get any worse? Try this doozy on for size:

I used to be a ballet dancer.

My stint at the barre lasted from second grade through sixth grade, and I have no regrets. It all started when my sister started dancing--somehow her teacher, the indomitable Ms. Kay, talked my brother and me into joining her. Believe it or not, I never really got teased for dancing. I also played baseball and soccer and was very much one of the guys. I always maintained that ballet required more toughness than any sport with a ball, a statement I stand by to this day.

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I was reminded of my Billy Elliot phase last night, when I went to see the American Ballet Theatre's production of Sylvia with my friend Rosemary, who is also a former dancer. I admitted to her that I have always been hesitant to mention my history with ballet to girls because I'm afraid they'll write me off as a creampuff. She scoffed at this notion and told me about a t-shirt she used to own that read "Real Men Don't Lift Weights, They Lift Women."

The lovely Rosemary, who was a much better ballet dancer than me.

I like the quote, but I think the whole notion of "Real Men" has prevented millions of guys from pursuing their true interests. I understand that many women prefer manly men and wouldn't be interested in a, um, nuanced guy like me. That's cool. Quite frankly, I've never really been into the prototypical girly girl. But I think we all need to take a close look at our gender expectations and be a little more careful when throwing around terms like "manly" and "girly". Or is that a girly thing to say?

Do you tend to go for traditionally masculine guys? Do you consider yourself very feminine, or not so much? What's the "manliest" thing you've ever done? And do you like the ballet?

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