# Non-stereotypically manly professions? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 9, 2009, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-stereotypically-manly-professions/502458 "2009-07-09T15:21:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2009, 9:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-stereotypically-manly-professions/502458/21 "2009-07-10T09:29:49Z")
1. You come into the thread making a baffling post: “It’s not a profession per se, but one that’s sort of obvious: criminal.” In no way whatsoever does this fit the OP’s inquiry about “non-stereotypically manly professions.” I don’t know what you meant by this; I can’t make heads or tails of it, honestly. Maybe you were trying to make a joke or a point of some kind - I don’t know. 2. I rebuke your assertion, which was very baffling to begin with; I offer some reasoning as to why; I try to explain (to you) what the OP was looking for. OP posts in complete agreement with what I said. 3. You bite back with some defensive rhetoric, professing outrage at what is being discussed here (in other words, a centuries-old and unchanged definition of “manliness” that is almost universally understood) and then a snide, bizarre comment which more or less amounts to an insult to both myself and OP. 4. You act surprised and annoyed that someone did not go to the trouble of reading your profile and assumed you were female, despite having a female name as your username. (Hey, I’ve got an ace tip: if you don’t want people to assume you’re female, don’t use a woman’s name as your username.) In conclusion: where the fuck do you get off acting like this? ---
**Author:** ![Kimmy\_Gibbler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Kimmy\_Gibbler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimmy_Gibbler)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2009, 9:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-stereotypically-manly-professions/502458/22 "2009-07-10T09:40:13Z")
> [@Argent\_Towers](#): > > in other words, a centuries-old and unchanged definition of “manliness” that is almost universally understood This idea is, to coin a phrase, complete and utter bullshit, and I challenge you to prove up each element of your sweeping claim. > [@](#): > > (Hey, I’ve got an ace tip: if you don’t want people to assume you’re female, don’t use a woman’s name as your username.) Funny, from your carefully cultivated atavistic politics, I would have supposed that you would have been more familiar with the works of [Rudyard Kipling](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kim_%28novel%29). ---
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2009, 9:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-stereotypically-manly-professions/502458/23 "2009-07-10T09:44:33Z")
You can say whatever you want. At the end of the day, “manly” is still going to mean the same thing. I know your kind - I went to college, you know. I’m very impressed that you’re daring to challenge the status quo. I’m in awe of your tireless efforts to break down the old walls of patriarchy and everything, and your rapier wit. Really, in awe. Bravo! You win the day! ---
**Author:** ![Kimmy\_Gibbler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Kimmy\_Gibbler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimmy_Gibbler)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2009, 9:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-stereotypically-manly-professions/502458/24 "2009-07-10T09:50:00Z")
> [@Argent\_Towers](#): > > You can say whatever you want. At the end of the day, “manly” is still going to mean the same thing. I know your kind - I went to college, you know. I’m very impressed that you’re daring to challenge the status quo. I’m in awe of your tireless efforts to break down the old walls of patriarchy and everything, and your rapier wit. Really, in awe. Bravo! You win the day! Finally, the recognition I deserve. Anyway, you embarrass me with your effusive praise–Enough! The pleasure was all mine, **A.T.** ---
**Author:** ![Busy\_Scissors](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/d78d45/32.png) [@Busy\_Scissors](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Busy_Scissors)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2009, 10:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-stereotypically-manly-professions/502458/25 "2009-07-10T10:03:29Z")
Jockeys? I know sports are generally seen as manly, but jockeys have to be low down on the list of perceived macho sportsmen. Wee men poncing about in colourful pajamas, playing with ponies. Reality is that it’s a rough sport that takes great durability and grit to be successful at, particularly over the fences. ---
**Author:** ![Eats\_Crayons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/278dde/32.png) [@Eats\_Crayons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eats_Crayons)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2009, 12:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-stereotypically-manly-professions/502458/26 "2009-07-10T12:14:12Z")
Cobblers. Every image (usually a drawing of some kind) depicting cobblers has them working in conditions that makes them look like blacksmiths. When I think “making shoes” the image of a manly man does not spring to mind, but “cobbler”? Now there is a serious manly worker who will take the thickest leather and beat it into supple submission so it will form a rugged boot. ---
**Author:** ![Serenata67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/serenata67/32/10646_2.png) [@Serenata67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Serenata67)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2009, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-stereotypically-manly-professions/502458/27 "2009-07-10T14:36:25Z")
> [@Kimmy\_Gibbler](#): > > Man oh Manischewitz, doesn’t anybody read my profile? I read your profile before posting that… and no where on there does it say you’re a man. It says under occupation “I’m no lady.” I know a lot of women who wouldn’t qualify to being called a “lady.” And with your proto-feminist slant (or perhaps it should be modified to read anti-masculine slant) and feminine screen name, I took it that you were female, just not the classy kind (hence not being a lady). I’m so sorry. I should have known what you meant by the two cryptic sentences on your profile. I’m working on that mind reading thing, but so far I haven’t had much success. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Baby\_Driver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/258eb7/32.png) [@Baby\_Driver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baby_Driver)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2009, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-stereotypically-manly-professions/502458/28 "2009-07-10T14:57:53Z")
> [@gotpasswords](#): > > Tailors. True, dat! Cite: _American Pastoral_ by Phillip Roth. **Vunderbob** , misread “clockmaker” as…something else :o ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2009, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-stereotypically-manly-professions/502458/29 "2009-07-10T15:14:30Z")
How about music conductors? Not apparently macho, but I know of women who swoon over a local conductor, and I can see why: the masterful control of complex beauty, done with vigor and grace. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2009, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-stereotypically-manly-professions/502458/30 "2009-07-10T15:23:03Z")
> [@Serenata67](#): > > A conversation in this [thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=11318434#post11318434)about the manliness of chefs got me thinking. Ummmm. . .in my defense, I was kidding. The thread was about guys crying. I am a guy, and I love to cook. One taste of my Frittata in the morning is all a woman needs to forget about her second thoughts on having stayed the night!😃 ---
**Author:** ![Serenata67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/serenata67/32/10646_2.png) [@Serenata67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Serenata67)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2009, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-stereotypically-manly-professions/502458/31 "2009-07-10T15:27:30Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > Ummmm. . .in my defense, I was kidding. The thread was about guys crying. I am a guy, and I love to cook. One taste of my Frittata in the morning is all a woman needs to forget about her second thoughts on having stayed the night!😃 I know you were kidding… it was a joking, sarcastic thread. But nonetheless, it really got me thinking. I used to poke fun at my fiancee because he is a chef… then I realized just how manly that is! He’s more manly (and more secure in his manhood) that pretty much any man I’ve ever had a serious relationship with. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2009, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-stereotypically-manly-professions/502458/32 "2009-07-10T15:28:29Z")
> [@Eats\_Crayons](#): > > Cobblers. No, seriously, they really are manly! Oh, you meant the profession. Buncha Gareths ---
**Author:** ![whole\_bean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/96bed5/32.png) [@whole\_bean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whole_bean)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2009, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-stereotypically-manly-professions/502458/33 "2009-07-10T17:34:59Z")
> [@Kimmy\_Gibbler](#): > > Finally, the recognition I deserve. Anyway, you embarrass me with your effusive praise–Enough! The pleasure was all mine, **A.T.** Uh, the book you referenced is called Kim, not “Kimmy.” And your username isn’t just “Kimmy” it’s “ **Kimmy\_Gibbler**.” Far as I can tell, your username has jack to do with the works of Rudyard Kippling and everything to do with the works of Jeff Franklin and Andrea Barber. Not that you care what I think, but you’re a good contributor to these boards. You’re knowledgeable and witty, but every now and then you can come across as a bit of a queen. Off topic a bit and not to poke both sides here, but **Argent** , from previous threads, I got the impression you finished your Associate’s degree recently, in others, you said you had a B.A. Just curious, which is it? ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2009, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-stereotypically-manly-professions/502458/34 "2009-07-10T17:49:01Z")
> [@whole\_bean](#): > > And your username isn’t just “Kimmy” it’s “ **Kimmy\_Gibbler**.” I’ts not Kimmy Gobbler? :smack: (I know it’s not but I keep reading it as that. But I did assume Kimmy was a male.) ---
**Author:** ![whole\_bean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/96bed5/32.png) [@whole\_bean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whole_bean)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2009, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-stereotypically-manly-professions/502458/35 "2009-07-10T18:21:16Z")
> [@Ludovic](#): > > I’ts not Kimmy Gobbler? :smack: (I know it’s not but I keep reading it as that. But I did assume Kimmy was a male.) no, that’s a character from the inspired adult film _Full Mouth_ ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Robson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gary_robson/32/3448_2.png) [@Gary\_Robson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Robson)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2009, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-stereotypically-manly-professions/502458/36 "2009-07-10T20:08:46Z")
[mod hat on] **Argent Towers** and **Kimmy\_Gibbler** : how about if the two of you take a deep breath and back off a bit? [mod hat off] ---
**Author:** ![slitterst](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecc23a/32.png) [@slitterst](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slitterst)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2009, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-stereotypically-manly-professions/502458/37 "2009-07-10T20:22:10Z")
Dancers. Sure, you can laugh about their tights and loose shirts, but not only lifting those girls all performance long, but throwing them? And doing it eight hours a day in rehearsal, over and over and over again? If guys would just sit down and think about what modern dance and ballet entails, there would be far more straight men getting into dance. In that vein – Choreographers. Not only do you have to have all the skills I mentioned above, you’ve got to have a strong enough personality to control all those artistes while teaching them something that only exists in your head. Phebotomists. When my daughter needed blood drawn in her second day of life, these two linebackers came into the room to hold her down while they used a tiny needle to find her teeny-tiny vein. It’s not just about knowing how to use the needle, it’s about having the power to restrain someone who may be fidgety about that needle piercing their skin. ---
**Author:** ![Rocketeer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocketeer/32/4437_2.png) [@Rocketeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rocketeer)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2009, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-stereotypically-manly-professions/502458/38 "2009-07-10T20:31:16Z")
Auto upholstery (“trimming”) is a predominantly masculine profession. Don’t think I’ve ever seen a female auto upholsterer. ---
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2009, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-stereotypically-manly-professions/502458/39 "2009-07-10T22:41:10Z")
> [@whole\_bean](#): > > Off topic a bit and not to poke both sides here, but **Argent** , from previous threads, I got the impression you finished your Associate’s degree recently, in others, you said you had a B.A. Just curious, which is it? I got a B.A. in history, from Indiana University. (Where did I ever say I had an Associate’s degree?) ---
**Author:** ![elmwood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmwood/32/3060_2.png) [@elmwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elmwood)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2009, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-stereotypically-manly-professions/502458/40 "2009-07-10T23:08:28Z")
> [@Eats\_Crayons](#): > > Cobblers. Every image (usually a drawing of some kind) depicting cobblers has them working in conditions that makes them look like blacksmiths. When I think “making shoes” the image of a manly man does not spring to mind, but “cobbler”? Now there is a serious manly worker who will take the thickest leather and beat it into supple submission so it will form a rugged boot. Was just about to post that. In my old neighborhood in Cleveland, there were several shoe repair stores, most operated not just by men, but by _Russian_ men. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-stereotypically-manly-professions/502458.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-stereotypically-manly-professions/502458.md?page=3)