Surely there is a bar or a standard that we male homosapiens must meet in order to live up to the title of 'a real man'.
Being a man is easy enough. If there is a bar or a standard, you're a man whether you cut it or not. But a real man with emphasis on the real is one that we have yet to really define.
The world's perspective may look something like this:
Smart, good looking, wears expensive aftershave, successful, pulls the women, rakes in the cash, famous, has charisma and the all-important six pack. (McConaughey takes off his shirt enough in each film for us to notice that..)Looks about right I'm thinking. That's enough for every man to aspire to, which I guess in some twisted way makes you want to buy the aftershave, and buy into the idea of the real man.
The sad thing is that women don't help men in this. I've heard lots of my female friends say about the likes of Hugh Jackman; "That's what a real man looks like". Right, thanks.
Matthew McConaughey is one of many men who contribute to the way we think and one aspect of the whole influence. God's version of a 'real man' may seem a whole lot less cool. From His angle, the main point here is that the real man has one model. One template. One representative.
No suprises here as to where I'm going... Jesus.
Does a real man put everyone else before himself? Does a real man live promiscuously and conquor women? Does a real man mark knotches on his bedpost? Does a real man wack off to porn? Does he discipline himself? Does he live faithfully? Be easily angered? Fear commitment or feel the need to prove himself? Does he lust over women who are not his wife? Slag off his mates? Inflate his own ego, or choose to build up other people?
When you take Jesus as the template, the viewpoint changes. Was Jesus passive or weak? Absolutely not. Though he has been watered down by pictures, imagery and the way he's painted. If he had got down from the cross and kung fu'd them all, we'd think He was way more manly and cooler - but we'd miss the point entirely of a real man's sacrifice for love.
Sidenote, love is a masculine thing too. Love means taking risk, sacrifice and putting your heart on the line... what's soft and fluffy about that?
Humility, grace, mercy, love, compassion; all underestimated. In fact they are often seen as weakness and frailness of character. I suppose part of being a real man is the knowing and understanding of true masculinity.
The question you need to ask yourself is, what kind of man do you want to be? Buying Dolche and Gabbana might be easier.

