The stereotype of men is changing slightly, but it's certainly not gone. I can live with the notion that men are "supposed to be" stronger than women, and things of that ilk. What I absolutely cannot stand are the stereotypes regarding emotion and activities.
Men Aren't Supposed To/Don't Cry
Well that's a load of crap. Do not tell me that I am not allowed to express my emotion. If I'm sad, I might cry. If I'm ridiculously frustrated and don't know what to do, I might cry. If I'm having an anxiety attack and can't hide it, I might cry! Heck, I might just be watching something that's sad or nostalgic and cry! That does not mean that I am weak or a "crybaby" or anything like that. It means that I am human. Humans have emotions. If you don't have emotions, then you might be a robot.
Men Should Be Playing Sports, Not Dancing, Acting, Singing, etc.
I'll be completely honest: I know this one is changing. However, it is far from gone. Being that I enjoy doing all of the above, I get incredibly angry when I feel like this is being implied (or said outright). Don't get me wrong, sports can be fun to play and they can definitely be fun to watch, but that doesn't mean I enjoy it enough to do it often. I would much rather be a part of a musical, play, or chorus than play a sport.
Men Don't Show Love
Let me explain this one a little more. What I tend to find is when I show any kind of affection or something of the sort in front of people who don't know me very well, they give me some strange looks. Especially other guys. I'm not talking about making-out with my girlfriend in public or anything like that. What I mean is just little things. For some reason, people look at me as though I shouldn't be opening up and showing that side of myself in public.
Chivalry Is Dead
This one really gets me. It kind of bounces off the last one, but it's also very different. Everyone says that chivalry is dead. For the most part, it might be, but not for me. We can not assume that every single guy is not chivalrous.
Men Aren't Very Polite
This is probably a less common one, but the number of weird looks I get when I am polite really makes me think it isn't. When I hold the door for someone at a store or somewhere else in public, they always look shocked. Why? I was raised to believe this was expected. Or when I thank a cashier, they always seem surprised! (Having been a cashier before, I can actually understand this one. It's unfortunate, really.)
So? What's your point?
My point is this: everyone has stereotypes, men and women alike. These are the stereotypes I notice as a man. We need to try not to hold people to these stereotypes. I am guilty of it myself, but they really are quite ridiculous. It's as easy as what we teach young children:
Don't judge a book by it's cover.
