What do you personally consider to be feminine and masculine qualities?

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Elena321

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(Bit nervous to start a new thread…)

Would you consider your views on feminine and masculine to be formed by the Catholic Church,or by culture,or “traditional” things such as traditional roles in home and society etc?

For example:do you think women can be feminine and play sport or do you think sport naturally makes women less feminine etc?
 
All my qualities are feminine. My husband’s are masculine. 🙂
 
I think that people should just be themselves. As long as people avoid what is sinful and try to be the best version of themselves, nothing they do makes them less “feminine” or “masculine” in any meaningful way. I formed this opinion from observing that being male or female defines only part of one’s personality.
 
pensmama87 said:
All my qualities are feminine. My husband’s are masculine. 🙂
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Same here! Although I have been pretty involved skiing,backpacking,running,weight training for most of my adult life.So one can embody all of the particular traits of their gender and still be physically active and fit,which for much of the history of society as we know it,has always been considered more masculine.🤷
 
Elena321 said:
(Bit nervous to start a new thread…)

Would you consider your views on feminine and masculine to be formed by the Catholic Church,or by culture,or “traditional” things such as traditional roles in home and society etc?

For example:do you think women can be feminine and play sport or do you think sport naturally makes women less feminine etc?
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Disclaimer: I am giving a man’s perspective. 😊

My views on masculinity and femininity are formed mainly by the society I grew up in and, to a lesser extent, by the Church’s teaching.

My views are somewhat paradoxical. I believe that men are supposed to take on more responsibility on themselves than women (although I can’t say I comply with that 😦 ). This is why, on the other hand, I believe that are supposed to be tough and masculine. Ideally, they should be in good shape, they should be brave, they should strive not to show their weaknesses to anyone. :knight2: Under the Church’s influence, I believe it very masculine to be pious and religious, taking the faith seriously, but, at the same type, being compassionate.

On the other hand, as concerns women, I don’t think it is bad when a woman demonstrates “masculine” qualities. There is nothing wrong when a woman is courageous, determined, tough-as-nails, able to take important decisions, solve problems, etc. Contrary to what many people think, I don’t think women who do sports, even very “male” sports, like martial arts or bodybuilding, are “unfeminine” for this reason alone - to the contrary, I believe that it somehow (paradoxically) makes them “more feminine”.

What I consider really repulsive and “unfeminine”, is when a woman considers that she “does not need a man” and boasts about it all the time. When a woman feels “offended” by the natural order of things and “fights for equality”, destroying morality and family values in the process. I feel that a woman like that goes directly against her own nature.
 
I had a long detailed post on my views of masculine vs. feminine, but I’m not sure the tone was right for the thread as it is right now. So I’ll just say this. I don’t think the traditional masculine/feminine divide as society defines it is good, healthy, or particularly Catholic. My views on what is masculine vs. feminine are the product of Catholic theology coupled with my own personal experiences and understanding.

That said, words mean what they mean. A female bodybuilder who arm wrestles with her male friends and watches football and fixes trucks would probably be described as masculine. But if she likes to knit and arrange flowers for her friends’ weddings, does that suddenly make her feminine again? Likewise, would a man who is unathletic, drinks pina coladas, and likes to sew be feminine? Most people would probably use that as a descriptor, but if he also builds cars in his spare time, has a beard, brews his own beer, and knows how to install plumbing, is he suddenly masculine again?

At the end of the day, masculine/feminine are really only good for describing specific interests, not people. I know rugby players who wear pink shirts and I know sorority girls who go hunting on weekends in full camo and make deer sausage.

OP, if you’re a girl and are worried people will judge you for playing sports because it’s “not feminine,” you need better friends. Be yourself. “The people who matter don’t mind, and the people who mind don’t matter.”
 
I think people try too hard to differentiate. For me, I know it when I see it. I don’t see a quality as feminine or masculine, maybe perhaps the combination of qualities shows me whether the person is feminine/masculine, if that makes sense. It’s not easy to describe…but TBH I usually find myself looking at the person’s mannerisms as opposed to personality/their hobbies/etc.

Society tries soo hard to answer this question by coming up with weird stereotypes, and that’s not helping anybody besides the self righteous IMO

I’ll say my view definitely comes from culture (eg we are told that girls should sit with their legs closed, guys are usually sat with their legs slightly apart because um…their…you know). The way they walk, etc seems to come naturally, but of course, that could be simply observational learning?

If I have to say one: Women are more likely to cuddle with each other and do the weirdest things…but the guys i know who are comfortable with touch (hugging other male friends tightly for instance) don’t feel the need for that closeness as often as women do (my experience).

Could be again, society or culture (I notice men from other countries who work here are very close, they hold hands even, and they are straight)

The Church doesn’t have its own list of qualities but more of roles, don’t they? There are popes etc who suscribe to society’s idea of gender roles but that doesn’t mean it’s right/the correct way of looking at things.

I know the Church has a view on gender roles…male=giving, female=receptivity? When it comes to love or something. Not too sure.
 
I consider having XY chromosomes and male genitalia to be masculine qualities.
I consider having XX chromosomes and female genitalia to be feminine qualities.
 
JimG said:
I consider having XY chromosomes and male genitalia to be masculine qualities.
I consider having XX chromosomes and female genitalia to be feminine qualities.
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Interesting. How would you classify XXY (Klinefelter’s)?
 
Masculinity is characterized by initiation (but not domination), and femininity is characterized by receptivity (but not passivity). We must remember, though, women’s hugely important role in showing men how to be receptive towards God (since this quality is not characteristicly masculine). Our Lady, with her fiat, was the perfect model of receptivity, but all women are her inheritors.

Read more here: catholiceducation.org/en/controversy/feminism/pope-john-paul-ii-s-teaching-on-women.html
 
BlueEyedLady said:
Interesting. How would you classify XXY (Klinefelter’s)?
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Unfortunately this is a condition brought about by our sin and the sin brought to us by Adam and Eve’s Disobedience. This is why people get cancer, heart disease, diabetes, same sex attractions, transgender issues…etc.🤷
 
1believer1 said:
Unfortunately this is a condition brought about by our sin and the sin brought to us by Adam and Eve’s Disobedience. This is why people get cancer, heart disease, diabetes, same sex attractions, transgender issues…etc.🤷
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um what? Really?
 
Mary_Estelle said:
um what? Really?
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Original sin affects our world in all kinds of ways. There was no sickness and death before the Fall. This is NOT the same thing as saying that those who suffer from diseases somehow deserve to get them. It’s just an acknowledgement that they exist now.
 
BlueEyedLady said:
Interesting. How would you classify XXY (Klinefelter’s)?
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I believe that those with Klinefelters are still male, although with an extra chromosome. It’s a rare genetic anomaly.

It any case, my point is that male and female are determined by genetics and anatomy. Other characteristics which we might associate with masculinity are often simply individual preferences and learned behaviors.
 
pensmama87 said:
Original sin affects our world in all kinds of ways. There was no sickness and death before the Fall. This is NOT the same thing as saying that those who suffer from diseases somehow deserve to get them. It’s just an acknowledgement that they exist now.
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Oh Gosh, I knew that. It is just that the poster didn’t make his/her post as clear as a bell. Besides I think Adam was complicent when he saw Eve eat that apple and said, “Yum, that looks good, think I’ll have a bite, too!” It just that his apple had a worm in it and he blamed it all on Eve. “She made me do it,” therefor all the ills and troubles of the world are HER fault!😃 Yup, I think that’s what happened and now boys and girls don’t know what they are, or if they are anything at all.😛

Full moon last night! LOL!!
 
Mary_Estelle said:
Oh Gosh, I knew that. It is just that the poster didn’t make his/her post as clear as a bell. Besides I think Adam was complicent when he saw Eve eat that apple and said, “Yum, that looks good, think I’ll have a bite, too!” It just that his apple had a worm in it and he blamed it all on Eve. “She made me do it,” therefor all the ills and troubles of the world are HER fault!😃 Yup, I think that’s what happened and now boys and girls don’t know what they are, or if they are anything at all.😛

Full moon last night! LOL!!
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😃

I do think you’re onto something. Men and women complement each other. We are made for each other. In marriage this is made very clear. I think the key of it is really that we are all necessary, we all contribute, we’re all valuable, we’re all part of the body.

I think the Fall disrupted that and made men and women much more adversarial. The idea that one sex is the enemy or flawed or lesser, or that we put blame on others and try to draw too neat little boxes around each other. The “battle of the sexes” diminishes our humanity.
 
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