The Male Gaze

The Male Gaze

This is not about the ridiculous politically correct phrase. This is about a concrete tip for men that can be easily followed. Christian McQueen made a very accurate observation about Manosphere blog posts. There’s quite a bit of theory and not much solid, actionable advice that men can follow. Here’s some actionable advice based on my observations of men out in public.

Guys, stop looking down. It makes you look subservient and weak. Look at the horizon or where you imagine the horizon to be. This applies both indoors and outdoors. This certainly applies when you’re sitting having a conversation, Bringing your gaze away from the ground accomplishes a great deal.

Your ability to observe the world increases greatly. This is especially true for watching people. If you’re not looking at faces, you’re missing enormous opportunities for watching facial expressions and seeing the subtleties of those expressions. You needn’t stare too much. Your own subtleties are equally important.

Your overall mien becomes more confident. If your head is up and you’re looking ahead, your posture improves and you can more easily make eye contact with the rest of humanity. Making eye contact is a crucial element of showing confidence. Averting one’s eyes is a very hard habit to break. A big part of that is the message that men must be always non-threatening. Looking directly at another man’s eyes, in some cultures, can be taken as a challenge. It’s not like that here. Here’s a tip – if the other looks back long enough, raise your chin in a greeting and acknowledgement that you have made eye contact. Never dip your chin.

By looking at the horizon, a man is going to improve his posture as he walks. A good posture speaks loudly and well of a man’s general confidence and attitude towards life. As an aside, when a man walks he should keep his hands out of his pockets and never cross his arms nor keep his hands behind his back. It’s simple things like this that make a man stand out in a very good way. This is not theory, this is practical advice than men can start following right now.