I recently saw a post where a guy said random women were making rude, judgmental comments about him as he was minding his own business in public. They said things like ‘ew’ and ‘no thank you’, even when he wasn’t trying to talk to them. He said a few key things, some common behaviors and mindsets of men that are detrimental.

-He said that he would avoid eye contact to avoid negative attention. Avoidance of eye contact is a tell tale sign of submissiveness and insecurity. By avoiding eye contact, he is reinforcing that he will not stand up for himself or even respond to disrespectful, aggressive behavior.

-He didn’t state it outright in the post, but lack of eye contact goes hand in hand with slouched, inward body language and stiff, fast paced movement, which screams insecurity and unease. It is easier said than done when your internal mindset is not one of confidence, but dominant body language is slow and expansive—you take up space. You walk with your back straight, shoulders back, at a slow pace with a slight swing in your arms. Never put hands in pockets unless your hands are cold

-Finally, he stated that he didn’t project an imagine of ‘toxic masculinity’. This indicates that he has been socially conditioned to believe that traditional masculinity is inherently toxic. Society has beaten him down so that he accepts he must be in a submissive role to women. Despite what the loudest media and Internet talking heads say, strong women respect strong men who don’t act subservient. This doesn’t mean you have to act like a rigid asshole and believe men are better than women—men who are centered believe both genders have inherent strengths and deserve to be treated equally. Being dominant and projecting strength means you are not afraid to be a leader in your relationship, speak your mind, and not ashamed to display physical strength and confidence in your mannerisms.