I discovered The Art of Manliness when a friend sent me their guide to getting a manly haircut a la Mad Men. Their mission? Reviving the lost art of manliness. I was hooked, and I’ve been faithfully reading ever since.
I love this site. I regularly wish the founders would branch off and do something for women, but in all honesty, there’s really no need. Even though I’m not in their target demographic, I’ve still learned far more about the opposite sex (and gleaned tons of practical information and intelligent advice that’s completely gender-neutral) from the site than any female-specific “lifestyle guide.”
You want relationship advice?
Some sample posts from TAOM: “How to Apologize Like a Man,” “Being the Rock,” “The Road Map to the Perfect First Date,” and “Buying the Perfect Engagement Ring.” Pretty solid, no?
I hopped over to the Cosmo site to see what their latest and greatest relationship advice was (they claim to be the “lifestylist for millions of fun fearless females who want to be the best they can in every area of their lives”). Well, not only does Cosmo not do relationships (it’s Sex & Love), their current feature articles included the oh-so-invaluable “Get Hit on All The Time,” “What He Tells his Friends About You” and “His 10 Biggest Love Lies.”
I’m pretty sure those are the same headlines every “Women’s Lifestyle Guide” has shoved through the thesaurus feature of Word and recycled for the past three decades. How insightful. How empowering, to dive in and waste another 4 minutes of your life reading some inane article attempting to explain what’s going on “inside his head.” If the women writing those articles can actually explain the inner workings of your partner’s mind (or your mind, male readers)…is that really something to be grateful for? Yech.
Even the majority of posts under The Art of Manliness’ category “A Man’s Life” apply to men and women alike (case in point: Hustle: The Key to Success). Not only is the site’s content genuinely interesting, well-written and worth the time it takes to read, I adore its aesthetic. Their interpretation of manliness doesn’t reek of wanna-be Chuck Bass-es on the prowl for their latest conquest. If, in reading any of these articles, you think “Oh, that sounds like [insert boyfriend's name here]/[something I'd do for a lady]“…kudos to you.
I’d suggest adding The Art of Manliness to your bookmarks (and your significant other’s) pronto.
