Reverse Double Standard??

 We ladies have a definite advantage over men; we can get away with things that they cannot. Here are ten things that are socially acceptable for heterosexual women to do, but not heterosexual men . Both men and women CAN do most of these things, but the social implications are what often stop men from doing the things on this list.

1. We Can Openly Own Sex Toys:

 For various reasons, some biological and some psychological, women sometimes need more stimulous pleasuring themselves sexually than men do, whereas most men are content with using their hands and a certain degree of lubricant.
Thus, women are often encouraged to employ sexual aids that provide steady vibration, even a faux phallus to stimulate themselves to orgasm without a partner should the need and/or desire arise. Straight men, on the other hand, are generally discouraged from owning sex toys for their own personal use. The typical fear is that a potential romantic partner, or even mere friends and associates, would consider a man needing a faux vagina for masturbatory purposes to be either a sexual deviant or pathetic loser.

Seems like a double-standard, doesn’t it?

2. Women Can Wear Men's Clothes To Work:
First of all, men have penises and testicles. If ANYTHING, they need more space in the bottom half of their wardrobe (i.e. the kind of space skirts or dresses would allow) than women. IT'S BASIC MATH. Given the impracticalities of women’s fashion throughout history (some of which still linger to this very day) it’s easy to understand why women have fought for their right to wear pants.  But over time it's become perfectly acceptable for a woman to wear pants, t-shirts, and even practical shoes.                   Now what about the men? Not so much. If a man wants to wear clothing specifically designed for a woman he’ll have to also wear the label of “transvestite.” It's not that every man actually WANTS to wear women’s clothing, but there’s no denying it--being ABLE to do so could be liberating.

3. Women Have Multiple, Viable, Birth Control Options:

If a man and a woman wish to have sexual intercourse and protect themselves from sexually transmitted infections then of course condoms are the most effective contraceptive. But if a woman simply wishes not to get pregnant – perhaps in addition to condoms or instead of (if they are, for instance, married or in a long-term monogamous committed relationship) – they have many other options. Birth Control Pills, shots, rings, diaphragms, patches and more allow a woman to dramatically reduce their body’s ability to procreate and what’s more, allow them to change their minds and actually procreate should they make that choice later on.

Men? They have condoms. Or condoms. Unless they opt for a vasectomy, i.e. surgery.

One option is inconvenient and diminishes sexual pleasure, while the other is somewhat permanent. Men are still waiting on a pill, shot or some other form of reliable contraceptive that can give them control over their ability to procreate.

4. Women Can Openly Experiment With Homosexuality:

Of course, many subcultures in the Western World are still hostile to homosexuality in all of its forms, but over the last few decades in particular, society as a whole has become more accepting of the homosexual way of life. Regardless of whether homosexuality is a choice or an innate facet of one’s being, Kinsey was already telling us over 50 years ago that homosexual experimentation is a fairly normal part of the human experience. But attitudes towards sexual experimentation are not uniform across the sexes.

 There will always be intolerance but as a rule, a certain degree of homosexual experimentation among females is considered socially acceptable, even "completely awesome" according to some guys, whereas among males it is pretty much not.

Many straight women are comfortable admitting to having gone through a “phase,” or at least kissing another woman in a social setting; from intoxicated college reverie to innocent games of Spin The Bottle in their youth. They are not immediately labeled as gay.

If a man admits to such a youthful experience, no matter how fleeting or unenjoyable, they could be permanently labeled as homosexual. 

5. Women Can Touch Each Other Openly, Men Can't:

Have you ever seen two men hug each other? The accepted style for a modern “Bro Grab” is to embrace with one arm, and then firmly strike the other man’s back with the other, usually repeatedly. Some have remarked that this tendency has to do with contrast: physical intimacy tempered with physical violence, which thus cancel each other out. There is also another element to this ritual, one less concerned with social acceptance and more to do with personal comfort. The repeated pats/punches also prevent lingering physical contact with another male. The hug, however long, is rhythmically interrupted to distract from the one’s general discomfort with prolonged intimacy of any kind with other men.

Women, on the other hand, can hug, hold hands or even kiss each other casually without a hint of homophobic anxiety or personal discomfort (not that every woman enjoys this kind of physical contact, of course). Comforting non-sexual contact between women is encouraged at an early age.
 In contrast, men are frequently discouraged from touching other men unless there’s some degree of physical conflict involved. Sports, high fives and even handshakes are all considered healthy ways of touching other men, but all involve some implied degree of violence or at least competition (many men attempt to out-squeeze each other in the middle of a handshake, although this is often merely a sign of insecurity). This fosters the  discomfort with intimacy that continues to keep men emotionally stunted in comparison to women.

6. Women Can Dance Together:

Dancing is a wonderful and highly personal form of self-expression. It feels good, it's great exercise and is even considered ultra-masculine in some non-western cultures. Practically everyone dances at some point in their lives, at least when nobody is watching, but dancing in public is something that men are often uncomfortable with, even with a female partner.

If we think men are being ridiculous for not enjoying themselves in a group setting with members of the opposite sex, that’s nothing compared to the discomfort most men feel with dancing around other men.

Dancing with other men is not a socially acceptable practice, although nobody bats an eye when women dance together (at least, not disapprovingly). Hopefully this will change in the near future.

As with many of the items on this list, homophobia is often a factor in this case. But more than that, fear of dancing in general is an expression of discomfort with one’s body and social standing.

7. Women Can Call Each Other Attractive:

Although women can be competitive amongst their own gender, they are also allowed to be mutually supportive in ways that straight men usually cannot publicly. This is due mostly to, again, the insane amount of homophobia present in our Western culture today.

Women are allowed to compliment each other’s looks free from social awkwardness. Admitting that other women have attractive clothes, personality traits and features – even predominantly sexual features, like breasts and hips – is not exactly taboo.

Heterosexual men, however, are not generally "allowed" to say that other men look “sexy” in any context.

In fact, any compliment regarding a degree of physical attractiveness must usually be qualified out of social insecurity. “I can see why women go for him,” for example, is reasonably acceptable. “Nice haircut” is vague enough to generally be fine. But, “Oh man, you look totally hot in that tank top?” Not socially acceptable.

8. Women Can Make Sweeping Denouncements of Men:

If a woman says that “all men are bastards,” no one is likely to bat an eye, and they’re even less likely to go to bat for the male species. If, on the other hand, a man says “All women are bitches,” then social norms dictate that he’s being sexist. (Before we go any further, let’s take a moment to clarify that NEITHER statement is accurate, nor should either be socially acceptable. No one should denounce an entire sex.)

Frankly, the latter statement is generally considered so inflammatory that those who hear it are often unconcerned with the context in which it was spoken. If a woman says “All men are bastards” because somebody broke her heart, the statement is perfectly reasonable. If a man says “All women are bitches” because a woman broke HIS heart, then he’s being unreasonable.

9. Women Can Wear Makeup:

Much like #1 on this list, the fact that men can’t wear makeup isn’t something that many men lose sleep over. Frankly, most men have no desire whatsoever to wear makeup, but their position on make-up might change if wearing it it became socially acceptable.

Although makeup can often be worn to make one appear more attractive and feminine, it can also be used to de-emphasize features, cover unsightly blemishes and basically smooth over perceived defects in one’s general appearance.

It would be nice if we all lived in a perfect world in which everyone felt good about how they looked and was accepted based on their inherent worth as opposed to the degree to which they are aesthetically pleasing, but until that happens allowing men to wear makeup is a logical and infinitely more reasonable step.

There are certain instances in which it is 100% socially acceptable for males to wear makeup (face painting for sporting events, for example, or when one works as a model or actor), but in general, this is definitely something that women own.

10. Women Can Cry Whenever, Men Suck it Up :

Women can cry copiously and often for a thousand reasons; in private, in public and among friends. They can cry for happy occaisions, sad occaisions, when they feel lonely or just bitchy and they can cry for friends' problems too. They can tear up if they see something too cute for words or if they get a sentimental card or gift. Women can cry in groups, with friends and be perfectly comfortable. They can even cry in public with people scarcely raising an eyebrow. It's an accepted and even expected thing.

Not so for our men; crying is anathma to them. It is a slur on their manhood, a sign of weakness to them and their peers. It shows a lack of character. You have to be a brave soldier.
 If they hurt themselves they have to suck it up; walk it off. If they get extremely frustrated and stressed at work, they can swear, screw up paper and throw it at the wastebasket,  get agressive and go play killer basketball after work or in some cases, take the agression home and take it out on the wife and kids. But under no circumstances do they relieve the stress by weeping. They get sad, they get depressed, they get overcome with happiness but they cannot express it or release it with tears. And that is too bad. It would give them relief, a little respite, perhaps a little peace.
 They are allowed a tear or two at a funeral but nothing excessive. However, they have to stand around, patting their wives  on the back while they cry buckets. If little boys were taught that crying is okay, I honestly believe there would be less violence in our country. It just ain't fair; another example of a double standard that goes largely unrecognized.

This list is a small sampling of the advantages women have. I can think of so many more and I know you can come up with a few of your own. In fact, we would love to hear from you.