Free Republic

Papa don’t panic! New York City can be a terrifying place to raise kids, so some devoted dads are fighting their fears by disinfecting subway poles, logging the weights of poopy diapers down to the ounce, and keeping the plastic surgeon on speed-dial in casejunior gets a bad boo-boo. Heard of helicopter moms? Consider these hovering pops Black Hawk Dads. “It’s just better to be safe than sorry,” says Doug, 35, who hand washes cups and plates because he fears the dishwasher releases harmful chemicals, thoroughly cleans shopping carts before letting his 4-year-old daughter sit in them, and stocks his...

Metrosexual men are using their partners’ beauty products and being caught out by using too much, research shows. It costs their female partners £230 ($350) a year to replace the expensive moisturizers and skin care products. More than half of the 520 women surveyed across the UK said their male partners use their beauty products, according to Escentual.com, who carried out the poll. It found men prefer to use the most expensive brands, especially French brands such as Clarins and La Roch Posay. …

More than 20 men — all Chicago lawyers — will slip into stilettos and parade around the Loop on Tuesday in an effort to raise awareness about violence against women. The Chicago Bar Association's Young Lawyers Section is hosting its first Walk a Mile in Her Shoes event with Between Friends, a local nonprofit geared toward ending domestic abuse. The men will walk one mile in their choice of stilettos to draw attention to the bar association's effort to curb violence against women.

Men's tights, for so long the preserve of ballet dancers and runway models, are taking Manhattan by storm and could soon be seen on the street of Britain.

Mitt Romney aides say he has made crucial gains among Florida's Hispanic voters by portraying Obama as fatally weak, a perception they argue has particular power in the Latino community. A new Florida International University/Miami Herald poll released over the weekend shows President Obama leading Romney among likely Latino voters by just seven points, 51-44 percent. A Tampa Bay Times/Miami Herald poll released late last week actually showed Romney ahead of Obama by two points—an 11-point shift from a month earlier. And a third poll, released Sunday by Public Policy Polling, shows Romney down just three points among Florida Hispanics....

bored at work, I decided to wander over to the New York Times website to see how they're viewing the world today, insofar as one can see that from looking at things on their website accessible for free, as I (obviously) refuse to give them any of my money. I happened across this ridiculosity, which I post here for the amusement of my fellow freepers. It's one of a series of essays about what Obama can do to improve his vote-getting ability. My favorite paragraph: Older, rural, white men, especially in the South, are probably out of reach for the...

YEARS after the word “metrosexual” entered the mainstream, there’s nothing eyebrow-raising about men getting a manicure or a facial. Lately though, guys’ grooming has gone one step further, deep into territory that was previously reserved solely for women: bikini waxing. The below-the-belt treatment — which, just like the women’s version, removes either some or all pubic hair — is becoming increasingly popular, and not just among competitive swimmers or underwear models. “What we’re finding is, it’s everybody,” said Mike Indursky, the president of the Bliss chain of spas, which offers a men’s Brazilian called the Ultimate He-Wax for $125. “It’s...

SANTA MARINELLA, Italy, January 23, 2012 (LifeSiteNews.com) – What kind of man sneaks away under cover of darkness from his own sinking ship, leaving nearly 4200 passengers and crew to fend for themselves? What kind of men knock aside old ladies, little girls and young mothers to get to lifeboats first? Why, modern men, sexually emancipated men who have been raised on the tenets of feminism and our “contemporary” mores. What can an expression like “women and children first” mean to modern men who have been taught all their lives that women are nothing more precious than sexual playthings, and...

As Mitt Romney puts the South Carolina primary in his rear-view mirror and hits the accelerator in a bid to win Florida, he may discover himself crashing headlong into the bitter legacy of Charlie Crist, the former Florida governor who defected from the GOP and was soundly defeated for the U.S. Senate by Marco Rubio. Romney’s “Charlie Crist” problem is this: Romney’s chief campaign strategist and several of his most senior campaign staff were Crist’s top political advisers — the same ones who crafted Crist’s moderate, ignore-the-tea-party strategy epitomized in Crist’s famous “hug” of President Barack Obama. That strategy led...

In the news recently was a story about a workshop being held for guys, to show them how to release their inner child. Step one: learn how to cry. Reading that article made me cry, from sheer frustration. Listen up, guys. Despite what you hear from feminists and other assorted do-gooders, the majority of women most assuredly don't want to see you break down and cry....

"To survive in a hostile world, guys need to embrace girly jobs and dirty diapers," argued the Newsweek writers Andrew Romano and Tony Dokoupil in the subheadline of their September 20 article "Men's Lib." The writers set out to explain "[w]hy it’s time to reimagine masculinity at work and at home." If American men want to be competitive in a global economy, they argued, they need to suck it up and get comfortable with the idea of working traditionally "girly jobs" and/or being stay at home dads: It’s possible to imagine protectionist trade and immigration policies boosting blue-collar employment at...

Modern 'metrosexual' man seems to have finally had his day as most British women admit to preferring their men hairy, research revealed today. While recent years have seen the seemingly unstoppable rise of male grooming, 85 per cent of women said that the hirsute look suits men better. Waxing and excessive shaving got the thumbs down, with girls opting for a 'real man' instead. Shaved chests, plucked eyebrows and the 'back, sack and crack' wax were not, after all, the way to a woman's heart, the survey found. Only 8 per cent of women said they liked their men groomed...

"President Obama`s New York trip this week now includes a unique stop: The View. `This marks the first time in history a sitting United States President has visited a daytime talk show,` says a press release from The View, the morning chatfest featuring Barbara Walters and Whoopi Goldberg. The interview will be taped Wednesday, and broadcast Thursday morning." http://content.usatoday.com/communities/theoval/post/2010/07/obamas-new-media-strategy-the-view/1 Real men don`t eat quiche, they don`t get in touch with their inner child, and they don`t watch "The View." I`d rather undergo a root canal by a dentist on crack, than watch the neurotic and annoying ladies of "The View."...

Shepherd Smith just led the 7:00 news hour with a story on the Shirley Sherrod case. He stated that the original video of her speech to the NAACP (which was released by Andrew Breitbart) was EDITED to present her out of context. Smith played the portion of the clip that included Sherrod stating that she did not give the white farmer all the help she could have. Smith then stated that the full clip shows that this was taken out of context and then played the part of the clip in which Shirley said it was revealed to her it...

Wonder Woman got a makeover, but she's still behind the curves. Her designers seem not to realize that for decades women have been in the ascendancy in the marketplace, and it's male action heroes who require a makeover, literally and figuratively. Exceptions still rule the imaginations of children, but in the world where most grown-ups live, the male sex seems to need a Wonder Man to idealize possibilities. Or to put it bluntly, woman is the new man. For the first time, women make up the majority of the workforce. Women dominate the numbers in undergraduate education and in professional...

Forget “throws like a girl.” Try "throws worse than an octogenarian" . . . How weak was Pres. Obama’s first pitch at the Nationals game on Opening Day this week? Well, have a look at officially ancient John Stevens throwing out a first pitch, and compare and contrast with PBO’s puny effort [after the jump]. MSNBC ran the clip of Stevens’ throw in the course of a segment on the Supreme Court justice’s announcement today of his retirement. View videos of Stevens and Obama's pitches here.

What strikes me again and again about these movies is how hunky and masculine the majority of the male stars were.  Neanderthal: Joan Collins turned down Richard Burton while making Sea Wife Boom Town was on recently, with the extremely macho co-stars Spencer Tracy and Clark Gable. Although Gable was by far the better looking and taller (he kept referring to Tracy as 'Shorty' in the film) Spencer Tracy was his equal in the he-man department. The same goes for most of the male movie stars from the golden era of Hollywood: Anthony Quinn dancing the tango with Rita...

For the last decade, American men have been inundated with the idea that women prefer men who are in touch with their feminine side, men who are not afraid to spend a little extra time in front of the mirror, and maybe even wear a little make up to highlight the features of their face. We are told that men like John Kerry and Barack Obama are what women really want. Men who are not only unashamed of their femininity, but men who will even go so far as to display such faith in their feminism in public as...

For the last decade, American men have been inundated with the idea that women prefer men who are in touch with their feminine side. Men who are not afraid to spend a little extra time in front of the mirror, and maybe even wear a Little make up to highlight the features of their face. We are told that men like John Kerry and Obama are what women really want. Men who are not only unashamed of their femininity, but men who will even go so far as to display such faith in their feminism in public such as Obama...

Coach Inc. (COH) is opening its first men's-only store as the retailer moves to extend its reach beyond traditional female customers. The store will be on trendy Bleecker Street in New York City's West Village, taking over space that was occupied by a Ruehl boutique that was closed as Abercrombie & Fitch Inc. (ANF) shuttered the concept last year. Coach, known for its leather handbags and accessories for women, wants to explore "a broader men's opportunity for the brand globally," said Mike Tucci, Coach's president of North America retail. Coach is also opening a few men's shops in department stores...