Is being tickled "unmanly"?

[Artoo]

I'm not coming at this topic with any agenda, but do you think that being tickled goes against what are traditionally male roles in society, such as the submissive aspect of being tickled?

Looking forward to hearing your opinions,
Roo

 

[dalekfire]

I guess it all depends on how you (or others) look at it. Jenna thinks I'm both cute and "hott" when I'm being tickled, so... *shrugs*

I'd like to think of it as...you're more of a "man" if you can take the punishment. 😉 (And if you can't, then it's still a manly thing to try, anyway. lol)

 

[LD_Tickler]

I mean, gender roles are bogus as we all know so of course tickling isn't manly or unmanly.

BUT, if we're momentarily acknowleding gender roles just for the sake of discussion, then I'd say being tickled is definitely "unmanly." Being reduced to helpless fits of giggling and twitching doesn't really fit the job description.

 

[milagros317]

Being tickled doesn't fit the traditional macho stereotype. So what? 😀

 

[drew70]

I grew up thinking just the opposite. That it was unmanly and downright effeminate for guys to Ler. But I've pretty much cast off gender roles as far as tickling goes. Manly or unmanly, getting tickled excessively by an enthusiastic female is my definition of a good day.

 

[tickletime4u]

Not unmanly at all no. If tickling cannot work both ways for both sexes, there would be less options, and less fun to be had. I got into tickling by being tickled, I'm a ler now, in terms of being a lee again, I doubt it but never say never, but I can assure you being unmanly is nothing to do with any reasoning either way

 

[QBWeaver]

At past NESTs.... I can tell you that some of the sexiest men were the ones us gals got to tie up and tickle!...... Right Andy?

 

[chicago]

The idea of male lees instantly makes me uncomfortable. The only reason I can come up with is that I like to date guys that exude those characteristics attributed to men only and I find tickling men to be very emasculating. I know there are guys that like to be tickled who are probably the strongest, most manliest men you'll ever meet, and I know this idea is somewhat narrow minded, which is why I don't express it very often.

That's just me.

 

[TonyInMyThroat]

The idea of male lees instantly makes me uncomfortable. The only reason I can come up with is that I like to date guys that exude those characteristics attributed to men only and I find tickling men to be very emasculating. I know there are guys that like to be tickled who are probably the strongest, most manliest men you'll ever meet, and I know this idea is somewhat narrow minded, which is why I don't express it very often.

That's just me.

Your not alone Annie.

My wife was never comfortable with the role of ler, so we’ve been exclusively M/F since the very early stages of the relationship. To the enjoyment of both sides I might add.

 

[kucheeku]

No difference

Tickling has zero, nada, zilch to do with masculinity, but yes, there is this notion of a male, either as ler or lee, of somehow participating in something "gay." If you don't believe it, check out the number of youtube tickling vids with guys in either f/m or m/m situations and how many "gay" comments are made, especially when there's a group involved. When you hear "that's so gay" during the ruckus, you know somebody (usually another guy) is uncomfortable.

Anyone ever watch a f/f video clip and hear any of the two women being told they were not feminine for tickling? Just asking. 🙂

 

[GarreleFeet]

That's a very good point, but also, ladies get away with a bit more because people enjoy seeing it. Tickling, in my opinion, is not a question of masculinity or femininity; simply of fetishism.

 

[baldadonis]

Its hard to quantify tickling in terms of manliness because its generally not an activity that men participate in socially or publicly. Its a form of play or a fetish. I don't really think it has much relation to gender roles.

 

[-Hari-]

i dont think its very manly really,especially if its a girl doign the dishing... its not manly to let a woman get the better of you... luckily im not the manliest of guys the majority of the time and love my girlfriend being the powerful once in a while,, you COULD say if your a REALLY ticklish guy that its manly to face the suffering?

 

[chicago]

i dont think its very manly really,especially if its a girl doign the dishing... its not manly to let a woman get the better of you... luckily im not the manliest of guys the majority of the time and love my girlfriend being the powerful once in a while,, you COULD say if your a REALLY ticklish guy that its manly to face the suffering?

Face? Or be forced to endure?

 

[-Hari-]

endure to what extent? cause i was meaning face in a 1-1 setting, knowing what was goign to happen. if i was forced to endure it then it would be even less manly i would imagine, puerly cause a "real man" should have some sort of control over whats happening to him

 

[Deleted member 66627]

Submissive men and I don't mix well.


I don't hate them..I just don't feel comfortable in a situation like that.

I'm not saying all Male Lee's are naturally submissive, but the one's that make me uncomfortable are. Very much so.

In my eyes that makes them 'unmanly', yes.

 

[chicago]

endure to what extent? cause i was meaning face in a 1-1 setting, knowing what was goign to happen. if i was forced to endure it then it would be even less manly i would imagine, puerly cause a "real man" should have some sort of control over whats happening to him

Sure you have some control in that you know what's going to happen, but for a guy to willingly (and actually WANT) for another person to take control of their body and make them squirm and giggle like a little girl...

 

[-Hari-]

Sure you have some control in that you know what's going to happen, but for a guy to willingly (and actually WANT) for another person to take control of their body and make them squirm and giggle like a little girl...

depends if i do actually squirm and giggle liek a little girl... im not really into that, its more like an angry growl 😛 and a look of vengefulness in my eyes that sarah likes very much as sho knows she in mucho trouble very soon, and thats not just tickling, i dont really do that much anymore, just mix it in here and there, but thats all just me,

the guys that do "squirm and giggle like a little girl" .... yeah i dont see how that can be sexy at all...

i guess it depends how you react, theres many different types of tickling,some less manly than others but none are exactly macho, not all worth throwing up over tho either 😛

 

[Elphaba]

I don't have a problem with male lee's at all.
I don't think it makes them look any less masculine unless they have like a very high pitched cackle.
I love tickling my boyfriend, on the occasions I get a look in. I love the feeling of power from it, when usually I am submissive.
I think gender roles is just something you learn when your younger - i.e. there was a sociological study done where young children were asked to draw a teacher and a police person, and they drew a female teacher and a male policeman.
It's just how we're brought up in society. We see men as strong characters and women as fragile. This is why many women find the idea of ticklish men not very appealing - because its not the way we are asked to see men and its not the 'norm' of society for men to be the "weaker" sex in a sense.
Its all about nature verus nuture in the end and the sociological values behind men and women. Men are meant to be the 'huntergather' and women are meant to be the 'housewife'.
A weak man is unappealing to women's nature, apparently.

🙂

 

[Artoo]

(unless it's a pink eel, or something).

Surely that's more manly than a lot of things? 😉

I've known a few really ticklish guys, and had some fun making them squirm, but, for me.... 'submissive' male 'lees are just too girly.
"oooh, I sure hope you don't find out how ticklish I am...",
"boy, you could sure dominate me with tickling",
"oh, no, you're not thinking of tickling me, are you?"
Well, no. I'm not.

I think it's the stereotypical sub attitude that most people find unmanly. I'm not "coy" about my love of being tickled, I love it, and the whole "wimpish" attitude of many subs is, frankly, quite sickening.

However, since the act of being tickled is submissive in nature, it stands to reason that in a society in which men are supposed to feel in control of situations, it is going to seem unmanly. Possibly more because it seems childish than anything else though.

 

[milagros317]

That's just me.

And don't let anybody tell you that your tastes in tickling/tickle partners should be different than they are. 😀

 

[drew70]

There's a Star Trek Next Generation episode called Angel One that takes place on a planet populated with humanoids in a matriarchial society. The women were taller and stronger than the men. They were the hunters and the providers. The men were all of slight stature. They wore revealing clothing, perfume, and their basic function was to please the women.

In short, the men were a bunch of milktoast pansies, each and every one of them in desperate need of serious ass-kicking.

I don't believe that being a lee puts a guy in the same league as the men from Angel One. In fact, I reject the assumed roles of lers as dominant and lees as submissive. That's just stereotypical labeling applied by the BDSM crowd wanting to pull the whole of tickling under their umbrella.

Many of us F/M guys grew up being tickled by females and not because we were submissive. It was all noncon in those days, and if big sister and her friends decided you were going to get tickled, it didn't matter if you were submissive or hostile. You were going to get held down and tickled until they were satisfied. In fact, the more hostile you were, the greater the severity and duration.

I've collected a bunch of F/M footage over the years. There are very few guys in those videos that I would consider unmanly. Same goes with the guys getting tickled at NEST. It takes guts to put oneself at the mercy of all those women.

If a guy is a ler, and his significant other wants to switch, the unmanly response would be to refuse.

 

[SirDigbyChickenCaesar]

I think, as others have touched on, that it comes down to how much that enjoyment or desire to be tickled affects you when you aren't in a tickling situation. I'd like to think that I don't come across as a submissive person, despite my preference to be on the receiving end. I certainly wouldn't call myself normal, but that has more to do with me being a goofy jokester that enjoys watching Spongebob Squarepants than a simpering submissive.

I have a deep voice and a slightly bushy beard, that has to count for some manliness, right? 🙂

 

[ThatPercussionGuy]

I disagree with the fact that if a guy enjoys being tickled it makes him 'unmanly'. Does the fact that I love receiving a back scratch or a massage make me 'unmanly' also? I'm not the type that is %100 ticklee, and maybe that's the type of male 'lee's you're talking about here, but when people ask I respond by saying I'm about 70/30 on the 'ler/'lee ratio. If i'm lucky enough to have a significant other that enjoys tickling or can find a female tickle partner that wants to tickle me sometimes, that would be more of a win/win situation for both parties, correct?

If a girl tickles another girl does that make her gay or bi or bi-curious?

Definitely a good question to ask and I respect the responses so far, but I don't think it makes a guy 'unmanly'.



Tckleguy

 

[SapphireRose]

*Ponders*

I don't think it is unmanly at all honestly. What it basically comes down to is how comfortable you are around the person that is "trying" to tickle you! If you can let down your defenses enough to actually laugh at the physical sensations that the Ler is putting you through, that shows how comfortable and how strong you actually are.

Then there are those who are just too...well...stubborn to let it affect them...
Why? I have no idea...I think maybe it's the fact that you do have to be somewhat submissive to let it have an effect and if you are the dominant person...it actually goes against your nature.

*Shrugs...* Those are my thoughts anyway.