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The Art of Manliness

Man Up

Teaching My Son to Be a ManToday

Image from mattbellphoto

Editor’s Note: This is a guest post from Sean Platt at Writer Dad. Check out his site!

Whenever I’m watching a movie that harkens back to a sepia tinted yesteryear, it isn’t the simpler times I long for so much as a return to the distant days when a man rose alongside the sunrise and was expected to give the daylight his best.

Clothes were sharper, adolescence shorter, and the word man still deserving of the first spot in the word manners. Now it seems as if there is something missing, something stripped from today’s men, besides their buttons and blazers. I peer at photographs of my grandfather in his prime, and ponder the polarity of our worlds. A dozen decades have hurtled by with such speed; it seems they have left our populace with a case of collective amnesia. I look past the creases of my curling photographs, grateful that I can still teach my son what I believe it means to be a man.

The fellows in those old photos look like they had manners, you can practically see them. Even greasy and fatigued, they never went outside without a hat to hold the hair upon th

The Best of The Art of Manliness: November 2008December 1

November has come and gone. The site continues to grow thanks to you all. Subscribers hit the 23,344 mark. Thank you for spreading the word about the site and emailing me article ideas. We’re looking forward to December. We have some awesome articles lined up to get you ready for the holidays. Should be fun.

The biggest news from the month of November is that voting started for the 2008 Art of Manliness Man of the Year. We have 10 manly finalists that represent the best in men. If you haven’t already, make sure to vote. Polls close December 14. If you know someone who is a finalist, make sure to get the vote out for them. Even if you don’t know the finalists, I’d really appreciate it if you can help spread the word about the contest. Tweet it, blog about it, share it on Facebook, or email your friends. We want to make sure that everyone knows about these great men.

Most Popular Articles

6 Lessons

The Case for MarriageNovember 30

Image from TooTallVal

Lately, marriage has gotten a bad rap. It seems like many people these days feel marriage is some archaic arrangement that holds people back from realizing their full potential. Even if people aren’t particularly anti-marriage, they will avoid getting hitched for as long as they can.

Many men delay marriage because they believe that dating and co-habitating offer all of the benefits (particularly sex) of marriage without the commitment and responsibility. They are fooling themselves. Nearly all of the true advantages of marriage (yes, even sex) apply only to actual married couples, not those couples living together, and certainly not to those simply dating.

Here at the Art of Manliness, we haven’t been shy about the fact that we’re big proponents of marriage. We certainly don’t advocate that men rush into marriage willy nilly, whether they’re ready or not. That would be seriously unwise. But once your find your true love and you’re sure she’s the one, there’s no reason to delay your nuptials. Why? Marriage of

The Art of Manliness Weekly Roundup: Book Deadline EditionNovember 29

Kate and I have a deadline for a draft of The Art of Manliness book due this Monday. We’ve been cranking away at it for the past few days putting the finishing touches on it. It’s looking good so far. After this deadline, we just have one more and we’ll be done. I can’t wait to be finished with it.

Now for some links

Three Reasons Cash is King (@ get rich slowly) I prefer cash to debit and the three reasons in this post is why.

10 Chemical-Free Ways to Pick Yourself Back Up (@ timeless lessons) Feeling down? Here are some suggestions on picking yourself back up. My favorite? Exercise.

8 Principles for a Zen Marriage (@ the simple marriage project) Great ideas on making marriage simpler.

Are Diet Sodas Making You Gain Weight? (@ the if life) I’m a recovering Diet Mountain Dew addict. The stuff got me through law school, but I know it’s not good for me. I’m actually trying to drop sodas in general. After an intense conditioning workout last week that left me sucking for air, I made the deci

Growing a Manly BeardNovember 28

Editor’s Note: This is a guest post from Steve Wilson, the author of beards.org. Make sure to check out his manly site! It inspired me to grow my first beard this month.

Growing a beard is an affirmation of manliness and masculinity. The beard itself is a physical characteristic that separates men from the boys, girls, and women. In our culture that has downplayed good old-fashioned masculinity, growing a beard shows that you are not afraid of being a manly man. You can reclaim a too-often-lost aspect of manliness by growing a beard.

How to Grow a Beard

Go ahead. Break free from the shaving trap and grow a beard. If you are ready to step up to the challenge of growing a beard, it is time to start growing. The key to a successful beard-growing effort is commitment. Just make a decision to grow a beard and stick with it. Do not be swayed by naysayers or lapses in your own