What are the mushy stuff that your boyfriend or husband has been doing lately in the name of mushiness? For sure, any or a combination of the following things, but I am sure somebody out there is presently concocting something to beat them all!

Here are some signs of mushiness:

  • He is into the gossip thing from time to time. He’ll listen or even contribute one or two juicy stories without much prodding.
  • He has seen the movie “Notting Hill” three times, repeat three times, and he’s planning for a fourth.
  • He has a pet, maybe the barking type or the crawling kind that he showers with TLC (tender loving care).
  • He has no qualms about coloring his hair.
  • He is conscious of how he looks whenever he’s with you.
  • He reads fashion magazines.
  • He is tending his own garden, whether he’s into orchids or palm trees.
  • He likes to wear his pink-colored Ralph Lauren polo shirt.
  • He asks if you have read this or that romance novel.
  • He has memorized the words of Celine Dion’s song “My Heart Will Go On”.
  • He likes going to art galleries and exhibition openings. When he can afford it, he’ll buy an art piece with his hard-earned money.
  • Playing Boggle is equally desirable to him as playing basketball.
  • He writes poems just for you.
  • Whenever he gets the spare time, he volunteers to cook.
  • He never fails to watch his favorite soap opera with you on weekday nights.
  • He tells you that the ending of Steven Spielberg movies makes him teary-eyed.

And I’m sure you can think of many more…Man kissing woman's hand

Why the Change

A lot of things made it happen. Possibly it is because we have more modern parents now. They no longer tell boys not to cry because it’s not the right thing to do. Being better educated and probably they were raised by better parents too, they are now aware that males need not bottle up their emotions. Instead, they tell their sons that it’s all right to express one’s feelings.

Another possible cause is the media (movies, TV, print, etc.). With stereotypes of being macho bashed every so often, men no longer believe that they have to use brute power to get things done. In its place, they have picked up new attitudes. It’s OK to cook: it’s OK to receive help; it’s OK to ask for a woman’s opinion, it’s OK for the wife to have her own way, it’s OK not to be superior, etc. For sure, they all mean the same thing: It’s OK to be mushy and there’s nothing to be sorry for!

And of course an additional possibility could be that men got tired of being the boss. You know, it’s difficult to be playing the superior gender all the time. Having realized this, and after his consciousness has been continuously drilled and the impropriety, of being the superior gender, he’s now ready to give up and settle for a co-existence practice.

Then all of a sudden guys demonstrate how mushy they really are.

Missed part 1? See it here: Is Your Guy Mushy? – Part 1