Generally speaking—and especially when anything thumb-related is called for—you’ll find that natural selection has been pretty good to humans. But as you might expect from a mind-bogglingly complex procession of randomly mutated crap being thrown against the wall to see what sticks across thousands of generations, it...
In 2009, L.A.-based family therapist and licensed social worker Christopher Mulligan noticed a startling trend among the children and teens he was treating: An increasing number of them were developing pathological relationships with technology, so much so that Mulligan reconfigured his practice to focus on “cyber addiction.”...
Last month, a piece on the cargo shorts-wearing male provoked serious internet self-reflection. The nation was forced to grapple with whether the aggressively pocketed, silhouette-ruining item of clothing was a crime not just against fashion, but against romance itself. The piece, by Nicole Hong for the Wall...
There’s an adage among entrepreneurs that you solve for the problem you have. Socially inept? Build a social network. No fashion sense? Create a personal styling service. Too busy to eat? Invent a soy-based meal substitute that tastes like liquified plywood. This compulsion has led to some...
From ancient Roman mosaics to Silicon Valley’s boner math, people have always laughed at penises. Don’t believe anyone who says the world is crasser than ever. They might speak of a “gentler time,” extolling the values of things like “polite company” and “G-rated films” and “salads that...
The maid of honor had a tough gig. One hundred fifty people chattered throughout the venue, and she needed a captive audience fast. Fearlessly, she took the mic. “Please settle down so we can toast the happy couple. But first, enjoy this dance to Jock Jams.” Her...
Men: They’ve always eaten food. But over the years, what they’ve eaten — and what’s been marketed to them to eat — has changed. That’s why MEL enlisted Meg Favreau, a weird history writer and person who eats food, to start Feed the Beast, an occasional series about the most interesting...
In the middle of September, an intriguing new service appeared on the internet: Man Tears. Its goal: Make men cry more. Users can create a profile and set “crying goals” for the month — from 20–120 minutes. Then Man Tears helps people meet the goal by offering a range...
For the 76th summer in a row, motorcycle riders and enthusiasts from around the world recently gathered in Sturgis, a small town in the Black Hills of South Dakota. It is, without a doubt, the Mecca of Motorcycles — a pilgrimage for bikers and a place to show off...
On the seventh day, God rested. On the eighth day, he got up and puttered around in his robe, looking for ramen in his cabinets and maybe an egg to add to it, for some protein. On the ninth day, his girlfriend came over and asked for...
Does the forest smell like a woman or a man? How about a summer rainstorm? Or a vanilla Frappuccino? Despite an endless array of grooming products that would seem to indicate otherwise (e.g., cotton candy girly-girl cologne spray, ol’ cowboy leather beard oil and lavender night-time cleaning...
No one is more masculine at work than Tristan Bridges. An assistant professor of sociology at SUNY Brockport, Bridges focuses on the ways men resist, reproduce and ignore changes in gender relations. Toward this end, he has studied male bodybuilders, men who are feminists, fathers’ rights activists...