Well, we’ve certainly come a long way from the wild nature of the caveman who spent his waking hours out on the hunt. In 21st century society, the idea that a man can’t express his feelings, enjoy cooking, take care of the children, or ask for help when needed seems, quite frankly, ridiculous. While the muscles, chiseled jaw line and moody exterior of Han Solo in Star Wars remains as attractive as ever, there’s definitely a new concept of what it means to be manly that’s topping the bill… the nerd.

Without a doubt, one of the manliest qualities of the nerd is the confidence he has in talking about and shamelessly putting the things that he loves out on display. He’s a nerd on a 21st century quest for a new kind of manly, undeterred by trends and mass opinion. He knows what he likes and he’s thoroughly committed to his obsessions. While “the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach” was a common phrase heard at the beginning of the 20th century, today’s alternative is perhaps “the way to a man’s heart is through a series of nerdy gifts and collectibles”. So, what kind of things does the manly nerd get nerdy about?

Hobbies

Let’s get it out there from the start... Nerds are passionate and passion is, without a doubt, incredibly manly. From building things with wood and drills to getting dressed up as your favorite superhero and attending a local Comic Con event, any true nerd must have a hobby that they obsess over. The greater the obsession, the manlier the nerd.

Gender-specific hobbies are now so radically out-of-date that the only thing that really matters is how committed you are to your hobby. In the 21st century, there’s nothing manlier than a man who knows everything there is to know about a particular subject and who becomes so engrossed in that subject that even talking about it brings a smile to his face.

Style

Who says a real man can’t wear a stylish pink shirt, look cool with a Game of Thrones tshirt, or spend a portion of his monthly paycheck on keeping his hair in tip-top condition? Again, the gender-specific element of style, and what it means to dress like a man, has been replaced in the 21st century by the material nerd who’s so confident about his personal style that he dresses to express his nerdy obsessions. Guzzling down on an evening beer in your favorite TV-show inspired pint glass is the perfect example of the manliest of nerds in action.

The home

In the 1950s, a manly man might have been given the garden shed as his private space; a female-free, child-free zone where he could store manly tools and do manly things, like sit and read the newspaper in peace and quiet. Today, the manly nerd has full reign to embrace his nerdy obsessions and let them explode all over home furnishings in every room in the house.

Star Trek bedspreads, a lightsaber neatly hung on the wall, a Doctor Who lampshade in the living room, or perhaps a framed poster of Heath Ledger as The Joker in the hall. A bachelor pad doesn’t have to be either clean, calculated and minimalist, or an untidy mess with a seemingly always empty fridge. It can also resemble Aladdin’s Cave, full to the brim with weird and wacky memorabilia. What’s more, the 21st century Dad has every right to choose the color of the interior walls, or invest in a set of non-stick frying pans so he can get all nerdy and obsessed over the manly production of a decent omelette on Saturday mornings.

Health

On a final note, if there’s anything that the manly nerd should obsess over with pride and joy in the 21st century, it’s his health. There’s nothing that oozes strength as much as a healthy male who’s not afraid of going to the doctor and of keeping on top of all things health related.

Healthy nerds will know how to make a killing kale and spinach breakfast smoothie to top all others. They’ll know how to increase muscle mass in natural ways by upping their protein intake and combining diet with an appropriate weight-lifting exercise program. They’ll appreciate the quality of a good bottle of red and they’ll understand the difference that a little fresh parmesan can make to almost any dish. A man who gets nerdy about health is a real man by 21st century standards, and don’t you forget it!

So, the only question left to ask is how nerdy and, by default, how manly do you feel?

Written by Jane Sandwood