it’s true in experience. I’m a single guy. I date around. Most women I meet think gardening makes me queer. It is not considered a desirable hobby for a man. And many men who don’t garden, also think it’s queer/feminine.
People who do garden, don’t see it that way, of course. But every garden group I’ve ever met up with was 70% women, and most of the men were not ‘manly’. I myself am not a manly guy.
Fortunately we’ve got shows like the Great British Bake Off and a myriad of popular YouTube gardening and home cooking channels featuring men to help shake this up, but sadly it’s still something that’s seen as gendered by way too many folks. Still, if spicy peppers and cacti (and on the cooking side dishes like pizza) help get insecure men in the door, that’s great. But I’m with TTF: it may not be a strong stereotype, but I’ve also observed it.
Eh funny but untrue. The dudes I know who are plant people grow anything cool. Ive got a lot of weird and cool plants.
I do grow the super hot peppers, and i like feeding ticks to my carnivorous plants tho. So its not far off.
I also grow tomatoes, eggplants, garlic, cuces, squash, etc.
it’s true in experience. I’m a single guy. I date around. Most women I meet think gardening makes me queer. It is not considered a desirable hobby for a man. And many men who don’t garden, also think it’s queer/feminine.
People who do garden, don’t see it that way, of course. But every garden group I’ve ever met up with was 70% women, and most of the men were not ‘manly’. I myself am not a manly guy.
Traditionally it’s been similar to cooking:
Farmer/chef? That’s a man’s work.
Gardener/home cook? That’s a woman’s work.
Fortunately we’ve got shows like the Great British Bake Off and a myriad of popular YouTube gardening and home cooking channels featuring men to help shake this up, but sadly it’s still something that’s seen as gendered by way too many folks. Still, if spicy peppers and cacti (and on the cooking side dishes like pizza) help get insecure men in the door, that’s great. But I’m with TTF: it may not be a strong stereotype, but I’ve also observed it.
What is farming if not gardening at scale?
Like most unnecessarily-gendered things, this thinking falls apart under the slightest hint of logical scrutiny…
That’s sad