Can a man know what it's like to be a woman and know more than women about being a woman?

This has little to nothing to do with Transgender women and could very well be a rant. I am posting in general chit chat because I am no longer frazzled by my experience, so I really just feel like discussing this question.

A while back, a loud obnoxious male who is about 20-23 years older than me said ''I know more about women than you do.'' Okay I am a woman complete with a menstrual cycle. TMI? Menstrual cycle? Hmm.... well I guess I could open up a debate as to whether that affects a woman's moods or actions, for me it does. I get sensitive and emotional around "that time'' and I'm not wanting to offend any women who have that part of life all worked out and can handle any situation as logically as Spock.

So, the reason this man said this to me was because he was bringing into my circle another man that had raised some red flags. Let me just tell you what the main red flag was. I had witnessed the strange man talking to a woman about how he went into the store of where the woman he was talking to at the time worked. He said to the woman, ''after you told me where you worked, I went into the store and felt up all the clothing'' Okay, to me as a woman(a man might feel the very same) this creeped me out.

Okay, so I was telling the loud obnoxious man, ''I don't feel comfortable as a woman who has experienced sexual assault around your new friend.'' That's when he said he knows more about being a woman than I do. He has never had a period or been pregnant, lost the baby and I guess some transgender women know what it's like to long for being pregnant, but a male who is male inside and out?

So, what do you think ATS? Most of the time I just feel like a human being and it's my hormones that make me feel like a woman.

Can a man know more of what it's like to be a woman than a woman knows what it's like, simply because of age?

No !!

originally posted by: DEANORULES24
No !!

I don't think so either, but I'm very curious about someone's thoughts on how it could be.

No, but he can keep dreaming...

Thought-provoking question...
As it happens, my wife is currently having her period, so I thought now might be the perfect time to put your question to her...

She told me to "Shut The F*** up!"

originally posted by: IAMTAT
Thought-provoking question...
As it happens, my wife is currently having her period, so I thought now might be the perfect time to put your question to her...
She told me to "Shut the F*** up!"

Precisely what I wanted to say to the loud obnoxious man.

No, this man was trying to pack sand up your a**. Some men don't know what its like being a man. Yes, this guy you're talking about is a freakshow.

a reply to: peppycat

Okay I am a woman complete with a menstrual cycle.

Is that like a Harley?
All joking aside, the guy really doesn't know what he's talking about and can't. Nature supplied him with a penis. Oh, and watch out for the strange guy. He sounds like a closet rapist or something.

Every man wants to think he has the feminine mystery in the bag, just like every woman enjoys believing she secretly has the upper hand. It's an ego thing.

a reply to: peppycat

The guy sounds full on creepy to me, weird and one to be avoided for sure.

That said, I have a twin sister and learned/learn all my life about the intricacies of women and the massive differences to the intricacies of men.
I know far more than most men in my social circles about what the female side are thinking/expecting, who is in whichever power structure, you name it. Growing up with my twin sis I can bull# a woman far better than most male friends, what image to present, the questions to ask, and all the rest of it.
I of course try never to manipulate anyone, but, you know.

I can know more than the average male about what it's like to be a woman, but I can never 'know' as much as a woman.

originally posted by: TzarChasm
Every man wants to think he has the feminine mystery in the bag, just like every woman enjoys believing she secretly has the upper hand. It's an ego thing.

What?! How do you know our secret?

a reply to: peppycat

As a man, let me try to illustrate the thought process.

Men are like crayon drawings on cardboard. Women are like paintings by Rembrandt.

Both may be considered art. The crayon drawing may think it belongs in the same category.

But it doesn't.

a reply to: grainofsand Thank you for the insight, twin bro and sis sounds cool. It's one thing to know alot about women, but we have different hormones and such that make us different.

originally posted by: DBCowboy
a reply to: peppycat

As a man, let me try to illustrate the thought process.

Men are like crayon drawings on cardboard. Women are like paintings by Rembrandt.

Both may be considered art. The crayon drawing may think it belongs in the same category.

But it doesn't.

As a woman, your post made me feel special. Thank you for that feedback.

a reply to: peppycat

If it makes you feel any better, that guy would creep me out as well. If I was a manager at that particular store and you told me about the man's comment, I would watch him every time he came into the store. If he said anything inappropriate, he'd be trespassed.

As for the guy who claims to know more about women than actual women, that's just his ego talking, and something tells me it's undeserved. But, sociopathic people tend to be that way.

I grew up around nothing but women. No real male role models in my life. I was raised by my mom, aunts, and many, MANY female cousins. Closest male to me was either 9 years older, or 7 years younger. So, I was very observant. I listened when they had bad relationships. I listened when they spoke of the type of man they all wanted. I was taught to treat women with great respect, so when I was older, I thought I knew everything I needed to know.

PFFFFFFTTTT!!!!!!!!!! I found out the hard way I know nothing about women. lol But what I did realize in my 36 years alive, women don't know much about women either. But then I realized that it's almost impossible to know, because it's not about men/women. It's about the individual. My wife is nothing like any other women, in fact, I like to describe her to people as a dirty old man in a petite woman's body. lol

originally posted by: peppycat
a reply to: grainofsand Thank you for the insight, twin bro and sis sounds cool. It's one thing to know alot about women, but we have different hormones and such that make us different.

Oh, completely
I was gutted for my sis when she was going through puberty periods and stuff, much less pleasant growing experience than I had as a male. I think us blokes get it easy in the biological side of life to be honest, but that's a side issue.

We can only truly know our own personal experiences of gender, but we can learn from each other, and my sis knows more about blokes than most of her female circle. I wouldn't # with her if I was the average caveman type bloke haha.

originally posted by: Necrobile
a reply to: peppycat

If it makes you feel any better, that guy would creep me out as well. If I was a manager at that particular store and you told me about the man's comment, I would watch him every time he came into the store. If he said anything inappropriate, he'd be trespassed.

As for the guy who claims to know more about women than actual women, that's just his ego talking, and something tells me it's undeserved. But, sociopathic people tend to be that way.

I grew up around nothing but women. No real male role models in my life. I was raised by my mom, aunts, and many, MANY female cousins. Closest male to me was either 9 years older, or 7 years younger. So, I was very observant. I listened when they had bad relationships. I listened when they spoke of the type of man they all wanted. I was taught to treat women with great respect, so when I was older, I thought I knew everything I needed to know.

PFFFFFFTTTT!!!!!!!!!! I found out the hard way I know nothing about women. lol But what I did realize in my 36 years alive, women don't know much about women either. But then I realized that it's almost impossible to know, because it's not about men/women. It's about the individual. My wife is nothing like any other women, in fact, I like to describe her to people as a dirty old man in a petite woman's body. lol

Yeah it does make me feel better, thank you.
It's interesting what you said about people not understanding people. No matter how similar experiences between folks are, everyone experiences and perceives in their own unique way and not every reaction to things will be the same either.

originally posted by: peppycat

originally posted by: TzarChasm
Every man wants to think he has the feminine mystery in the bag, just like every woman enjoys believing she secretly has the upper hand. It's an ego thing.

What?! How do you know our secret?

Men and women aren't all that different. Different methods, same motives.

originally posted by: Skid Mark
a reply to: peppycat

Okay I am a woman complete with a menstrual cycle.

Is that like a Harley?
All joking aside, the guy really doesn't know what he's talking about and can't. Nature supplied him with a penis. Oh, and watch out for the strange guy. He sounds like a closet rapist or something.

I have a cough right now and you made me laugh/cough up a little storm. not that rapists are funny, just that the weird guy who felt up the clothing must really like closets full of clothes. Dark humor.
The Harley joke made me damn near cough up lung too.

a reply to: peppycat


The pioneer modern feminist Germaine Greer was recently almost gagged from speaking in British universities because she said that no transgender male to female could ever truly be 100% woman. I totally agree with her actually and you are quite right that no male can ever truly know what it is like to be a woman, but at the same time that does not stop me respecting the rights of transgender people and addressing them as the gender they wish.

You are so right to be creeped out and the guys re disrespecting jerks to treat you like that, who know less than nothing about women.

You know, I listen to women. I read what they have to say with great interest. I respect true intellectual and social feminism. I have learned a great deal from it about the genders and myself, too. It is a subject I like to think about very much. All I would say is that women still should value the male contribution. It is good to have a sounding board, to get constructive criticism, indeed to relate.

Look at this beautiful picture of Virginia Woolf and TS Eliot, two of the greatest literary minds of the twentieth century. Wow, did they know the talent that was striking in that room at that time?



See the beauty of equality of intellect. Both pursuing wildly different perceptions and interests, yet so similar in nobility of cause. This is the healthiness I like to see.

I was just reading about Virginia Woolf and then saw your post here.

All the best OP.