Despite the sexist stereotype about flowers being for women rather than men, it has been proven that flowers are just as appealing to men as they are to women.
If I were to ask you how many times you gifted a man a bunch of flowers you would look at me as if I had lost my mind. Chances are that not very many men receive flowers at all.
Why do we not associate flowers with men? Well it is all due to stereotyping. Flowers are seen as fragile, beautiful items which do not meet our stereotypes of a man i.e. rough, masculine etc. Yet female are considered beautiful, emotional, gentle beings, thus perfectly complementing the nature of flowers. Moreover, flowers are all about appearance and fragrance and we stereotype women as the gender that cares about appearances and fragrances.
However, we all know that those stereotypes are not necessarily true. Men nowadays are just as likely to care about appearances and fragrances as women. Don’t believe me? Go down to the nearest supermarket and check out the skincare isle for men. You will product after product, varying from anti-wrinkle creak to moisturiser. 50 years ago, the only product a man might have used on his face was aftershave and that too for special occasions.
Men are just as pleased by receiving flowers as women are. In fact, men are much more surrounded by nature and flowers than we like to believe and this article aims to indicate that flowers are perfect for both men and women.
The media doesn’t help with our stereotypes. Movies, music videos and TV serials often portray women by their stereotypes which make us believe that flowers are best suited to them.
However, if we flick over to the nature or gardening channels, you will realise that most gardeners are in fact men. Furthermore, most articles written in gardening and flower magazines are written by men, indicating that they are just as crazy about flowers and plants as women are.
Many scientific and psychological studies were conducted to see how men would react to receiving flowers. When surrounded by plants and flowers, men were calmer, more relaxed and a lot friendlier. When males received flowers as gifts, their reactions were positive.
Men were further asked why they never kept flowers in their homes. The main response was due to lack of time or because no one ever gifted them any. Men would rather spend money on fast food than flowers, but then also claimed that they would happily keep flowers in their home if someone gifted flowers to them.
If you are contemplating gifting flowers to a man, and wish to pick flowers that you believe are less feminine, then there are a few things you can do. Simple arrangements are perceived to be more masculine, so go for simple bouquets. A bouquet with more greenery also makes it more suitable for men.
Flowers can also be used as an accessory. A man’s suit or tuxedo can be spiced up by adding a flower to the breast pocket as an accessory. So if a male you know is going out to a posh event, do not hesitate to add that finishing touch.
Flowers can brighten up anyone’s day regardless of their gender. So go ahead, give your male friends, relatives and loved one a bunch of flowers and watch them light up just as much as your female friends, relatives and loved ones would. As this article proves, men DO indeed love flowers!
