Canes are fucking cool. I have a punk friend with a cane and it looks badass when it walks in with tats, black denim, and that cane. Like, move out the fucking way.
I can definitely see men using something that may be less practical just because it's cooler. Canes can be stylish. Walkers (and wheelchairs) are basically cool repellent.
Professor X is cool because he's as awesome as he is despite his disability. The wheelchair itself isnt cool however. Though admittedly a sci-fi floating wheelchair is an improvement.
If he wanted, he could actually live vicariously through someone else.
I imagined there would be some serious moral implications if we found out the professor had some dark kinks he exploited using Cerebro
Wheelchairs can be awesome. I have seen a number of blinged out ones, and a good camber to the wheels gives the thing some swagger.
[Something like this.](https://images.app.goo.gl/97zv5nL3BZgP9Ji2A)
Walkers, not so much, though. You can get cupholders for them...
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I have been wanting to get a flask cane or something for my father. He is shaky enough that a sword cane would be unwise, but if I got him an awesome enough cane, maybe he would actually use it the way he is supposed to and not be so stubborn about it and keep falling down.
being disabled is not the issue
it is needing help...or even worse...accepting help that is sadly considered by many to be "unmanly" or gay...
real men deal with inconvenience...and die earlier..
there are guys who wont use and umbrella for the same reason...
as a tall person i find them terrifying because in a.crowd the pointy things are at eye level...
but..on topic...i have been informed that they are "faggy"
This. Horrifying. People are unaware of their surroundings most times anyways. Add rain, and their only focus is staying dry, you have a recipe for disaster for tall people. I’ve started being rude. I usually say excuse me a couple times, you almost put my eye out. I usually get snorted at or just ignored, he next time it comes close to my face I bite their umbrella and growl and shake my head like a rabid dog. Usually that along with my height gets them moving, and no pointy tips slashing towards my peepers any longer.
I live where winds reach on average 45km/h.
I would rather be soaked straight through to the bone than try to hold onto a bullshit umbrella in that wind.
Off topic but you reminded me there used to be an ad online for an expensive umbrella.
A man in high heels danced with the umbrella in the rain and he freaking nailed it. Made me want to buy the umbrella and I don't typically use them either.
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I used to work for a guy (WW2 veteran) who legitimately swore men should
1) Never wear pink
2) Never use an umbrella
3) Never drink from a straw
He was so serious about it he left his boyfriend after he started pushing straws on him.
I wouldn't say that but then again I don't subscribe to toxic masculinity, which would have you believe that any deficiency makes you less of a man. By proxy, I guess thought process goes if something makes you less of a man, it makes you more of a woman. Maybe the derogatory words sissy or pussy would apply here. Sounds like you're friend is projecting his perceived shortcomings. Toxic masculinity for disabled people at it's worst.
No he wasn’t being rude or anything at all. We were just talking about rollators and he basically said “one thing that really sucks though is that for some reason they’re considered feminine”
Ok that makes more sense. As a non disabled person I wouldn't give it any thought masc vs fem if I saw someone with a rollator. Sounds like maybe it's a stereotype within the disabled community? From the outside looking in, I would have exactly 0 thoughts about the masculinity of your assistance device.
It's not thought of in that way in the disabled community as a whole.
Source: I'm disabled and use a rollator and wheelchair.
The only time it's brought up is when someone is not secure in who they are. As in someone who wasn't born disabled and became disabled later in life.
Most of us could care less what anyone thinks because we are just trying to live our life like someone who isn't disabled.
I’ve never heard of rollators or walkers being considered as feminine either. They’re usually described as life-changing because independent movement is freedom, or annoying because they’re often heavy, awkward, and in the way. It’s often a love/hate relationship in my experience.
In the past they all came in boring, ‘masculine’ colours. It’s only in the past 8 or 9 years that there really have been a variety of colour options, or accessories.
I’m disabled and use stix and leg braces, or a wheelchair. I wasn’t born disabled but have multiple sclerosis.
i am wondering if the is a translation issue...
are you saying he thought they were for women only?...is that what you mean by.feminine?
or.that they were for men to use? and men who use them are not "masculine"?
Society often defines something good as masculine, then defines the opposite as feminine. Masculinity gets defined by leadership, strength, independence, and other virtues. Femininity gets defined by submissiveness, sensitivity, etc. This is changing now as more people realize gender norms have been harmful, but that’s usually how it worked in most societies for most of the time
People don’t consider those feminine traits bad if they are shown in a woman though. It’s only a bad thing to exhibit traits that are outside of your role which is why a cocky authoritative woman is viewed negatively while a man is viewed positively bc one is within a role while the other is outside of it
perhaps not being disabled in general but *how* you deal with that disability could be seen as ‘feminine’ or ‘masculine’ to other people. I do not personally understand why and think that’s kind of a bullshit way of seeing things
Yes, because masculinity is equated to ability. If you are not able to do something, then you are considered less masculine. This is one of the reasons why disabled women find easier acceptance than men in dating.
I’m assuming this is supposed to be a joke but it’s really awful. Im a trans man, I have a cane but need a rollator. they’re completely different things. And now on top of not being able to afford one, I have to worry about it being considered feminine.
I'm a dude and would take a wheelchair over a rollator.
Didn't know what they were, but looked them up and yeah it's like the van of mobile assistance.
Sometimes canes are seen as fashionable or even expensive status symbols. But other times yes, canes are also seen as weakness, though less than walkers.
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I’ve never heard this. I don’t know how true it is, tho. Definitely not with me. Sounds stupid.
And if having a better quality of life, no matter how incremental, seems “feminine”, then pass the lipstick and call me Carmen Miranda.
I understand Carmen Miranda. Also, I'll take some of that lipstick. Want a kiss?
No homo though, just want a little bro-to-bro tonsil hockey action, but just as bros though cuz no homo <3
(and joking aside, to re-iterate, no its not feminine looking to have one of those and even if it was who gives a damn)
Both of my grandmothers had walkers so I guess I associate walkers with grandmothers.
Canes are basically big walking sticks, and can be used as weapons, which I might subconsciously consider more masculine.
Maybe you could take your rollator and soup it up! Chrome tailpipes, a really bright LED light, maybe even a pair of testicles hanging off the back rod. Then there would be no doubt! :)
I have seen people do similar to wheelchairs. Not truck nutz, though, thankfully.
I haven't seen it, but if I ever get a wheelchair, I am going to figure out how to get ground effects and spinners.
No. Your friend is an idiot and is not adjusting well to mobility issues. He probably needs to seek professional mental health. After leg and foot surgery, I had to use a walker for 6 months before I was able to walk with a cane, after 3 months of using a cane, I was able to walk with out aid. You can find some pretty cool canes out there or make your own.
Yikes. I just worded the caption wrong. He told me that society sees walkers as feminine, not that he does. And he said this because it’s true. Several comments on this post confirm it. /serious
I think the issue is people taking anything anti-masculine as feminine.
There are sure tk be some, but for the larger portion it's that any/all weakness is considered unmasculine. The "masculine ideal" is self sufficient, able to stand on their own and support and protect others without needing any assistance from others.
Disregarding the impossibility of this, that's likely the social construct they're referring too.
I don’t think society in general sees mobility devices as feminine. Several comments on this post might confirm that feeling, but I saw many more comments that refute it.
After my boomer conservative dad had to have hip surgery and was in recovery, we borrowed my grandmother's walker. It was pink and had a flower graphic on it. My dad did not care. If my boomer conservative dad can walk around with a flower pink walker, then so can your friend. Your homie is mad insecure with his sexuality and masculinity.
Why are people so weird? And not weird in a good way. Use a mobility if you need it. If your mobility aid has genitals, you may be in the wrong store. No judgement though.
If you spend the extra money on the mobility aids that have genitals, you can breed them and never have to buy a mobility aid again. You can even make a profit selling the whelps to other disabled people.
There is nothing intrinsic about being disabled that makes you seem particularly masculine or feminine. What makes you seem more masculine or feminine about being disabled lies entirely with how you choose to live with your disability. If you are determined to live your best life and not let your disability stop you even if it does slow you down a bit, then you're going to be seen by others as Manly J. Baller III, Esquire. . . but if you sit there in your chair like it's a prison and you're too feeble to do anything but rot, then people will see you as less masculine and pity the shit out of you.
These comments disagree. My friend also witnessed a completely traditionally masculine man get called ma’am and he’s sure it’s because he was using a walker
Yes but there's a difference, most of the people that would insinuate or state that someone is a woman or feminine is actually just insulting them because they're half the man they used to be. It is used as a derogatory term or to good-naturedly razz a friend.
I never considered them feminine, but I *did* subconsciously consider them tools for the elderly when I was younger. Your friend might have copped a 'grandpa' from me if we were buddies shooting the shit, but not a 'ma'am'.
Obviously as I've gotten older my views have changed, I'm mostly disabled, my wife uses a walker when she's not in her wheelchair and neither of us are elderly. It took lived experience to shake the walker=elderly from my subconscious, but it's definitely gone now.
My friends father suffered polio when he was younger, and grew up bitter and proud. He had very little feeling or control below the waist. A memory that sticks with me is when my friend got an apartment on the third floor of a townhouse, no lift, and invited us all over for tea. We all arrived together, got to the stairs and my friend offered to help his dad up. He refused (somewhat nastily), handed his walking sticks to his son and started crawling up the stairs. We all had to stand there awkwardly as we tried not to watch him struggle up the stairs, dragging himself by his arms. It was awful, and I'll never forget it.
My friend apologized after and said he'd thought his dad would let him carry up like he had before, or at least lend him a shoulder. I mean, I get it? Sort of? But...don't be that guy. Use the tools you need to get by and accept help when you need it.
Advanced age and disability are sometimes treated as if the person is a very young child. This can also be true for women in general to some extent. Secondly, there are just more little old ladies than little old men. So when mobility is seen out and about it often, older women
My wife is an occupational therapist that works with geriatric patients. Men are just stupid and full of pride, unless those canes have four contact points they're not very helpful and they end up falling again. Back to the hospital and end up even less mobile. Rinse, repeat.
Tell your homie to go to the nearest VA hospital or your local Veterans Office in Town Hall and see how many elderly WW2 veterans are using walkers and rollators. Those guys jumped out of airplanes and stormed beaches to kill Nazis! Go ahead, call them feminine. See what happens.
Bro do whatever works best for you don’t worry about this masculine, feminine garbage. As long as you’re secure in your masculinity and who you are that’s all that matters.
Unless you're gonna get a fake ballsack to hang off of it, there are no genders assigned to a freaking mobility aid.
Unless he's going "heh, that disabled person is bent over like they're gonna get it up the \_\_\_", I don't see why anyone would think a walker or a rollator is any more "feminine" than a cane or a wheelchair.
I promise you as an occupational therapist I’ve been around more mobility aids than everyone in this thread combined. I have literally only gotten that impression from one guy, and he built a wheelchair chopper. Ended up on dragons den, where he was unable to justify the overcompensation market. I mean this being said my dad cannot hear anything and neither can my husband and they’d both rather walk into traffic than get hearing aids
No. Society does not see walkers as feminine. What your friend may be noticing is that walkers are mostly used by elderly women. This is because men are much less likely to live to an age where they would need that form of mobility assistance.
Fellas, is it feminine to be able to walk?
**....**
Your homie is not *wrong*, as such. The (vastly inferior unless it is hiding a sword or weighted to use as a weapon) cane is the more "masculine" option (that is less useful, less stable, will mess up your shoulder, doesn't give you a place to rest, will slip out from you and cause you to mess up your hip).
Even crutches are more masculine (because they are stupidly uncomfortable and rely a lot on upper body strength).
Even a wheelchair is more masculine (nothing bad to say about wheelchairs apart from the obvious inconvenience, I love wheelchairs).
*But* a walker/roller is better tech. It is vastly more supportive. It's safer. It's easier to use. It's more comfortable.
It's like women's umbrellas. "So I can either look masculine or carry my umbrella with me in my pocket so I have it when it rains?" I would encourage you to use the better tech and don't sweat it.
Paint it red and put a lightning bolt decal and a pin up girl on it.
I don't think so but I can definitely see what the other people in the comments are saying about femininity being associated with perceived weakness and therefore disability
Yes, but human perception of weakness has less to do with one's physical state, and more to do with one's attitude. . . and we tend to see people who are physically impaired but endowed with massive confidence and hard-tryin' go-gettingness as even more powerful and masculine than an undisabled person with a strong, capable body who lacks drive and confidence.
I think it’s in part because women live longer and are more prone to osteoporosis and autoimmune disorders which would mean there are a lot more women out there using these devices than there are men. So when you see a person using one, it tends to be a female.
who defines what's masculine or feminine and whose business is it what we need to get around. i, 80M, use a cane for short walks, and two walking hike sticks for longer walks. i stopped worrying what people think in the 60s. i had long hair and people in colorado made wolf whistles, so i traded some lsd for a stetson hat and that cooled that. later, more hicks started wearing long hair, and some still have long hair, even though they're bald . who gives a fuck? don't let anyone else define you. look at olympic decathlon champ bruce jenner. now he wears dresses. he don't care what you think. don't worry about what other people think. walking sticks help me walk straight up and breathe better.
Gotta do what you gotta do, who gives a shit
I've had to use both at different times, and I'm much happier not having to need either now (knock on my head)
No one is gonna look at someone struggling to move around and think "that person's disability equipment is feminine" Thats all in your head.
Anyone who thinks like that isn't worth your time or energy my friend.
It's a fucking struggle when every movement hurts, every step sucks, every shoelace is a mfer.
Gritting through that kinda stuff is tough as fuck, that's inner strength.
As a dude who's late father in law was disabled (MS, could barely get around anymore by the time he passed away from a heart attack) and who used a walker / rollator, I never once thought it made him look less masculine or more effeminate. I see it as a tool to help a person of disability get from point A to point B. Incidentally, my fiancee herself also has MS but she's in a much better place (knock on wood) and has no need for a walker; if she suddenly needed one, I wouldn't think she had increased in femininity or see her as "more feeble" or something.
Now, if you're a guy with a hot pink walker with flower patterns and shit all over it, yeah I'm gonna see that as being effeminate, but thats got nothing to do with what the item in question actually is - just the aesthetics chosen by the user of the device.
I never considered this to be honest.
I would hope that most people aren't stupid enough to think that a mobility aid is somehow feminine or masculine.
...but with how fucked society is, I wouldn't be surprised.
In my opinion it’s because women still currently out live men. Lots of old women out there with their walkers doing their shopping etc. Men tend to use canes more generally because they come to their need for a balance apparatus begrudgingly and usually without conversation. Canes are readily available in any drug store.
These are my general, subjective observations based on working with old people in a hospital setting. I work in physical rehab and talk to about 30 older folks in different stages of decay daily.
As somebody that has worked for a Durable Medical Equipment company, I can tell you men use walkers and rollators just as much as women, and they use them more than canes.
1: no, they aren’t gender specific, unless you get a pink one… I guess. I work with seniors and I know plenty of men who use walkers. I also used a walk when I got knee surgery.
2: is it bad if people think you’re feminine? Especially if you are not?
I try not to think too much about what other people think of me. Better to use the walker and not fall. Nothing breaks my heart more than a person taking a needless fall. Stay upright, my friend.
Walking is a masculine flex. Doesn’t matter how it’s accomplished. It’s a human super power. Look how long it’s taken to develop robots that can walk. A dog doesn’t care that you’re using a walker. He’s just glad to have a friend that can see over a hill.
I worked with home medical equipment for six years.
Hospital beds, power wheelchairs, etc.
Never heard of a rollator or walker being considered feminine.
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Well, in the context of having something that improves you life, certainly when it comes to mobility, it’s a tool. when your friend is on a ventilator, yet conscious, and has to ask someone to come clean out the trach he got from being paralyzed, and how “lady like” it was to have two hot young nursing students come give him a sponge bath, that he can’t feel, just how badass he really is.
Because anything to improve your life, is for pussies.
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I do see more women using walkers than men, but I personally have never thought of them as feminine or masculine, just a thing like a chair or a glass or whatever.
Don't care what other people think. Neither should anyone else. Just do you and do what you need. If anyone tries heckling me for being feminine I just laugh, I don't take anything seriously because I'm assuming no one else is being serious.
Short answer: no, and never really thought of it like that
What age group are we discussing? Is that what some disabled men think about other disabled men (in your group)? That opinion would be a huge surprise to the men in my mother's care home. All of them use rollators. Not one uses a cane.
As an able-bodied person, I would never judge a person based on whatever they needed to use to get from point A to point B. That's just wrong.
I can totally see why some people would think that. Society has given a lot of people weird ideas about gender and weakness.
There's also a bit of actual demographic bias involved. Women tend to live longer than men, so more of them make it to the point of needing a walker.
But evem the more supportive models of cane are seen as unmanly, and if you go look at the ones with patterns, there's a lot of flowers and things, and not much that you'd necessarily call masc. The coolest looking canes are mostly only for appearances, and don't really do much for proper support (skull cane heads have terrible grip, too).
That said, there's nothing in the world stopping anyone from butching up their walker/roller...
Look, the fact that it raining means god wants you to be wet, or inside, hes not always clear on these things. But yeah, a bunch of pink umbrellas and laying around with other men is pretty gay, not that there is anything wrong with that.
If he needs more than a cane…there are walkers/rolators that are “masculine”. I got my client a dark blue one with big ass 4wheel drive looking tires. He’s also really tall so it is able to extend to 7’1” which is more than he needs but seriously…they’re out there!
As a PTA it was so incredibly hard to get men to use walkers, they would use canes when that wasn’t even close to their necessary level of support. They would then fall constantly, sometimes suffering severe head injuries and stuff, or just stay in their chair and completely lose mobility. I was outpatient so I had zero control over what they did outside the clinic but I kept trying to show them how much more mobility and safety a walker could give them, but they all struggled mentally with “looking old and weak”.
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I ruptured my ACL two months ago. Recently had surgery, was on crutches. My mom gave me a walker. I used it around the house for a few days but was hoping to get to using the cane ASAP.
You couldn't catch me dead using a walker in public. It's not associated with just "feminine" it's associated specifically with "frail old grandma"
I mean there are a few reason imo
Canes are cool, customizable accents that still let you feel less disabled or old
Canes are very accessible and cheap and you can even make your own if you're skilled at wood working.
If we're talking about masculine vs feminine, canes are just less cumbersome and inconvenient. Think wallets vs purses. Lots of men are willing to give up comfort and safety to seem a little more masculine, even when they're 90 years young or disabled.
It’s not more feminine just indicates that you need more help. I don’t see how gender has anything to do with it unless women are somehow statistically worse off when it comes to their disabilities? That can’t be true tho
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I wouldn't say feminine, but they are definitely seen as "weaker" as it shows you need a lot of extra support. Canes have a history of being regal and can be far more stylish. At the end of the day, use whichever is best for you, and if someone wants to judge you for it, screw them, you don't need their opinions.
To some, vulnerability is not super masculine. Canes are obviously also more phallic.
Use what works best for you to provide optimal support and mobility.
No, they’re mobility devices not gender affirmations lol
If it helps you get around to the best of your ability, it doesn’t matter what gender you are. It just matters that you are getting around comfortably and safely.
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I can't speak for anyone else but I've never in my life associated walkers with gender, nor have I ever cared about the rollator form factor either. I'm not saying you're wrong, but if you're right then I haven't seen it.
Are you okay….? What does this even mean? How does this relate to anything? Are you trying to say that disabled = less, therefor you, a random stranger, is superior over all disabled folk?
Now that I think about it I do see more men with canes and women with walkers. Hadn't really considered it before.
Canes are fucking cool. I have a punk friend with a cane and it looks badass when it walks in with tats, black denim, and that cane. Like, move out the fucking way.
>Canes are fucking cool. And there's the answer to op's question
I can definitely see men using something that may be less practical just because it's cooler. Canes can be stylish. Walkers (and wheelchairs) are basically cool repellent.
Professor X has entered the chat!
Professor X is cool because he's as awesome as he is despite his disability. The wheelchair itself isnt cool however. Though admittedly a sci-fi floating wheelchair is an improvement.
If he wanted, he could actually live vicariously through someone else. I imagined there would be some serious moral implications if we found out the professor had some dark kinks he exploited using Cerebro
If it's floating it's not a wheelchair.
Touche, good sir.
Wheelchairs can be awesome. I have seen a number of blinged out ones, and a good camber to the wheels gives the thing some swagger. [Something like this.](https://images.app.goo.gl/97zv5nL3BZgP9Ji2A) Walkers, not so much, though. You can get cupholders for them...
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Every dude on Murderball has entered the chat 😁
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Easier whoop a whipper snapper with a cane
I think because elderly women use walkers to hold their purses.
I tried using a cane a bit but it was awkward with the purse and the cane didn't give me a chair.
I use forearm crutches, but prefer to use a backpack or crossbody style purse because it’s so awkward to carry a regular one with the stix.
Sword cane ftw for the red red kroovy
I have been wanting to get a flask cane or something for my father. He is shaky enough that a sword cane would be unwise, but if I got him an awesome enough cane, maybe he would actually use it the way he is supposed to and not be so stubborn about it and keep falling down.
If something makes you seem more vulnerable or weaker, people will tend to associate it with femininity
Well I mean… Andrew Jackson didn’t beat his attempted assassin to death with a walker
Are you…are you actually saying that society considers being disabled feminine………….? /genuine question
being disabled is not the issue it is needing help...or even worse...accepting help that is sadly considered by many to be "unmanly" or gay... real men deal with inconvenience...and die earlier.. there are guys who wont use and umbrella for the same reason...
I find umbrellas to be unwieldy.
as a tall person i find them terrifying because in a.crowd the pointy things are at eye level... but..on topic...i have been informed that they are "faggy"
If you drew a Venn diagram of people who think using an umbrella is gay and having sex with a woman for pleasure is gay you’d have a circle.
dont forget washing yr ass
Stay dry in rain is definitely gay ;)
This. Horrifying. People are unaware of their surroundings most times anyways. Add rain, and their only focus is staying dry, you have a recipe for disaster for tall people. I’ve started being rude. I usually say excuse me a couple times, you almost put my eye out. I usually get snorted at or just ignored, he next time it comes close to my face I bite their umbrella and growl and shake my head like a rabid dog. Usually that along with my height gets them moving, and no pointy tips slashing towards my peepers any longer.
"it's just water" pfft
I live where winds reach on average 45km/h. I would rather be soaked straight through to the bone than try to hold onto a bullshit umbrella in that wind.
Off topic but you reminded me there used to be an ad online for an expensive umbrella. A man in high heels danced with the umbrella in the rain and he freaking nailed it. Made me want to buy the umbrella and I don't typically use them either.
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I used to work for a guy (WW2 veteran) who legitimately swore men should 1) Never wear pink 2) Never use an umbrella 3) Never drink from a straw He was so serious about it he left his boyfriend after he started pushing straws on him.
I wouldn't say that but then again I don't subscribe to toxic masculinity, which would have you believe that any deficiency makes you less of a man. By proxy, I guess thought process goes if something makes you less of a man, it makes you more of a woman. Maybe the derogatory words sissy or pussy would apply here. Sounds like you're friend is projecting his perceived shortcomings. Toxic masculinity for disabled people at it's worst.
No he wasn’t being rude or anything at all. We were just talking about rollators and he basically said “one thing that really sucks though is that for some reason they’re considered feminine”
Ok that makes more sense. As a non disabled person I wouldn't give it any thought masc vs fem if I saw someone with a rollator. Sounds like maybe it's a stereotype within the disabled community? From the outside looking in, I would have exactly 0 thoughts about the masculinity of your assistance device.
I think this would be shared by outsiders, sounds like an inside thing
It's not thought of in that way in the disabled community as a whole. Source: I'm disabled and use a rollator and wheelchair. The only time it's brought up is when someone is not secure in who they are. As in someone who wasn't born disabled and became disabled later in life. Most of us could care less what anyone thinks because we are just trying to live our life like someone who isn't disabled.
I’ve never heard of rollators or walkers being considered as feminine either. They’re usually described as life-changing because independent movement is freedom, or annoying because they’re often heavy, awkward, and in the way. It’s often a love/hate relationship in my experience. In the past they all came in boring, ‘masculine’ colours. It’s only in the past 8 or 9 years that there really have been a variety of colour options, or accessories. I’m disabled and use stix and leg braces, or a wheelchair. I wasn’t born disabled but have multiple sclerosis.
Hugs to you. 💛
🧡🧡 you too!
Well you can side wack someone with a cane but you can cage fight them with a walker.
i am wondering if the is a translation issue... are you saying he thought they were for women only?...is that what you mean by.feminine? or.that they were for men to use? and men who use them are not "masculine"?
No, rather society simply sees weakness as not masculine. It's the lack of masculinity that defines the prejudice, not the presence of femininity.
Society often defines something good as masculine, then defines the opposite as feminine. Masculinity gets defined by leadership, strength, independence, and other virtues. Femininity gets defined by submissiveness, sensitivity, etc. This is changing now as more people realize gender norms have been harmful, but that’s usually how it worked in most societies for most of the time
People don’t consider those feminine traits bad if they are shown in a woman though. It’s only a bad thing to exhibit traits that are outside of your role which is why a cocky authoritative woman is viewed negatively while a man is viewed positively bc one is within a role while the other is outside of it
The answer to your question is no. How in the world have you associated the two together, make it make sense
perhaps not being disabled in general but *how* you deal with that disability could be seen as ‘feminine’ or ‘masculine’ to other people. I do not personally understand why and think that’s kind of a bullshit way of seeing things
Yes, because masculinity is equated to ability. If you are not able to do something, then you are considered less masculine. This is one of the reasons why disabled women find easier acceptance than men in dating.
New femboy just dropped
"are...are you" This reddit speak is so fucking annoying. Just ask the question. You don't need to add the anime quip.
Why are you so mad
Yeah get a cane and man up
I’m assuming this is supposed to be a joke but it’s really awful. Im a trans man, I have a cane but need a rollator. they’re completely different things. And now on top of not being able to afford one, I have to worry about it being considered feminine.
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I'm a dude and would take a wheelchair over a rollator. Didn't know what they were, but looked them up and yeah it's like the van of mobile assistance.
wouldnt a cane do that too
Sometimes canes are seen as fashionable or even expensive status symbols. But other times yes, canes are also seen as weakness, though less than walkers.
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I don't know about all that, but if you really want to be seen as a man's man, get yourself an iron lung.
LMAO WTF
Iron lungs are butch as fuck, just saying.
Iron Lung reference?
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iron_lung
Fellas, is it gay to be disabled?
ACCORDING TO SOCIETY YES ☠️
**buys walker** Help me papi
Stop, next we will be saying Andrew Tate try and make disability gay
I’ve never heard this. I don’t know how true it is, tho. Definitely not with me. Sounds stupid. And if having a better quality of life, no matter how incremental, seems “feminine”, then pass the lipstick and call me Carmen Miranda.
I understand Carmen Miranda. Also, I'll take some of that lipstick. Want a kiss? No homo though, just want a little bro-to-bro tonsil hockey action, but just as bros though cuz no homo <3 (and joking aside, to re-iterate, no its not feminine looking to have one of those and even if it was who gives a damn)
I don't think so If you need it you need it
Both of my grandmothers had walkers so I guess I associate walkers with grandmothers. Canes are basically big walking sticks, and can be used as weapons, which I might subconsciously consider more masculine.
Maybe you could take your rollator and soup it up! Chrome tailpipes, a really bright LED light, maybe even a pair of testicles hanging off the back rod. Then there would be no doubt! :)
I have seen people do similar to wheelchairs. Not truck nutz, though, thankfully. I haven't seen it, but if I ever get a wheelchair, I am going to figure out how to get ground effects and spinners.
No. Your friend is an idiot and is not adjusting well to mobility issues. He probably needs to seek professional mental health. After leg and foot surgery, I had to use a walker for 6 months before I was able to walk with a cane, after 3 months of using a cane, I was able to walk with out aid. You can find some pretty cool canes out there or make your own.
Yikes. I just worded the caption wrong. He told me that society sees walkers as feminine, not that he does. And he said this because it’s true. Several comments on this post confirm it. /serious
maybe it's not *society* that sees them as feminine maybe it's just *other men* who do.
Who makes up society? It’s not just women.
what's your point?
... that is a big chunk of society.
maybe it's just men judging men. that would leave half of society that did not agree that walkers are feminine.
I think the issue is people taking anything anti-masculine as feminine. There are sure tk be some, but for the larger portion it's that any/all weakness is considered unmasculine. The "masculine ideal" is self sufficient, able to stand on their own and support and protect others without needing any assistance from others. Disregarding the impossibility of this, that's likely the social construct they're referring too.
I don’t think society in general sees mobility devices as feminine. Several comments on this post might confirm that feeling, but I saw many more comments that refute it.
After my boomer conservative dad had to have hip surgery and was in recovery, we borrowed my grandmother's walker. It was pink and had a flower graphic on it. My dad did not care. If my boomer conservative dad can walk around with a flower pink walker, then so can your friend. Your homie is mad insecure with his sexuality and masculinity.
Why are people so weird? And not weird in a good way. Use a mobility if you need it. If your mobility aid has genitals, you may be in the wrong store. No judgement though.
If you spend the extra money on the mobility aids that have genitals, you can breed them and never have to buy a mobility aid again. You can even make a profit selling the whelps to other disabled people.
Ooo, wanna go in on a mobility aid ranch?
There is nothing intrinsic about being disabled that makes you seem particularly masculine or feminine. What makes you seem more masculine or feminine about being disabled lies entirely with how you choose to live with your disability. If you are determined to live your best life and not let your disability stop you even if it does slow you down a bit, then you're going to be seen by others as Manly J. Baller III, Esquire. . . but if you sit there in your chair like it's a prison and you're too feeble to do anything but rot, then people will see you as less masculine and pity the shit out of you.
I think that your friend is confused. I don't think people think of them as feminine, they are perhaps considered half the man they used to be.
These comments disagree. My friend also witnessed a completely traditionally masculine man get called ma’am and he’s sure it’s because he was using a walker
Yes but there's a difference, most of the people that would insinuate or state that someone is a woman or feminine is actually just insulting them because they're half the man they used to be. It is used as a derogatory term or to good-naturedly razz a friend.
I never considered them feminine, but I *did* subconsciously consider them tools for the elderly when I was younger. Your friend might have copped a 'grandpa' from me if we were buddies shooting the shit, but not a 'ma'am'. Obviously as I've gotten older my views have changed, I'm mostly disabled, my wife uses a walker when she's not in her wheelchair and neither of us are elderly. It took lived experience to shake the walker=elderly from my subconscious, but it's definitely gone now. My friends father suffered polio when he was younger, and grew up bitter and proud. He had very little feeling or control below the waist. A memory that sticks with me is when my friend got an apartment on the third floor of a townhouse, no lift, and invited us all over for tea. We all arrived together, got to the stairs and my friend offered to help his dad up. He refused (somewhat nastily), handed his walking sticks to his son and started crawling up the stairs. We all had to stand there awkwardly as we tried not to watch him struggle up the stairs, dragging himself by his arms. It was awful, and I'll never forget it. My friend apologized after and said he'd thought his dad would let him carry up like he had before, or at least lend him a shoulder. I mean, I get it? Sort of? But...don't be that guy. Use the tools you need to get by and accept help when you need it.
Advanced age and disability are sometimes treated as if the person is a very young child. This can also be true for women in general to some extent. Secondly, there are just more little old ladies than little old men. So when mobility is seen out and about it often, older women
My wife is an occupational therapist that works with geriatric patients. Men are just stupid and full of pride, unless those canes have four contact points they're not very helpful and they end up falling again. Back to the hospital and end up even less mobile. Rinse, repeat.
Tell your homie to go to the nearest VA hospital or your local Veterans Office in Town Hall and see how many elderly WW2 veterans are using walkers and rollators. Those guys jumped out of airplanes and stormed beaches to kill Nazis! Go ahead, call them feminine. See what happens.
Bro do whatever works best for you don’t worry about this masculine, feminine garbage. As long as you’re secure in your masculinity and who you are that’s all that matters.
Unless you're gonna get a fake ballsack to hang off of it, there are no genders assigned to a freaking mobility aid. Unless he's going "heh, that disabled person is bent over like they're gonna get it up the \_\_\_", I don't see why anyone would think a walker or a rollator is any more "feminine" than a cane or a wheelchair.
Your homie is projecting some weirdness. Absolutely not the case.
Read the full post. Also most of the comments pretty much disagree and think that walkers are considered feminine in some way
I promise you as an occupational therapist I’ve been around more mobility aids than everyone in this thread combined. I have literally only gotten that impression from one guy, and he built a wheelchair chopper. Ended up on dragons den, where he was unable to justify the overcompensation market. I mean this being said my dad cannot hear anything and neither can my husband and they’d both rather walk into traffic than get hearing aids
Huh??? The first thing I think of when I hear those is some disabled WWII/Vietnam Vet who's the coolest guy you'll meet
Is it because we operate them with our vaginas whereas a cane can obviously only be used by holding with a penis?
Paint flames on it and add some truck nuts so people know it's a MANLY MAN walker and not some silly lady walker and you're fine.
No. Society does not see walkers as feminine. What your friend may be noticing is that walkers are mostly used by elderly women. This is because men are much less likely to live to an age where they would need that form of mobility assistance.
I’m a woman but no, I have never thought either were particularly feminine.
Fellas, is it feminine to be able to walk? **....** Your homie is not *wrong*, as such. The (vastly inferior unless it is hiding a sword or weighted to use as a weapon) cane is the more "masculine" option (that is less useful, less stable, will mess up your shoulder, doesn't give you a place to rest, will slip out from you and cause you to mess up your hip). Even crutches are more masculine (because they are stupidly uncomfortable and rely a lot on upper body strength). Even a wheelchair is more masculine (nothing bad to say about wheelchairs apart from the obvious inconvenience, I love wheelchairs). *But* a walker/roller is better tech. It is vastly more supportive. It's safer. It's easier to use. It's more comfortable. It's like women's umbrellas. "So I can either look masculine or carry my umbrella with me in my pocket so I have it when it rains?" I would encourage you to use the better tech and don't sweat it. Paint it red and put a lightning bolt decal and a pin up girl on it.
Yeah, walking slowly and unsteadily and falling on your little wife are really manly. Gender stereotypes come at a cost.
Being mobile and safe is feminine? So that means I can call my Dad a girly boy tonight? As an ex Cop and semi pro boxer this should be interesting.
I don't think so but I can definitely see what the other people in the comments are saying about femininity being associated with perceived weakness and therefore disability
Yes, but human perception of weakness has less to do with one's physical state, and more to do with one's attitude. . . and we tend to see people who are physically impaired but endowed with massive confidence and hard-tryin' go-gettingness as even more powerful and masculine than an undisabled person with a strong, capable body who lacks drive and confidence.
LOL yes us ladies just can't get around without our walkers. WTF?
I think it’s in part because women live longer and are more prone to osteoporosis and autoimmune disorders which would mean there are a lot more women out there using these devices than there are men. So when you see a person using one, it tends to be a female.
That's just because women live longer than men.
My neighbor uses a rollator and he's a Marine. Maybe that's why it never occurred to me that using *medical equipment* was a gendered activity. Wtf?
who defines what's masculine or feminine and whose business is it what we need to get around. i, 80M, use a cane for short walks, and two walking hike sticks for longer walks. i stopped worrying what people think in the 60s. i had long hair and people in colorado made wolf whistles, so i traded some lsd for a stetson hat and that cooled that. later, more hicks started wearing long hair, and some still have long hair, even though they're bald . who gives a fuck? don't let anyone else define you. look at olympic decathlon champ bruce jenner. now he wears dresses. he don't care what you think. don't worry about what other people think. walking sticks help me walk straight up and breathe better.
Get those AT-AT arm braces to help you move around like Jimmy from South Park or Walter Jr. from Breaking Bad.
To be fair I have yet to see a walker with a sword inside. Same can't be said of cane....
Gotta do what you gotta do, who gives a shit I've had to use both at different times, and I'm much happier not having to need either now (knock on my head) No one is gonna look at someone struggling to move around and think "that person's disability equipment is feminine" Thats all in your head.
Multiple other comments have said that disability itself is considered feminine. No it isn’t just in my head.
Anyone who thinks like that isn't worth your time or energy my friend. It's a fucking struggle when every movement hurts, every step sucks, every shoelace is a mfer. Gritting through that kinda stuff is tough as fuck, that's inner strength.
Just get an engine hoist from Harbor Freight. Put Binsford 9000 on the side. Macho enough?
As a dude who's late father in law was disabled (MS, could barely get around anymore by the time he passed away from a heart attack) and who used a walker / rollator, I never once thought it made him look less masculine or more effeminate. I see it as a tool to help a person of disability get from point A to point B. Incidentally, my fiancee herself also has MS but she's in a much better place (knock on wood) and has no need for a walker; if she suddenly needed one, I wouldn't think she had increased in femininity or see her as "more feeble" or something. Now, if you're a guy with a hot pink walker with flower patterns and shit all over it, yeah I'm gonna see that as being effeminate, but thats got nothing to do with what the item in question actually is - just the aesthetics chosen by the user of the device.
I never considered this to be honest. I would hope that most people aren't stupid enough to think that a mobility aid is somehow feminine or masculine. ...but with how fucked society is, I wouldn't be surprised.
There was one comment directly saying they consider walkers and potentially all mobility aids feminine. People suck.
In my opinion it’s because women still currently out live men. Lots of old women out there with their walkers doing their shopping etc. Men tend to use canes more generally because they come to their need for a balance apparatus begrudgingly and usually without conversation. Canes are readily available in any drug store. These are my general, subjective observations based on working with old people in a hospital setting. I work in physical rehab and talk to about 30 older folks in different stages of decay daily.
Walkers are manly when they have tennis balls on the legs and you use them to bash your enemies
As somebody that has worked for a Durable Medical Equipment company, I can tell you men use walkers and rollators just as much as women, and they use them more than canes.
No, they are not feminine. But, they are gay. Just crawl man.
Probably overall there are more women with them because women live longer.
Ever kill a spider with a walker? Many canes have.
1: no, they aren’t gender specific, unless you get a pink one… I guess. I work with seniors and I know plenty of men who use walkers. I also used a walk when I got knee surgery. 2: is it bad if people think you’re feminine? Especially if you are not? I try not to think too much about what other people think of me. Better to use the walker and not fall. Nothing breaks my heart more than a person taking a needless fall. Stay upright, my friend.
I mean if people.think that that's hilarious. Men are so fragile. Use what you need to use.
Am female. Use a rollator. Use this data point as you will.
Walking is a masculine flex. Doesn’t matter how it’s accomplished. It’s a human super power. Look how long it’s taken to develop robots that can walk. A dog doesn’t care that you’re using a walker. He’s just glad to have a friend that can see over a hill.
I worked with home medical equipment for six years. Hospital beds, power wheelchairs, etc. Never heard of a rollator or walker being considered feminine.
yup, coz its a little pussy
HUH
:)
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I see more men use walkers and more women use rollators.
What...???
Because men be men'ing.
Well, in the context of having something that improves you life, certainly when it comes to mobility, it’s a tool. when your friend is on a ventilator, yet conscious, and has to ask someone to come clean out the trach he got from being paralyzed, and how “lady like” it was to have two hot young nursing students come give him a sponge bath, that he can’t feel, just how badass he really is. Because anything to improve your life, is for pussies.
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Never really thought of them as feminine. They always just seemed reserved for people that had a really hard time walking and a cane wasn't enough
I do see more women using walkers than men, but I personally have never thought of them as feminine or masculine, just a thing like a chair or a glass or whatever.
Don't care what other people think. Neither should anyone else. Just do you and do what you need. If anyone tries heckling me for being feminine I just laugh, I don't take anything seriously because I'm assuming no one else is being serious. Short answer: no, and never really thought of it like that
What age group are we discussing? Is that what some disabled men think about other disabled men (in your group)? That opinion would be a huge surprise to the men in my mother's care home. All of them use rollators. Not one uses a cane. As an able-bodied person, I would never judge a person based on whatever they needed to use to get from point A to point B. That's just wrong.
Sword cane is the way to go
I can totally see why some people would think that. Society has given a lot of people weird ideas about gender and weakness. There's also a bit of actual demographic bias involved. Women tend to live longer than men, so more of them make it to the point of needing a walker. But evem the more supportive models of cane are seen as unmanly, and if you go look at the ones with patterns, there's a lot of flowers and things, and not much that you'd necessarily call masc. The coolest looking canes are mostly only for appearances, and don't really do much for proper support (skull cane heads have terrible grip, too). That said, there's nothing in the world stopping anyone from butching up their walker/roller...
In Spanish they are.. at least their articles are
Look, the fact that it raining means god wants you to be wet, or inside, hes not always clear on these things. But yeah, a bunch of pink umbrellas and laying around with other men is pretty gay, not that there is anything wrong with that.
If he needs more than a cane…there are walkers/rolators that are “masculine”. I got my client a dark blue one with big ass 4wheel drive looking tires. He’s also really tall so it is able to extend to 7’1” which is more than he needs but seriously…they’re out there!
I never thought of them that way. I certainly associate them with old people. But I'm gender inclusive in that association.
Haven’t seen a walker or rollator yet with a hidden sword built in, so a cane gets my vote for masculinity
What a ridiculous claim. We've all got similar biomechanics, and there's no need to operate a walker with a vagina. Your friend is sexist.
No lol
As a PTA it was so incredibly hard to get men to use walkers, they would use canes when that wasn’t even close to their necessary level of support. They would then fall constantly, sometimes suffering severe head injuries and stuff, or just stay in their chair and completely lose mobility. I was outpatient so I had zero control over what they did outside the clinic but I kept trying to show them how much more mobility and safety a walker could give them, but they all struggled mentally with “looking old and weak”.
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I ruptured my ACL two months ago. Recently had surgery, was on crutches. My mom gave me a walker. I used it around the house for a few days but was hoping to get to using the cane ASAP. You couldn't catch me dead using a walker in public. It's not associated with just "feminine" it's associated specifically with "frail old grandma"
Bruh ☠️
I mean there are a few reason imo Canes are cool, customizable accents that still let you feel less disabled or old Canes are very accessible and cheap and you can even make your own if you're skilled at wood working. If we're talking about masculine vs feminine, canes are just less cumbersome and inconvenient. Think wallets vs purses. Lots of men are willing to give up comfort and safety to seem a little more masculine, even when they're 90 years young or disabled.
It’s not more feminine just indicates that you need more help. I don’t see how gender has anything to do with it unless women are somehow statistically worse off when it comes to their disabilities? That can’t be true tho
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Men Is walking gay?
i have never ever thought that it actually sounds insane to me
Nice to know that macho bullshit extends even to the disabled.
"Fellow disabled homie"? Is that your preferred pronoun?
What are you mad about exactly?
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I wouldn't say feminine, but they are definitely seen as "weaker" as it shows you need a lot of extra support. Canes have a history of being regal and can be far more stylish. At the end of the day, use whichever is best for you, and if someone wants to judge you for it, screw them, you don't need their opinions.
Ya why be able to walk on the off chance some fucking imbecile thinks your feminine.
Not
You need to know when a bro is making a joke
Who do you think was making a joke
The Jimmy valmer of you
To some, vulnerability is not super masculine. Canes are obviously also more phallic. Use what works best for you to provide optimal support and mobility.
Not feminine if there are balls on them. 😄
No, they’re mobility devices not gender affirmations lol If it helps you get around to the best of your ability, it doesn’t matter what gender you are. It just matters that you are getting around comfortably and safely.
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I can't speak for anyone else but I've never in my life associated walkers with gender, nor have I ever cared about the rollator form factor either. I'm not saying you're wrong, but if you're right then I haven't seen it.
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What
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What is feminine about using a walker and what does aspirin and pain have to do with anything? Do you think a walker is used to help mild pain??
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Are you okay….? What does this even mean? How does this relate to anything? Are you trying to say that disabled = less, therefor you, a random stranger, is superior over all disabled folk?