Did I Lose My Man Card?

I’m caught in a dilemma and need help determining whether I’ve crossed a line. As many of you know, I’m not ashamed to call myself a “Metro Male.” I like looking good and do things that would not be considered very manly. I have a rough time with hair growing in all the places I don’t want it to grow, so I take care of it as well as a few other primpy type things. 

Last week Tami asked me to run some errands for her before she had to leave on a two and a half week business trip. I don’t mind running errands to help make the packing process easier for Tami, but I have to ask if I’ve lost my man card. Last Friday, I came in after doing some yard work and found a list of things that I needed to do that day. The first items were running by a couple of pharmacies and picking up some snacks and dry cleaning. Then came four items that would require going to the ladies section of a few stores. These are not typical items that you just run in, grab, and head out, but rather the intimate apparel items for which you may require a consultant. I know that some of you are thinking that I’ve bought this type of stuff before, and while that may be true, it was of a different variety than the stuff I had to purchase on Friday. So not only was I going to purchase these items, but I had to go to three different stores for them.

I went to the first store and quickly found the needed item. Not approached by any sales personnel, I was out of the store in less than five minutes. Maybe this wasn’t going to be as bad as I thought. Store number 2 is where problems began to surface. I was quickly approached by a sales consultant and figured I should tell her what I was looking for so that my shopping experience would end sooner. She took me directly to the items I was in search of and found the sizes I needed. Great, this will be a fast stop too! Then she did it—she started pulling out other varieties and colors that I might want to buy. What started off to be a fast, five-minute purchase now involved intimates spread all over a counter and the pressure of buying them because they would look so good. Whenever I get nervous I start to sweat above my upper lip, and I was sweating….I just wanted to pay my bill and leave. The consultant proceeded to tell me that they had some new items in the back that I’d really like and she’d go get them. That’s when I let my manhood rise to the top and said, “No thanks, I’ll check out now!” She checked me out and I bolted for my car. After that I had one last stop and waited until nobody was around before I went in for the buy. What a day….

So, do I lose my man card after an experience like that? I grew up in a family where my dad would have never considered doing something like that and I don’t think my father-in-law would have either. I am friends with a lot of macho men that I just can’t picture ever doing something like this because they are so macho. I know in life we are all going to have those days when we’re asked to do things that take us way out of our comfort zone. I’ve come to realize that it’s worth the risk if I can help make somebody else’s day a little easier. Whether it’s buying those intimate items, helping with a task, or just opening my mouth to offer encouragement and support, it’s worth the risk.