What Makes a Man?

The cover of Vanity Fair holds only the picture of Caitlyn Jenner, the 1976 decathlete Gold medalist transformed. So what makes a man a man? Thanks to hormones and surgeries and makeup and Photoshop Caitlyn looks amazing for a 65 year old woman. So what makes a man a man?

Caitlyn was born Bruce. Bruce trained, competed and won the gold medal in a very grueling sport. Bruce married and conceived children. So what makes a man a man?

Is maleness a matter of body parts and hormones? Is it a matter of who makes the money and fixes the broken machines? Is it a matter of clothes and hair length and who wears the lipstick?

Body parts and hormones have been downgraded. With surgery and hormone therapy they can be changed. Before they're changed, however, what do they give to the person who has them? Males enjoy between 6 and 7 times more testosterone than females. Males produce up to 20 times more testosterone than females. This primarily male steroid causes greater muscle mass, bone density and male hairiness. Testosterone also causes the male body parts to mature. Testosterone also effects the brain. Male brains are 15% larger than female brain matter.

Several studies show that testosterone makes a person more aggressive and take greater risks. Caitlyn's testosterone got her over the high jump bar. Testosterone production decreases when males enter a relationship, when they become fathers, and over time. Most males are comfortable with the effects of testosterone. Its part of who they are and effects their outlook on life. Before birth this hormone was shaping them.

But what if you don't like what this hormone does to you? What about the negative aspects of testosterone? What about the aggressiveness that lands males in jail? What about the competitiveness that smashes a man's life on the rocks once the body can't reach the goals? What if you don't want the lead in a male/female relationship? What if you want to nurture the kids, instead of be the mean dad?

If we are honest, men have dealt with those sorts of feelings since way before hormone therapy. We've all had to dial back our aggressiveness. We have all had to deal with our bodies not operating where they did in their 20s. We have wished from time to time that we didn't have to take the lead with our wives and children. We've all enjoyed our kids falling asleep on our laps. Part of living as a man is dealing with the over maleness.

It feels like the one we are celebrating as a hero took the easy way out. Bruce had the money to change himself after he gained the fame his maleness enabled. In society at this point in time, he can spend his millions to change his hormones and be accepted. Caitlyn will likely make millions writing a book and appearing around the country for her heroism, while the rest of us males love our wives, raise our children to love who they are and work in our communities to make them better places.