I say this as a man.
I am also fortunate to have an amazing mom, and a twin sister I am very close with.
I have two or three college friends who are women several online friends who are women, and a bestie whos a woman. What i’ve found from them is that I have no tact, that im an asshole, and every thing I believed about women and what its like to be a woman was largely limited by my own perspective as a straight white man.
Don’t get me wrong, I still have plenty of issues I need to address. People still also think I’m odd/ weird/ creepy. However, thats nothing new. I have a severe mental illness and am very odd in general.
What has helped, is the perspective they have given me and the support they give me that my best bros don’t give me. I can trust them enough that I can ask them for perspective /advice on things I can’t normally ask men or women I’m not close with.
I’ve asked my friend for advice about romantic gestures I plan, about my self education on feminism and womens rights, and her perspective as a bisexual and mentally ill woman. Same thing with the other important women in my life.
What I’ve found is that my assumptions about dating, feminism, and what its like being a woman were very wrong. I am limited by my perspective as a man.
This stuff should be a no brainer, and shouldn’t have to be taught.
However, men often forcibly take lead on tjese matters, and make unfounded assumptions. Then they propagate them to other vunerable young men. Apart from this, its nice not having a constant dick measuring contest. I can relax and feel less competitive around women.
If the women in my life haven’t befriended me, the chronic rejection and lonliness would have taken a larger toll on me. With that being said, they aren’t your therapist. Prioritize your mental health.
However, befriending women \*\*platonically\*\* can be helpful for a lot of young men who are ignorant/ chronically fed nonsense from other men.
Women regularly adjust their behavior to accommodate men, and I feel like we aren’t often aware of this.
The women in my life have given me insight I would have otherwise been lacking. Albeit, I still lack a lot of perspective, and can be a bit of a pick me sometimes.
A lot of us need to stop being insufferable asswipes in order to be more suitable partners, and unfortunately educating ourselves can require the perspective of people we care about.