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Uncategorized

Go Check This Out!

Morning gents! So, earlier this week, I told you that I was originally going to put up a post about a blog that a friend of mine had started, but decided to put that off since she was having some technical issues with it. But as of now, said technical issues have been resolved, and she actually just put up a new post just a few days ago that you should definitely check out. But anyways, here’s the post I was originally planning for Monday, just slightly modified.

I wanted to tell you about a blog that a good friend of mine has started. It’s called A Vintage Athenian, and the name is exactly what it sounds like. It’s a young Athenian woman telling you all about all things vintage, for ladies and gents alike! Now, it should come as no surprise that I love all things vintage; in fact, that’s practically the reason I even started this blog! All things like vintage fashion, cars, and music, are absolutely my cup of tea, so when I heard that my friend was doing this I absolutely had to check it out! She posts some wonderful content, a lot about vintage fashion, and while a lot of what she posts would obviously appeal more to you young ladies out there (I know there are some ladies out there who follow my content too), she also has plenty of stuff coming down the pipeline for you young gents as well! If you are a lover of anything vintage, or are just interested in seeing a young woman rave about her love of all things vintage, I highly recommend you check out the Vintage Athenian. Read, follow, share, do whatever you need to do!

In any case, I hope you enjoyed reading today’s post. Please be sure to share the post, follow the blog, and follow The Young Gentleman’s Guide on Facebook and Instagram. Also be sure to send an email to younggentlemansguide@gmail.com, send us some feedback or suggestions for future posts. And on that note, this is Max from The Young Gentleman’s Guide, and I’ll see you next time!

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Uncategorized

Change of Plans

Morning gents, it’s Max from the Young Gentleman’s Guide here. I was originally was going to put up a post about a blog that a friend of mine had started, but in an update from her this morning, she said that she has been having some technical issues with it that she’s trying to fix as we speak. So for today, this will be the only thing I post today. I just wanted to let you guys know about the situation, and I will let you know of any updates as soon as I get some. But on that note, this is Max from The Young Gentleman’s Guide, and I’ll see you next time!

Categories
Manly Skills

The Gentleman’s Guide to the Perfect Handshake

Morning gents, it’s Max from the Young Gentleman’s Guide here! I am so sorry for the lack of posts on the blog all through October, school has been murder. But I am not going to let that stop me, and I should be back to my regular post schedule starting now! So jumping right back onto the train, I’m here to give you a guide to a perfect handshake. Giving a perfect handshake can make a good impression on everyone you meet, so it’s important to know how to properly give a handshake like a true gentleman. Thankfully, the Art of Manliness provided this a handy diagram that I’ll post in a little bit, and I’ll also put up a few other tips as well as different forms of handshakes in case you come across a situation where you’ll have to use them.

Handshake Post 2

So the diagram seems to be pretty perfect. Look the other person in the eye, smile, don’t let your hand go limp, but also don’t try to crush the other person’s hand. With this in mind, there is one big tip I would like to add on: don’t let the handshake go to long! If any of you have seen the film Captain America: Civil War, you know that there’s a scene where Scott Lang (Ant-Man) first meets Steve Rogers (Captain America) and shakes his hand. Lang is overall very awkward in the scene and even acknowledges that he shakes Steve’s hand for too long. This is perfect advice for a good handshake. If you let it go on for too long, it can be incredibly awkward for both involved in the shake. While the length of the shake can be hard to gauge, it shouldn’t go any longer than about five (5) seconds. With this in mind, let’s go into the two (2) most common handshake variations so you know how to identify them and what they mean.

1. The Scout Handshake

Unless you’re a Boy Scout, it’s unlikely that you’ll come across this very often, but I use it quite a bit with people I know. The Scout handshake is basically the same thing as a normal handshake, just with the left hand instead of the right. The reason the Boy Scouts use the Scout handshake is because it’s a symbol of friendship, respect, and courage. The tradition of shaking with the left hand came from the Ashanti warriors who were present in Africa in the late 19th Century. According to the Ashanti chiefs, “In our land only the bravest of the brave shake hands with the left hand, because to do so we must drop our shields and our protection.”

2. The Two-Handed Handshake

You see this one a lot among politicians (I also get it quite a bit during the Sign of Peace while in church). This is pretty simple, after initiating the regular handshake, one or both participants will put their other hand on the other person’s right hand. This one is meant to show warmth, friendship, and trust. It’s meant to be a sincere handshake, to be shared between close friends, family, and colleagues.

So there it is! I’m sorry that this post wasn’t very long or in depth, the act of a proper handshake is just rather simple to learn and understand. Hopefully you found this post helpful to you and that you gents reading this are able to give great handshakes in the future. In any case, I hope you enjoyed reading today’s post. Please be sure to share the post, follow the blog, and follow The Young Gentleman’s Guide on Facebook and Instagram. And on that note, this is Max from The Young Gentleman’s Guide, and I’ll see you next time!

Categories
Manly Skills

The Art of a Haircut: How to Communicate with your Barber

Afternoon gents! It’s Max from The Young Gentleman’s Guide here, coming at you with some helpful info about one of the most important aspects of men’s lifestyle: a visit to the barber! It’s been said several times that one of the most important people in a man’s life is his barber, and I’m inclined to agree to an extent. While people tend to stereotype women as the ones who obsess over their hair care, men also tend put a lot of emphasis on keeping their locks neat and clean. That’s why so many men go to barber shops today. With this in mind, I’m going to give you four (4) steps to make your next haircut easier and all the more satisfying. (Also, disclaimer, most of what I have in this post comes from this video from the Art of Manliness, so I’m not about to claim credit for any of this.)

1. Use precise measurements

One of the biggest mistakes that people make when going to a barber shop is telling the barber they want “a little bit off the top”, which every barber will interpret that differently. As in the AoM video, “one man’s trim is another man’s close shave.” So in order to make your cut more precise, or suited to your terms, tell them a specific measurement you want cut. Say something “two inches off the top”, or if you aren’t sure about how much you want cut, just let your barber know. He’ll just clip a little bit off, ask you if you like it, and if you don’t, he’ll clip off some more, simple as that.

2. Know some general styles

Obviously, with a haircut, there are a lot of different styles you can go for. With so many out there, just telling the barber a general you want a trim can be a bit confusing to them. Telling the barber you want a specific hairstyle can help ease that confusion. To give you an idea, I’ll give you a few visuals of the most popular men’s hairstyles. (And yes, I’ll be using a few celebrity pictures, bear with me.)

Crew Cut
Crew Cut (my typical cut)
High and Tight
High and Tight
Buzz Cut.png
Buzz Cut
Flat Top
Flat Top (think military haircut)

Also, keep in mind that these can come in various lengths, or you can even ask for a hybrid of styles. But just keep these in mind when talking to your barber. He’ll know what you’re talking about.

3. Show them a picture

This is honestly pretty simple. If you show your barber a picture of the haircut you want, they’ll be able to replicate it based on the picture. This worked very well for my last haircut. I just showed the barber a picture of my cousin who had gotten a similar haircut, and it turned out perfectly. There’s really not much else to say here.

4. Let your barber do his job

Now yes, you may have an idea of what you may want your hair to look like, but remember who the expert is: the barber. He will know what type of cut will work best with your head shape, neck thickness, etc. Plus, certain cuts will also look different depending hair or skin color. So, even if the barber may have different suggestions than what you might prefer, just hear him out and let him do his job. He’ll know what to do.

So there it is! Follow these steps, and your hair will be looking as spiffy as ever! Also, honorable mention here, keep going to the same barber. If you keep going to the same barber, he’ll get to know what style you usually like to get, a general idea of you head shape, and other details of the cut. Also, this post only covered the bare minimum of a haircut. The Art of Manliness video goes into much more detail about other aspects of the cut, so I would highly recommend watching that video too.  In any case, I hope you enjoyed reading today’s post. Please be sure to share the post, follow the blog, and follow The Young Gentleman’s Guide on Facebook and Instagram. And on that note, this is Max from The Young Gentleman’s Guide, and I’ll see you next time!

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Gentleman's Philosophy

A Real Man is a Family Man

Evening gents! It’s Max from The Young Gentleman’s Guide here, here to talk about fatherhood, of all things. So, I just watched a video from Prager University on YouTube which I’ll link to right here. It talks about father characters in pop culture and how their qualities and character traits are what every man should strive to emulate. I thought I would take this idea and run with it, and give my take on the benefits of getting hitched and starting a family, using examples from these pop culture dads. With this post, I’m not saying that becoming a husband and father is the only thing you young gents should be or aspire to be. With this post, I only hope to give you some info on how and why becoming a father can make you a better man. If you don’t wish to be a father, you are completely in your rights to do so. But for any of you wanting or hoping to be a family man, here are three (3) ways being a husband and a father can make you a true man, using famous fathers from pop culture.

1. It Teaches Selflessness

When you choose to get married and are ready to begin your own family, it’s obviously a huge commitment. Choosing to spend the rest of your life with someone and procreating with that person takes a lot of bravery, trust, and most of all, selflessness. If you look at some of the most famous father characters in movies or TV, they show this trait in spades. Whether you’re talking Ward Cleaver from Leave it to Beaver, Mike Heck from The Middle, or my personal favorite, Jack Arnold from The Wonder Years, they are some of the most selfless characters I’ve ever seen in any sort of media. They will bend over backwards to help provide for their families, and no matter what choices they make, the safety and well-being of their family always comes first. They almost always put their wives and children before themselves. This is because providing for the family and putting them ahead of himself is the traditional role of the father (though hardcore SJWs may try to convince you otherwise), and once you make the decision to have a family, it’s no longer completely about you. Marriage and fatherhood make you part of a team, and the well-being of the team overall should have precedence over the well-being of the individual.

2. It Develops a Strong Work Ethic

Since it is the traditional role of the father to provide for the family, it would obviously hard to do so if you don’t have a job. So, if you decide to get hitched, you’d clearly want to provide for your spouse up to the point of buying a house for the two of you. That motivation alone will drive you to work more, get promoted, save more money. And when you and your spouse decide to have have a child, it will only mean more money has to come in. Even just the motivation of providing for one’s family, or even thinking of starting one is enough for a man to turn over a new leaf and revamp their work ethic. You can bet that some of pop culture’s best dads demonstrate some of the strongest work ethics I have ever seen. George Bailey from It’s a Wonderful Life worked his butt off to help fix up a house for him and his wife, whom he loved more than anything. Going beyond that house fix-up, he only expanded his business to the point where he was able to develop a comfortable living for his wife and four (4) children. Bob Cratchit from the holiday classic A Christmas Carol was extremely dedicated to his work under Ebeneezer Scrooge, as little as he made. Why? Because he loved his family and wanted to provide for them! Even with his miniscule income, his family always appreciated his efforts to provide, and they always loved him no matter what his income. That seems like an admirable role model if I’ve ever seen one.

3. Women Like Fatherly Traits

This is basically paraphrasing from the Prager University video, so I am not about to take credit for anything I’m about to say. With that out of the way, ask any woman past her teen years what she looks for in a man. What will she say? While she probably won’t explicitly say names like Ward Cleaver, George Bailey, Jack Arnold, or Mike Brady, she will most likely list traits that most, if not all, these characters show. She’d most likely say that he’s dependable, kind, and smart. To quote the PragerU video, he’s “confident, but not smug. He’s funny and capable of laughing at himself. He’s successful at work, but not a workaholic. He loves children but isn’t a child himself.” While it’s impossible to speak for every woman, there is a prevailing trend that show that women are attracted to these father-like traits. So gents, if you’ve been wondering how to find a date, there you go.

So there it is! Again, please do no mistake this is me forcing any of you to become fathers. Like I said, I know that marriage isn’t for everybody, and you don’t have to get married if you don’t want to. This is just meant to show what being a father can teach you, and why even if you choose not to be a father, their traditional traits are those that every man should emulate. In any case, I hope you enjoyed reading today’s post. Please be sure to share the post, follow the blog, and follow The Young Gentleman’s Guide on Facebook and Instagram. And on that note, this is Max from The Young Gentleman’s Guide, and I’ll see you next time!