In Brad Paisley’s 2008 hit song “I’m Still a Guy,” he celebrates the things that make him a guy. He calls the ‘feminine’ things that he does for his girl, just weak moments. This song exemplifies the idea that masculinity is characteristic of a few specific things. In Paisley’s eyes, this means hunting, sex, and fishing.

When you see a deer you see Bambi
And I see antlers up on the wall
When you see a lake you think picnic
And I see a large mouth up under that log
You’re probably thinking that you’re going to change me
In some ways well maybe you might
Scrub me down, dress me up all but no matter what
Remember I’m still a guy

The first verse makes it clear that there are masculine thoughts and feminine thoughts. The whole song discusses the things he does for his wife, but he makes sure to point out that in his mind he is thinking other things instead of being genuine about what he is doing for her. He later goes on to make judgments about the guys who aren’t into hunting and who enjoy doing things that are typically masculine.

These days there’s dudes getting facials
Manicured, waxed and botoxed
With deep spray-on tans and creamy lotiony hands
You can’t grip a tackle-box

With all of these men lining up to get neutered
It’s hip now to be feminized
I don’t highlight my hair
I’ve still got a pair
Yeah honey, I’m still a guy

All my eyebrows ain’t plucked
There’s a gun in my truck
Oh thank God, I’m still a guy

The last three verses of the song specifically point out the guys who don’t choose to act like the typically man. He makes inferences that these guys aren’t real men and they are too feminine. The whole song is very stereotypical to how a man ought to be. It forces men to be a certain way and it makes fun the men who don’t fit into this stereotypical box that Paisley is talking about.

Personally, I love Brad Paisley and I have never thought too much into this song. When dissecting the lyrics a little more closely, I can see where people would have issues with it. While it has never bothered me, it isn’t right for him to assume that the guys who don’t enjoy doing the typical guy things aren’t real men. There is more to who a man is than whether or not he hunts and fishes. These are stereotypical masculine things that shouldn’t define what it means to be a man.