Man Up

For the final episode, Aymann convenes four friends to talk about the hashtag #MenAreTrash and to debate whether it’s possible to critique manhood and masculinity without bashing men as a group. Then, Aymann’s colleagues ask him questions to figure out how much he’s changed since the show began almost a year ago, and Aymann shares the most common complaint he's heard from listeners.  Slate Plus members get ad-free podcasts and bonus episodes of shows like Dear Prudence and Slow Burn. Sign up now to listen and support our work. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Aymann tries to make sense of new polling data that shows men aren’t taking the outbreak of COVID-19 as seriously as women. First he talks to David Vega, a medical student who contracted the virus in early March after attending multiple gatherings with friends and family. Now, David says he should’ve been much more cautious, and he urges other men to learn from his mistakes. Then Aymann talks to Dr. Michael Smith, an internal medicine doctor and chief medical editor of WebMD. He says men have always been lousy at health precautions and now is the time for them to realize the error of their ways.  How has the coronavirus affected you, or a man in your life? What other stories should we tell about manhood in this crisis? Let us know, and we might help you work through it on the show. Give us a call at 805-626-8707 or email us at manup@slate.com Slate Plus members get ad-free podcasts and bonus episodes of shows like Dear Prudence and Slow Burn. Sign up now to listen and support our work. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, Aymann talks to Shuheng, a self-described extrovert who wishes he had more friends to talk to and commiserate with. Then Aymann hears from Slate podcast producer Ben Frisch, who talks about how he’s able to make the most of his alone time. And finally, a very socially active man named Dan explains how he’s been able to stay connected to friends all over the country and satisfy his need for close personal bonds.  How has the coronavirus affected you, or a man in your life? What other stories should we tell about manhood in this crisis? Let us know, and we might help you work through it on the show. Give us a call at 805-626-8707 or email us at manup@slate.com Slate Plus members get ad-free podcasts and bonus episodes of shows like Dear Prudence and Slow Burn. Sign up now to listen and support our work. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As people continue to self-quarantine, single men are still out there trying to date and, in some cases, have sex. First Aymann talks to his coworker Katie Rayford, who was hit on by two men on the same day when she was stocking up on groceries. Then he checks in with Jeremy Cohn, a man who flirted with his neighbor via drone. Then Andrew Kahn joins the show to talk about men who are still trying to meet up through Grindr right now. And finally, Denver journalist Zack Newman talks about his experience going on FaceTime dates and explains why continuing to date is so important for him during these trying times.  How has the coronavirus affected you, or a man in your life? What other stories should we tell about manhood in this crisis? Let us know, and we might help you work through it on the show. Give us a call at 805-626-8707 or email us at manup@slate.com Slate Plus members get ad-free podcasts and bonus episodes of shows like Dear Prudence and Slow Burn. Sign up now to listen and support our work. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, Man Up host Aymann Ismail learns how the outbreak of COVID-19 is changing how men’s partners see them at home. What happens when a husband and wife have very different crisis modes? What do you do if your new boyfriend wants you to quarantine with him in Canada, and you don’t even live together? Aymann explores these questions, and many more, and tries to figure out how this crisis may change how we see each other in the future.   How has the coronavirus affected you, or a man in your life? What other stories should we tell about manhood in this crisis? Let us know, and we might help you work through it on the show. Give us a call at 805-626-8707 or email us at manup@slate.com Slate Plus members get ad-free podcasts and bonus episodes of shows like Dear Prudence and Slow Burn. Sign up now to listen and support our work. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Man Up editor Lowen Liu explains why he’s so bad about taking sick days, even when a serious epidemic is dominating the news. But first, Slate’s culture editor Forrest Wickman lays out why he desperately wants his co-workers to go home when they show symptoms of a cold or flu. Then, Aymann talks to Mieke Beth Thomeer, associate professor of sociology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, about why men in particular are so bad at prioritizing their own health.  What makes you a work in progress? Do you want to talk through something you can’t quite crack related to manhood or masculinity? Let us know, and we might help you work through it on the show. Give us a call at 805-626-8707 or email us at manup@slate.com Slate Plus members get ad-free podcasts and bonus episodes of shows like Dear Prudence and Slow Burn. Sign up now to listen and support our work. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Vivek, a man with Parkinson’s disease, tries to get back the confidence he had before his diagnosis at age 38. To help him out, Man Up host Aymann Ismail recruits Jimmy Choi, a husband, father, ultra-marathoner, and competitor on NBC’s American Ninja Warrior. Choi was diagnosed with Parkinson’s when he was 27, but now he’s in his 40’s, and he’s managed to thrive in spite of his chronic illness.  What makes you a work in progress? Do you want to talk through something you can’t quite crack related to manhood or masculinity? Let us know, and we might help you work through it on the show. Give us a call at 805-626-8707 or email us at manup@slate.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A young man wonders whether his habitual porn use has negatively affected the way he thinks about sex and relationships. Can porn cause erectile dysfunction? Is it even possible to have a healthy relationship to porn? To answer those questions and more, Man Up host Aymann Ismail turns to Dr. Emily Rothman, a professor and researcher who helped develop a program to teach teenage students about porn. She explains how porn actually affects the way people view sex, and then she offers concrete tips on how to enjoy porn responsibly.  What makes you a work in progress? Do you want to talk through something you can’t quite crack related to manhood or masculinity? Let us know, and we might help you work through it on the show. Give us a call at 805-626-8707 or email us at manup@slate.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After years of praying in mosques that treat women’s spaces as an afterthought, Aymann tries to find an alternative. First he talks to his wife Mira about the difference between men's spaces and women's spaces during prayer. Then Imam Khalid Latif joins the show to explain the origin of gender separation in mosques and how the various ways to interpret scripture and cultural teachings can offer a solution. What makes you a work in progress? Do you want to talk through something you can’t quite crack related to manhood or masculinity? Let us know, and we might help you work through it on the show. Give us a call at 805-626-8707 or email us at manup@slate.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week on the show, a Texas man who struggles with romance tries to plan the perfect Valentine’s Day. But first, Aymann gets the cold hard truth about his past Valentine’s Day performances from his wife, Mira. Then he talks to psychotherapist Lori Gottlieb about the common mistakes couples make on Valentine’s Day and how to avoid them.  What makes you a work in progress? Do you want to talk through something you can’t quite crack related to manhood or masculinity? Let us know, and we might help you work through it on the show. Give us a call at 805-626-8707 or email us at manup@slate.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A gay man in Maine tries to figure out how to develop closer friendships with straight men. But first, Aymann tries to understand why Sam has his heart set on those friendships in the first place. For additional help, the guys turn to Alex DeLuca, founder of the “Gaybros” subreddit, which was originally a forum for gay men who felt like they didn’t identify with mainstream gay culture. These days, Alex is critical of the mindset that spawned “Gaybros,” and in this episode, he uses the lessons he learned to help Sam get to the root of his problem.  What makes you a work in progress? Do you want to talk through something you can’t quite crack related to manhood or masculinity? Let us know, and we might help you work through it on the show. Give us a call at 805-626-8707 or email us at manup@slate.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A tech company executive named Jason feels nervous about being the only black manager in an office made up mostly of white women. He wants to create a space where people feel comfortable talking about race and gender, but he’s worried about all the biases people bring to the workplace. For help, Aymann and Jason turn to Ari Joseph, the head of diversity, equity and inclusion at Vimeo. Ari talks about all the ways men of color hold back their true identities in the workplace, and he offers tips for Jason on how to bring more of his “true self” to the office.  What makes you a work in progress? Do you want to talk through something you can’t quite crack related to manhood or masculinity? Let us know, and we might help you work through it on the show. Give us a call at 805-626-8707 or email us at manup@slate.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Aymann wonders why he has so much trouble asking for help. First he sits down with his wife Mira, who paints a more detailed picture of the problem. Then Aymann turns to Dan Doty, co-founder of the men's group Evryman, who shares the benefits of accepting help from others and offers a simple technique for people who have trouble admitting weakness or inexperience. What makes you a work in progress? Do you want to talk through something you can’t quite crack related to manhood or masculinity? Let us know, and we might help you work through it on the show. Give us a call at 805-626-8707 or email us at manup@slate.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Aymann hears from Maria, a mother in Norway who’s worried about raising her two young boys in the #MeToo era. She admits that she originally wanted girls and now wants to make sure her boys grow up to be respectful, empathetic men. For help, Aymann and Maria turn to Shehnaz, a New Jersey mother and restaurant owner who raised two sons that she couldn’t be more proud of. Shehnaz offers parenting tips and explains the importance of communication, trust, and disrupting gender norms.  What makes you a work in progress? Do you want to talk through something you can’t quite crack related to manhood or masculinity? Let us know, and we might help you work through it on the show. Give us a call at 805-626-8707 or email us at manup@slate.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week Aymann learns about the military’s machismo drinking culture through the eyes of Claire, a young Air Force officer who’s trying to earn the trust of her peers while also giving up alcohol. First Claire talks about why drinking is so prevalent at military social events and why the social politics of drinking are so different for men and women. Then Claire and Aymann hear from Heather King, who used to be in the Air Force and made it her goal to out-drink all the men. Now she’s sober and says there are better ways to earn the respect of military peers.   What makes you a work in progress? Do you want to talk through something you can’t quite crack related to manhood or masculinity? Let us know, and we might help you work through it on the show. Give us a call at 805-626-8707 or email us at manup@slate.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Happy New Year! To kick off 2020, we're revisiting an episode we love, where writer Terrell Starr takes Aymann to do yoga for the first time. When Terrell started doing yoga in his 30s, it opened up his mind to new possibilities of what his body could do—not to mention what he could do as a man. He realized he’d been restricting himself not only physically but mentally because of what he’d learned growing up. For this episode, he talks with Aymann about yoga, therapy, and breaking free of social limits. Read his article for The Root, “Yoga Is My Self Care: More Black Men Need to Breathe.” What makes you a work in progress? Do you want to talk through something you can’t quite crack related to manhood or masculinity? Let us know, and we might help you work through it on the show. Give us a call at 805-626-8707 or email us at manup@slate.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Early in 2019 Ørjan Burøe had an Instagram video go viral. It showed him and his young son wearing dresses and dancing to the song Let it Go from Disney’s Frozen. The response online was mostly positive, but a handful of louder voices argued that the video was proof that traditional masculinity is under attack. This week on Man Up, Burøe talks to Aymann Ismail about how unexpected it was for the video to blow up and what the reaction says about our on-going struggle with gender norms. Then, Aymann confronts some of his own hangups.  What makes you a work in progress? Do you want to talk through something you can’t quite crack related to manhood or masculinity? Let us know, and we might help you work through it on the show. Give us a call at 805-626-8707 or email us at manup@slate.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Aymann talks to a college student named Sammy, who feels like he should allow himself to cry more. First, they talk about why so many men resist the urge to cry in the first place and why re-learning to cry is so much harder than expected. Then they talk to Avi Klein, a therapist who specializes in helping men get in touch with their feelings.  What makes you a work in progress? Do you want to talk through something you can’t quite crack related to manhood or masculinity? Let us know, and we might help you work through it on the show. Give us a call at 805-626-8707 or email us at manup@slate.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A listener named John tries to figure out how to upgrade his wardrobe. First, he and Aymann bond over their fear of taking fashion risks, and then they talk to Israel “Izzy” Bermeo, owner of the clothing shop Zero Kids. Izzy helps John and Aymann think differently about their fashion choices and shows them how to incorporate new items without looking too flashy.  What makes you a work in progress? Do you want to talk through something you can’t quite crack related to manhood or masculinity? Let us know, and we might help you work through it on the show. Give us a call at 805-626-8707 or email us at manup@slate.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Aymann hears from Adam, a father who wants to talk to his teenage daughter about sex without coming off as weird, overbearing, or inappropriate. In other words, Adam wants to be the opposite of the rapper T.I., who recently said he takes his teenage daughter to the gynecologist every year to get her hymen checked. Also joining the show is Adam’s daughter, MG, who offers her dad some tips. Plus, sex educator Desiree Caro explains why these conversations are so crucial.    What makes you a work in progress? Do you want to talk through something you can’t quite crack related to manhood or masculinity? Let us know, and we might help you work through it on the show. Give us a call at 805-626-8707 or email us at manup@slate.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Aymann talks to former Man Up producer Danielle Hewitt and her sister to help them think of Christmas gift ideas for their dad. Also joining the show is Micky Onvural, CEO of the menswear company Bonobos. She explains why it’s so hard to shop for men and why some men have such a hard time articulating what they even want.  Are you a work in progress? Do you need help with something related to manhood or masculinity? Let us know, and we might help you work through it on the show. Give us a call at 805-626-8707 or email us at manup@slate.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Aymann makes some adjustments to his life in an effort to stop being late for everything. Joining him as a guide is Brigid Schulte, director of the Better Life Lab and author of "Overwhelmed: Working to change how we work, love and play." Brigid urges Aymann to focus on his main priorities and ditch everything else. But that turns out to be easier said than done.  Are you a work in progress? Do you need help with something related to manhood or masculinity? Let us know, and we might help you work through it on the show. Give us a call at 805-626-8707 or email us at manup@slate.com If you’d like to help Brigid with her research, you can follow the link below and fill out one or more surveys to help her team better understand the problem of work-life balance.  https://www.newamerica.org/better-life-lab/better-life-lab-experiments/publications/  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the first episode of season 2, Aymann talks to a 23-year-old virgin who's looking for dating tips in all the wrong places. To get him back on the right track, Aymann enlists the help of Andrea Silenzi, host of the hit dating podcast, Why Oh Why. Are you a work in progress? Do you need help with something related to manhood or masculinity? Let us know, and we might help you work through it on the show. Give us a call at 805-626-8707 or email us at manup@slate.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ahead of Season 2, Aymann wants listeners to get in touch and share their stories. Give us a call at (805)-626-8707, or email us at manup@slate.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Flashy public proposals are all over social media, but people seem divided over whether they’re adorable or cringeworthy. This week on Man Up, Aymann learns about two different public proposal stories and figures out whether the people involved have any regrets. First up is Honor Eastly, a musician, podcaster, and writer based in Australia. Her partner proposed to her during a big charity event with friends and family present. Then Aymann talks to newscaster Evie Allen and her husband Matt, who proposed to Evie during a live newscast.  Tell us what you think about this and other topics by leaving a voicemail at 805-626-8707 or emailing manup@slate.com. We may feature you on the show. And please tell us what you think by leaving a review on Apple Podcasts.   Podcast production by Cameron Drews Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week Aymann looks back at some of his dating habits from before he was married, specifically his policy of always paying on the first date. First he talks to Sarah Crow, who wrote a piece for GQ called ‘Why You Should Always Split the Bill.’ Then Mel Magazine writer Magdalene Taylor joins the show to explain why some women, including herself, actually still want to be paid for on dates.  Tell us what you think about this and other topics by leaving a voicemail at 805-626-8707 or emailing manup@slate.com. We may feature you on the show. And please tell us what you think by leaving a review on Apple Podcasts.   Podcast production by Cameron Drews Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After his sixth documented concussion, NFL linebacker Joshua Perry decided to retire. He was only 24, but he knew that if his brain suffered anymore trauma, it could impact his cognitive functioning down the line. This week on Man Up, Perry tells Aymann about the physical and mental toll of football and the culture that teaches players of all ages to play through the pain.  Tell us what you think about this and other topics by leaving a voicemail at 805-626-8707 or emailing manup@slate.com. We may feature you on the show. And please tell us what you think by leaving a review on Apple Podcasts. Podcast production by Cameron Drews Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week Aymann talks to several women (and one man) about the phenomenon of “reply guys” where men reply to women on social media in order to pester them, correct them, or to just be noticed. First, three Slate writers compare reply guys to gnats and argue that they’re more annoying than threatening. Then Aymann talks to Scott Barolo and Shrew, the two people behind the Twitter account @9replyguys, which calls out reply guy behavior and sorts offenders into different categories. Scott even admits that he used to be a reply guy and explains what men are actually trying to do when they provide unsolicited feedback.  Tell us what you think about this and other topics by leaving a voicemail at 805-626-8707 or emailing manup@slate.com. We may feature you on the show. And please tell us what you think by leaving a review on Apple Podcasts.  Podcast production by Cameron Drews and Danielle Hewitt. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Video game scholar Megan Condis joins the show to explain why white supremacists have been targeting online gamers. She says there's a specific subset of men, whose fear of newcomers in the gaming space make them attractive recruits for hate groups.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Pretty Rik E, a DC-based drag king, talks to Aymann about what it means to treat masculinity as a performance. Rik E is part of a group called Pretty Boi Drag, whose drag shows involve lip syncing to hyper masculine songs, dancing confidently, and sporting glued-on facial hair. In their performances, drag kings simultaneously celebrate and skewer male swagger. In the case of Rick E, sometimes they even carry their on-stage personas into their off-stage lives.  Tell us what you think about this and other topics by leaving a voicemail at 805-626-8707 or emailing manup@slate.com. We may feature you on the show. And please tell us what you think by leaving a review on Apple Podcasts.   Podcast production by Cameron Drews and Danielle Hewitt. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Aymann realizes he’s a little squeamish about the current birth control options for men. First he talks to writer Angela Anagnost-Repke, who’s been trying to convince her husband Brad to get a vasectomy. Then Dr. Paul Turek joins the show to explain what a vasectomy actually entails. Then, for a non-surgical solution, Aymann talks to Rufaro Huggins, a member of a birth control study conducted by the University of Washington School of Medicine. Huggins says he enjoys the experimental new pill and hopes more men will step up and shoulder more of the burden of birth control.  Tell us what you think about this and other topics by leaving a voicemail at 805-626-8707 or emailing manup@slate.com. We may feature you on the show. And please tell us what you think by leaving a review on Apple Podcasts.   Podcast production by Cameron Drews and Danielle Hewitt. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What exactly was going through Kareem Rahma’s 20-year-old head when he found out his father only had 6 months to live?As he tells it, nothing. He was entirely fixated on how the family dynamic was about to change. As the eldest sibling, as the oldest boy, he was certain that the responsibilities of his father, financial and otherwise, were his to inherit. This week on Man Up, Aymann talks with Kareem about how he may have put that pressure on himself.  Tell us what you think about this and other topics by leaving a voicemail at 805-626-8707 or emailingmanup@slate.com. We may feature you on the show. And please tell us what you think by leaving a review on Apple Podcasts. Podcast production by Danielle Hewitt and Cameron Drews Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week on Man Up, Aymann talks with Kim Gandy about the link between mass shootings and domestic violence. Gandy has been an advocate for survivors of domestic violence for over 30 years, so she knows better than most the cost of staying silent on the issue. She shares what she’s learned about early evidence of abuse, and what our best tools are in preventing it. Tell us what you think about this and other topics by leaving a voicemail at 805-626-8707 or emailingmanup@slate.com. We may feature you on the show. And please tell us what you think by leaving a review on Apple Podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week on Man Up, Aymann sits down for his first-ever therapy session with psychotherapist and host of the Hey Man podcast, Avi Klein. He learns something about how he copes, and about how some therapists might be pushing men away.  Tell us what you think about this and other topics by leaving a voicemail at 805-626-8707 or emailing manup@slate.com. We may feature you on the show. And please tell us what you think by leaving a review on Apple Podcasts. Podcast production by Danielle Hewitt and Cameron Drews Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week on Man Up, writer Eddie Kim talks with host Aymann Ismail about sexual racism, why he thinks Asian men are at a disadvantage on dating apps, and how some toxic subcultures react to that.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When J. Kenji López-Alt landed a job as a line cook at the elegant No. 9 Park restaurant, he wasn’t expecting to spend his first day standing in the corner with a figurative dunce hat on his head. He was being punished by the chef for incorrectly chopping the chives. He later worked at other expensive restaurants too, even spending a few weeks working for the famously cruel Gordon Ramsay, where he watched another cook have a hot pan tossed at him. Now the head chef of his own restaurant, López-Alt is taking the lessons he learned from those jobs to run a kitchen that’s cruelty free. This week on Man Up, he talks with Aymann about kitchen machismo, and what it took for him to unlearn it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Noor Tagouri knows better than most what it feels like to have everything she does under a close watch. Her interview in Playboy Magazine caused an international firestorm not for what she said, but for what she wore. This week on Man Up, Noor shares what she learned from being the subject of ridiculous online harassment, and teaches Aymann the consequences of imposing his opinions on others. Slate Plus members get bonus segments and ad-free podcast feeds. Sign up now.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nichole Perkins knows what straight women look for in a man. She’s a romance novel enthusiast and former co-host of Thirst Aid Kit, a podcast that focused on sexual desire and celebrity hotness. In this episode, Man Up host Aymann Ismail talks to Nichole about what male desirability means in 2019 and what he’s learned about his own attractiveness since getting married. Then Aymann asks his wife Mira what drew her to him in the first place—and what, uh, didn’t draw her to him—, and she bluntly explains what Aymann maybe could’ve done differently.  Podcast production by Cameron Drews and Danielle Hewitt.. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Over the weekend, Aymann was going viral on the less savory, right-wing corners of the internet. An admittedly poorly worded tweet had exposed him to an avalanche of criticism, some understandable, others sinister and racist. And when a total stranger asked Aymann for his location in a threatening way, he gave it to them.    So this week, Man Up producer Danielle Hewitt staged an intervention, to help Aymann take a deeper look at himself, and ask himself why he can’t just ignore online trolls. Tell us what you think about this and other topics by leaving a voicemail at 805-626-8707 or emailing manup@slate.com. We may feature you on the show. And please tell us what you think by leaving a review on Apple Podcasts. Podcast production by Danielle Hewitt and Cameron Drews. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When Terrell Starr started doing yoga in his 30s, it opened up his mind to new possibilities of what his body could do—not to mention what he could do as a man. He realized he’d been restricting himself not only physically but mentally because of what he’d learned growing up. This week on Man Up, he talks with Aymann about yoga, therapy, and breaking free of social limits. Read his article for The Root, “Yoga Is My Self Care: More Black Men Need to Breathe.” Tell us what you think about this and other topics by leaving a voicemail at 805-626-8707 or emailingmanup@slate.com. We may feature you on the show. And please tell us what you think by leaving a review on Apple Podcasts.   Podcast production by Cameron Drews and Danielle Hewitt. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Simran Jeet Singh has worn a turban his entire life. It’s a requirement of his Sikh faith but it has also made him a target for racist harassment. This week on Man Up, Aymann and Simran share their experiences experiences and discuss how Simran’s Sikh faith has helped him navigate them.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Trystan Cotten was not prepared for the way his relationship with law enforcement would change after he transitioned in his late thirties. As he wrote in the Washington Post last year, it all came to a head when a cop pulled his gun on him after he called 911 to report an accident. Trystan talks to Aymann about the lessons he’s learned about moving through the world as a black man in America.  Tell us what you think about this and other topics by leaving a voicemail at 805-626-8707 or emailingmanup@slate.com. We may feature you on the show. And please tell us what you think by leaving a review on Apple Podcasts.   Podcast production by Cameron Drews and Danielle Hewitt. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In an effort to distribute office tasks evenly, Slate’s New York office implemented a sign-off sheet for loading and unloading dishwasher—when you do it, you cross your name off. After a quick, unscientific study of the list, it’s clear that there’s a gender disparity in who contributes—and who doesn’t. The men of the office, including host Aymann Ismail, were slacking. So Man Up ambushed a few of Slate staffers to ask why they didn’t think it was their responsibility.    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Growing up, Cord Jefferson never really saw himself reflected in the characters on TV. Now, he’s a script editor for shows like Master of None and The Good Place. Aymann talks with Cord about what happens when you don’t relate to the characters you’re supposed to on your television screen. Contact us about this and other topics by leaving a voicemail at 805-626-8707 or emailing manup@slate.com. We may feature you on the show. And please tell us what you think by leaving a review on Apple Podcasts.  Podcast production by Cameron Drews and Danielle Hewitt. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Aymann talks to his brother, Mohamed, about how they grew up and why he's chosen a distinctly different parenting style from what they grew up with. Podcast production by Danielle Hewitt and Cameron Drews. Contact us about this and other topics by leaving a voicemail at 805-626-8707 or emailing manup@slate.com. We may feature you on the show. And please tell us what you think by leaving a review on Apple Podcasts.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What happens when you finally meet an absent father who haunted your childhood. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jessica Valladolid is a sex educator in New York city. Her deep friendships with boys during her formative years helped her understand how they start thinking about sex and helped set her on the path she’s on today.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Eric Kelly was so successful at fighting off bullies as a kid in Brooklyn, that he grew up to become an Olympic level boxer, until a bar fight ended his career. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On Man Up, host Aymann Ismail invites men and women to tell embarrassing, funny, and sometimes disturbing stories about their lives as they try to figure out what they still have to learn—and unlearn—about being a man. They’ll talk relationships, family, sex, and identity, trying to understand their experiences to help listeners make more sense of their own. Launching May 1st, 2019.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices