The Perfect Sheep: Why Men Thrive on Being Led

Men love to say that women do everything for the "male gaze." They claim we wear makeup, dress up, and behave in certain ways just to get their attention. But let’s flip that around for a second—because if there’s any gender that truly thrives on external validation, it’s men.

Men, particularly those in highly structured environments like the military and police force, are the perfect sheep. They don’t just follow orders—they crave them. They need to be told what to do, how to do it, and when to do it. Strip away their chain of command, their routine, or the approval of their male peers, and suddenly, they’re lost. So tell me again, who’s really leading here?

1. Men Thrive on Being Told What to Do

From childhood, boys are conditioned to seek external direction. Their lives are often structured by strict rules, authority figures, and societal expectations that tell them how to behave. In adulthood, this doesn’t change.

Military men follow orders without question. Police officers obey their chain of command. Even in civilian life, men rely on workplace hierarchies, gym routines, or sports coaches to keep them in line. The idea of autonomy? It’s a myth. Men don’t thrive in chaos; they crave leadership.

Meanwhile, women? We’re often forced to be independent, to juggle responsibilities, and to lead without ever being given official recognition for it.

2. Male Validation is Their Lifeblood

Men don’t just enjoy male validation—they live for it. Look at how they interact with each other: they compliment each other’s gains at the gym, high-five each other for reckless behaviour, and base their entire sense of self-worth on how other men perceive them.

When men don’t receive the validation they seek, they spiral. They’ll commit fraud to appear more successful. They’ll beat their partners when they feel emasculated. They’ll go to war—literally or metaphorically—if they believe it will win them the approval of their peers.

So who’s really desperate for external approval here?

3. The "Alpha Male" Delusion

Men love to talk about being "alpha males," about leading the pack, about being dominant. But here’s the catch—every so-called "alpha" is simply following the blueprint set by other men before him.

Think about it: every self-proclaimed leader of men is just copying behaviours they’ve seen. They dress how other "leaders" dress. They adopt the attitudes they believe will gain them status. Even their supposed leadership is dictated by what other men find impressive.

That doesn’t sound like leadership. That sounds like mimicry.

4. When Their Validation is Threatened, They Lash Out

Men will go to extreme lengths to maintain their status in the eyes of other men. If a woman leaves them, they don’t just move on—some become violent. If they lose their job, they don’t just seek another—they spiral into crisis. If they feel disrespected in public, they’ll start a fight just to prove a point.

The irony? These actions aren’t for women. They’re for other men. They’re about proving to the male gaze that they’re still strong, still dominant, still worthy of respect.

5. Every Task in Their Lives is Dictated to Them

The perfect sheep don’t lead. They follow. Every task in a man’s life is structured by someone else:

• The military tells them when to wake up, when to eat, when to train.
• The police force tells them when to enforce the law and when to look the other way.
• Their workplaces set their schedules and decide their worth through promotions.
• Even their relationships often depend on a woman telling them what needs to be done at home.

Men love to say they’re "leaders," but where exactly are they leading? Because all I see is a gender that waits for orders before making a move.

So Who’s Really Leading?

For all the talk about women being desperate for male approval, it’s clear that men are the ones who can’t function without external validation. They seek it from their peers, their authority figures, and their institutions. They will lie, cheat, fight, and even kill if they feel their status in the male hierarchy is threatened.

So tell me again, who’s really being led here? Because from where I’m standing, it sure as hell isn’t women.