Man Up

Masculinity, race, and relationships in the modern world.

About the Show

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.

A Virgin in His Mid-20s Starts to Worry

After searching for answers to his bad romantic luck online, one guy hears someone else: an actual woman.

What Happens After a Public Proposal

Two stories of men popping the question in a big, public way. Two very different outcomes.

About Guys Who Insist on Paying the Bill …

If you’re fighting your date for the check, it’s probably about more than being “polite.”

What It Takes to Quit Football

Former linebacker Joshua Perry explains why he abruptly retired from the NFL at 24.

How Not to Be a Reply Guy

According to someone who used to be one.

The Real Threat of Video Games

White supremacists see male gamers as recruits. What does that say about “gamer” culture?

How a Drag King Parodies—and Finds Joy in—Masculinity

The art of glued-on facial hair, lip-syncing to 2 Chainz, and skewering male swagger.

The Fear of Male Birth Control

Women’s bodies are regularly put through the wringer. What’s keeping men from sharing more of the burden?

Becoming “Man of the House” Too Soon

After his father passed, Kareem told himself he needed to fill his dad’s shoes.

Where Mass Shootings Often Start

The police chief in Dayton, Ohio, said it was hard to fathom the killer would shoot his sibling. Kim Gandy knows better.

Therapy Shouldn’t Be Scary for Men

I should know—I just had my first session live on this podcast.

The Trouble With Being an Asian Guy on Tinder

Soon after Eddie Kim started online dating, he noticed something on a profile: “Sorry, not into Asians.”

Chefs Don’t Have to Be Monsters

Take it from someone who used to watch hot pans get thrown at people.

Your Opinions on Her Wardrobe Are Probably Unwelcome

In the past, I’ve commented on the way women dress. Rarely did I think of the consequences.

How Men Try to Attract Women

(It’s usually the wrong way.)

An Intervention

Man Up host Aymann Ismail faced thousands of tweets from angry conservatives. Then he tweeted where he lived.

Why Men Refuse to Do Yoga

The Right Words

A Muslim and a Sikh talk about how they respond to harassment.

The Things Brown-Skinned Men Do to Make People Comfortable

Scholar Simran Jeet Singh on the scrutiny Sikh men experience in America.

A Black Trans Man Meets the Police Again

Man Up talks about the lessons many black and brown men learn very young—and what happens when you have to play catch up.