I remember it like it was yesterday: 15 year-old me with blood-shot eyes staring at the 22nd page of Google.
A fruitless trail of purple links with no hope for an answer.
In a final ditch effort, I add “Reddit” to the end of my cryptic string of keywords.
Ha! There it was. A thread from years prior confirming my suspicions all along—Chewbacca’s turn to the dark side in the Star Wars extended universe was a non-canon event.
Since then, Reddit’s been my Library of Alexandria, but it seems like netizens are just now catching onto to what Reddit really is: the collective knowledge on all things gaming, fitness, landscaping, Javascript, UFOs, Toyota Land Cruisers, and BDSM.
I might have missed a few things, but you get the gist. The reality is that it’s a constructive tool as much as an escape into pleasure, politics, and pop culture.
This is The Adult Man, though. Allow me to start with all of the helpful communities that’ve supported my growth through manhood, then I’ll leave it to you to poke around the deeper, geekier, and kinkier corners of “the front page of the internet.”
Style
r/malefashionadvice: So you’re on Reddit looking for “drip,” I take it? You might want to check out r/streetwear for that. In all seriousness r/malefashionadvice or “MFA” is every man’s first stop before niche-ing down. One post could be lighthearted arguments over Costco’s best socks with the next post’s entire comment section hyping up OP’s fit pic in his first pair of penny loafers.
r/rawdenim: You’d think only a small user base represent such a particular topic, but these denim-heads are over 200k strong and counting. Once I got hip to raw denim, especially of the Japanese selvedge variety, I haven’t looked at mass-market jeans the same. Whether they’re obsessing over craftmanship or showboating a fade pattern that took years, r/rawdenim is passion incarnate.
r/NavyBlazer: Could “the country club of Reddit” be more succinct? r/NavyBlazer is all of the prep without the snobbery, unless you dare say Brooks Brothers is still the same brand it’s always been. Modern business casual is too “techwear” for my tastes, so this is my primary source of inspiration for dressing smart without all of the polyester fabric and tight-fitting commuter chinos.
r/frugalmalefashion: I could win the lotto tomorrow and still lick my lips at a good bargain. This subreddit is the #1 bulletin for apparel, footwear, and accessory discounts, along with a ton shopping strategies for looking fresh on a budget. I suggest checking this sub daily. When a desirable brand’s sale hits the front page, a feeding frenzy ensues, and these deal devotees can clear house before you can hit “add to cart.”
Grooming
r/malegrooming: This forum is the dad who never taught you how to shave, and if he did, he left you with a 24-pack of disposable safety razors and called it a day. Looking for an honest review on that heated razor that just hit the market? Look for further. Searching for a new beard style? You’ll find dozens. Personally, r/malegrooming has been a god-send for hairstyles to compliment my mature hairline.
r/FierceFlow: Have you been back and forth between growing out your mane? r/FierceFlow is the push you need. As my hairline continues to slither back my scalp, I find myself visiting less and less. Why can’t I have Jason Momoa-tier locks like these fellas? If you do, there’s plenty of haircare pointers among the showoff posts.
Self Improvement
r/DecidingToBeBetter: Once I finally had enough of my toxic procrasination habits, r/DecidingToBeBetter was the first place I went to. It’s a wealth of knowledge for all stages of self improvement regardless of what you’re trying to optimize, there are countless post to reference.
Everyone’s sitation is different. Create a thread outlining your situation and an army of dudes who dealt with the same thing will share what worked for them. Then, you can reciprocate in the future.
r/GetDisciplined: With over 1.7 million subscibers, it goes without saying that maintaining discipline is challenge all men deal with. But why, with over 22 million subscribers, didn’t I choose r/GetMotivated? When motivation fails, discipline prevails. By all means, subscribe to both. I’ve found myelf intoxicated with motivation countless times, but it was discipline that saw me through the end of my objective.
r/personalfinance: I didn’t grow up in a household where finances were a part of dinner-table discourse. Throughout my twenties, when the impulsive, materialistic devil on my right shoulder got in my ear, r/personalfinance was the angel on my left as the voice of reason.
Please, for all that is holy, stay away from r/wallstreetbets and r/amcstock.
Fitness
r/fitness: Like r/malefashionadvice, r/fitness is the town square for all things physical health. While things like running, bodybuilding, and CrossFit all have their own dedicated communities, r/fitness is a catch-all to keep your home page clean. Plus, the subreddit extends beyond workout related topics and into gear, nutrition, and industry news.
r/bodyweightfitness: I’ve called Michigan, Boston, Spain, and NYC home in the past five years alone, not to mention all of the travels in between. I didn’t have access to a gym everywhere I went, and sometimes I didn’t have a membership at all. Knowing how to build strength without barbells or cable machines is priceless. r/bodyweightfitness is all you need to set a routine you can do anywhere.
r/progresspics: Remember 15 year-old me that spending his time on Reddit browsing Star Wars content? He also used to be the heaviest person in his class, and used this subreddit as a pick-me-up any time he didn’t feel like doing cardio. r/progresspics is dense with inspiration so I can’t reccomend it enough as a source of motivation for weight loss and muscle-building goals.
Dating
r/dating_advice: I’m a pretty open book, but I’m rarely inclined to share the details of my relationship’s low points with my friends, especially since most of them are mutuals with my girlfriend. You don’t have to post the juicy details of your recent argument with your partner, but r/relationship_advice can probably show you how others handled similar beef. Either way, the sheer amount of perspective is hard to find elsewhere.
r/OnlineDating: It seems like r/OnlineDating is increasignly relevant with each passing year—the whole concept has upended the mating rituals pairing up two (or more, I suppose) homo sapiens since we crawled out of the ocean. It’s okay to brush up on your game, vent your frustrations, or share your excitement about the date that went well. Now you know where to do it.
If it exists, there’s probably a subreddit for it. And if there isn’t, you can totally put on your moderator hat and get to community building.
The willingness to help is the best part about about Reddit. When it comes to realizing masculine potential, I, for one, will take all the help I’ll take all of the help there is, whether that’s grooming, feedback on my bench-press form, or having to painfully accept that a brand-new car is a terrible investment at 26.
