Why is it that, many people like male singers singing falsetto, but otherwise

[raccoon]

men who are behaving in some way another person considers effeminate are ridiculed?


:shrug:

[UndertheOcean]

1. Men should be men , like lumberjacks

[Orsino]

2. Men who look or behave like women supposedly do...

...don't always trip the homophobes' alarms. Falsetto singers, or those with big hair and eye shadow, may be rationalized by the small-minded, consciously or not, as "only doing it to get chicks"--particularly when playing metal, that most macho of music.

[Arugula Latte]

3. Ah ah ah ah stayin' aliiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiive

[Lydia Leftcoast]

4. Men singing falsetto is an old tradition

Ever since medieval times, English cathedral choirs have had the soprano parts sung by boys and the alto parts sung by men singing falsetto. (In recent years, they have established girls' choirs as well as boys' choirs, but the alto parts are still sung by men.)

Besides, most men don't actually sound like women when they sing falsetto. They sound like...men singing falsetto.

[MineralMan]

5. When I was a teenager, I sang in the church choir.

I was a bass/baritone and could sing most tenor parts as well. I also had a well-developed falsetto voice, giving me a three and a half octave range. The choir was perennially short of altos, so the choir director often asked if I could fill in alto parts when the alto section was weak.

I also got to sing both bass solos and countertenor solos in one performance of The Messiah. Good times.

[MilesColtrane]

6. In a word, subject matter.

Most popular falsetto performances by men are songs about breaking up, making up, or making sweet, sweet (straight) love, so even homophobes can enjoy them.

Examples:

Temptations-"Just My Imagination"
Earth, Wind, & Fire- "After the Love is Gone"
"Reasons"
Four Seasons-"Walk Like a Man"
Stylistics-"You Make Me Feel Brand New"

[PassingFair]

7. Like this guy?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K-VW1XZwF80

Orrrrange, that's my colour....

[jobycom]

8. Men can't control themselves around sweet, effiminate males.

They want to hold them, comfort them, make sweet love to them while listening to Barry White...

They don't have that reaction to the BeeGees.