Male Pinterest users defy stereotype
The social networking site Pinterest seems to have a lot of success attracting the ladies. Women use pins to find recipes, design wedding and share quotes. Though it’s a female-dominated social medium, some men have found ways to use Pinterest productively.
Jeremy Nef, a senior majoring in communicative disorders, uses Pinterest account.
“I use Pinterest for work, so I usually pin stuff related to the running shoe brand I promote,” Nef said. “I pin a lot of inspirational quote pictures or running tips.”
Nef activated a personal account before diving into a new social media tool for his job. He uses his personal account on occasion.
“I activated it to familiarize myself with how Pinterest works before I experimented with the account used for my work,” he said. “In my opinion, there is little guy content on Pinterest, but there is some.”
“Pinterest accounts tell you exactly what the girl wants,” Nef said. “So in a non-creepy way if you want to know what food they like, gift ideas and fun things they like to do, you can totally Pinterest stalk them. I have even told my dates that I had gotten onto their Pinterest and found out things they like. I have found recipes they love and we have made the meal together.”
Logan Smith, a political science and economics graduate, made a Pinterest account so he could browse the comedy boards.
“I made a Pinterest this past summer because I was bored and I knew there was a board on Pinterest that was all about funny pictures and quotes,” Smith said. “I knew I had to have my own account to browse these jokes.”
Smith said he has a strong opinion how the majority of women categorize men that use Pinterest accounts.
“I feel like sometimes women could be judgmental against men using Pinterest, as if it is some kind of female club that men are invading,” he said.
Nef said the generalized category women put men Pinterest users into would be feminine.
“Most girls probably hear about a man having his own Pinterest and think he is unmanly, which is not the case the majority of the ti
me,” Nef said.
“Having a Pinterest account isn’t something I announce to the world by any means, but if anything it could be looked at as a useful tool to dating a girl steadily,” Smith said. “If you are stumped with gift ideas, you will find your answer on her Pinterest boards.”
“My four Pinterest boards are named ‘food people should make for me,’ ‘places people should take me,’ ‘gifts people should give me,’ and ‘jokes,'” Smith said.
Some use Pinterest to find gift ideas.
“With the holidays being right around the corner, it is a perfect time to go look at your girl’s Pinterest boards and you will know exactly what to get her,” Nef said. “She will be the happiest girl on earth.”
Male college students sometimes live on a tight budget like some women. There are affordable recipes posted on many Pinterest boards.
“They have incredible amounts of cheap budget recipes and out-of-this-world meal ideas great for date ideas as well as satisfying myself,” Nef said.
Smith found a recipe on Pinterest and put it to the test.
“One time I was bored and looked up a recipe on Pinterest and it was a success, yummy pretzel bites,” he said.
“I definitely don’t advertise it, so when I have notifications of new followers it is quite shocking, and I think to myself, ‘How in the heck did they find me?’,” Smith said.
“I love that I know how to navigate my way around this social networking site,” Nef said. “Thanks to my job, I have secret ways of planning fun dates, although I wouldn’t call myself a pinner.”
– staceyw259@gmail.com