Lifestyle - Men & Gossip

Monika Rawal

From bitching and backbiting to discussing their weight, wardrobe and shopping list as well as cribbing about men, in-laws and kids – there is no dearth of subjects for women to start an interesting chat session.

But have you ever wondered about what men gossiped about?

Is it just sex, women and sports that rule a man's mind or is there something else that they love pondering about. We asked men spanning various age groups about what's their favourite subject when it comes to 'male gossip'...

Bitten by the sex bug: This one ought to top the gossip list, as 'men and sex' make for a great combo. So what's there to gossip about? It could vary from sharing their one night stand experiences, new sexual positions they experimented with, erotic fantasies to ofcourse the women they're either chasing or dating.

Ashish Mehra (28), a call centre professional says, "Whenever we meet up for a conversation, mostly, it revolves around sex. We share our experiences and discuss ground-breaking foreplay acts that we can try to stimulate our partners. By doing so, we create a pool of ideas to perform better in bed."

The hottest babe around: Irrespective of their commitment status, men are always inquisitive about the new babe who has joined their office or shifted to their neighbourhood; and whenever they spot a hot girl around, they just can't resist talking about her with their mates. Discussing her looks, attitude, guessing her personal details, likes, and dislikes, men can fritter hours chatting.

"This is one of our favourite topics while with a group of friends or colleagues. During my college days, we used to talk about the hottest girl and how to best impress her using the most innovative flirting techniques. We also planned on how to mingle with her female friends, in a bid to reach out to her," recalls 32-year-old Pratham.

All about a fab figure: Men love sharing details about their dream woman's svelte figure, perfect assets and sexy curves. If not any girl in real life, you can easily spot men gossiping about Bollywood/Hollywood babes and their hot bods. After all, a well toned body is what all men seek in their perfect woman, so indeed a woman's body figures importantly on the male agenda.

Rahul, (22), a college student says, "While in a group, we often discuss girls with a nice figure and talk about the best feature in their body. We even laugh about all the girls who wear revealing outfits just to draw attention."

Me and my woman: Like their women, men also give equal importance to emotions and relationships. Whether frustrated or content, talking about their present relationship figures prominently in their gossip list. Some men love talking about the success mantra of their marital life, some may bare their sex life among their friends and some frustrated souls spill the beans about how their partner gets on their nerves. "Though most men do not discuss much about their family life, but when they do, it's merely a way of venting out their tension,” shares S Venkat, married for 7 years

Work and money matter: Most men are career-oriented and they love discussing the same. From their company and job profile, pay package, Have you ever wondered what men gossip about? (Getty images)
turnover to general economic conditions, goals, targets - work related gossip is common among men.

"Men believe in making intelligent choices and that won't come from discussing our shopping list, so we'd rather spend time talking about a new job and better business propositions. Besides, we often chitchat about the ways to deal with our bosses and office politics and undeniably, it helps when we share our work woes," divulges S Bhatia, 36, a marketing professional.

Gizmo gaze and car craze: No matter which car or gadget a man personally owns, discussing about the latest mean machines and gadgets interests men the most. Be it high-tech mobiles, I-pods, pen drives, music systems, cameras or digital planners, talking of its benefits, drawbacks and pricing is what gets their adrenalin pumping.

"My friends are very passionate about the latest gadgets and the inspiration comes from the Bond movies, where the spy makes the best use of his gadgets to make his life simpler. For instance, my friend bought a cell phone a few months ago with a memory space of 1 GB, whereas now the company has re-launched the same with 5 GB space. We talk about it to remain updated with the latest tech developments," justifies Amber Sironzkar, 26, a communication consultant.

Kingshuk Sharma's obsession for cars comes stems the fact that he has changed nearly seven cars over the last 15 years. "I love driving new cars, so why not talk about them? We always discuss the latest car accessories that we can try. Also, while talking of the latest models, the mere thought of driving a plush car lends a high."

Sporty talks: Watching a live telecast of matches or wrestling, keeping a strict check on the score board, commenting on each and every ball being played, suggesting tricks to the wrestler and finally discussing about the participating teams and the tournament, men find instant gratification talking about sports.

"Don't you think we've already had enough of family soaps at home, so whenever we sit in a group, we want something sensible that we can talk about. Unlike women, these silly saas bahu sagas don't excite us, so talking about sports is a great way to unwind," feels 30-year-old Sanjay Goel.

Fashion fundas: Men are increasingly becoming brand conscious, but they aren't ostentatious about their indulgences. A lot of men love discussing the latest watch to have hit stores or what's the best pair of sneakers to pick.

"Though fashion is generally associated with women, men also like following trends, particularly of Bollywood and Hollywood. Whenever we watch a new film, talking about the shirts, suits, patterns of the stars is our favourite time pass topic," shares Kunal, 28, a business consultant.

Back biting woes: Surprisingly, men take a level of interest in gossiping about their friends, teachers, colleagues and bosses. However, unlike women, the jealously factor isn't on a high says 24-year-old Syed. He adds, "It's great fun discussing about people you know. Men love to gossip, but we are not malicious."

Something's cooking: The last thing you find men talking about is be cooking or the cuisines they enjoy. While it's believed that the way to a man's heart is through his stomach, men don't find it an interesting topic - unless there's a group of hotel management students.

Piyush Verma, 34, a bank manager says, "Seldom men talk about anything related to food or cooking. The only thing we may discuss is about the new restaurants opened in the vicinity and their specialty. Though it's only if someone from the group has been there and had a good experience."