Meaning of 'pretty man' [closed]

I use 'pretty man' as my nickname. But recently I have heard that the word 'pretty' is used only with women. Please tell me if 'pretty man' sounds good or it sounds weird and I should be embarassed? Maybe, it has some hidden meaning.

Solution 1:

From Oxford:

1 (Of a person, especially a woman or child) attractive in a delicate way without being truly beautiful.

So, whilst generally used for women, it is not exclusive. It is fine for someone to say "he's pretty", but it is not as common as, say, "he's handsome".

"Pretty boy" is more oft used than "pretty man" and I could see scenarios where "pretty" could indicate a lesser masculinity. Indeed, TV Tropes has a page on the term "pretty boy".

This ngram shows the difference in usage of "man" and "woman".

But it's your nickname - so don't be defined by a dictionary definition.

Solution 2:

Prettiness is supposed by popular culture to be a female attribute rather than male.

Whilst it is perfectly normal to describe a man, or boy as handsome, saying that either is pretty carries more than a hint of effeminacy. It can indeed be derogatory.

Though in recent times it has become fashionable in western society for men to adopt dress and characteristics more traditionally associated with women, it has not (at least yet) become popular to call men pretty.

All of the above refers to the modern sense of pretty. But it is a word which has had a long history since it's Saxon origins. It's original sense was cunning, crafty before going on to mean clever, skilful, able. The English surname Prettyman calls up one of these meanings.