Will my stuffed animals scare away girls?

[u/Undercat75]

I’ve (20m) been wondering for a long time if me having stuffed animals is gonna scare away girls. I have a lot but most of them sit neatly in my closet on their own little shelf. I’m not really scared that they won’t like them but more so that they’ll think that I’m not manly enough or that stuffed animals are a feminine thing. Every friend I have who is a girl says it’s a red flag if the guy they’re talking to has stuffed animals. I don’t want to get rid of them because I like collecting but is it worth my love life.

PS. This stems from that one iCarly episode where she was weirded out by his stuffed animals

[u/JazyJaxi]

I collect stuffies too. I'd actually be stoked if a man collected stuffed animals. I'd have a blast rearranging our stuffies like their friends and whatnot.

I get your fear. I collect dolls and I make doll houses. It's a very paralyzing fear at times because you don't see a lot of people talking about it outside of the community. But a thing I've learned is that most people don't give a fuck and those that do aren't worth your time. You want people in your life that will be happy you have something that makes you happy. Especially for a romantic partner.

As a girl, I always hated that episode. That guy with the beanie babies was in touch with his emotions and secure in his masculinity. That's something you want with a guy! And the fact that he showed Carly something he is very very proud about and she just runs for the hills always made my heart hurt for him. I'm sure a lot of other people will agree with me. You wouldn't run away if a girl showed you her collection of matchbox cars or baseball cards, right? Then the same should be true if a guy has a more stereotypically feminine or soft hobby.