Men have a funny way of seeing women who are tough. It seems that there is a fine line between sexy and no-thanks in terms of a guy’s willingness to appreciate tough qualities in a woman who wants to date him. It’s cool if she wants to race stock cars, for example, but not so cool if she can beat him.

Of course, that example speaks to an issue of the ego. But even when a man’s ego isn’t directly in the equation, he can be pretty judgmental about a woman’s tendency towards toughness. For example, men love girls with trucks but they’re a bit divided on how they feel about a girl’s interest in tool boxes for trucks. It’s cool if she’s interested in tool totes but not so hot if she’s got trailer tongue tool boxes on the brain.

Where does this strange fine line come from? And what can women do about it? Of course, the best solution for most gals is to just be themselves without worrying about what the guys think. Some guy out there will think it’s hot that you’ve got a huge toolbox in the bed of your truck. But it’s hard to escape the fact that a lot of men will judge you for simple things like this. Take solace in the fact that most of them stop those silly judgments after getting to know a girl a little bit better.