How much should I be able to lift in order to be a real man?

It's worrying, the amount of people who can't do a single, simple pull-up.

Nobody outside the gym cares. In the real world, how much you look like you can lift is infinitely more important.

Also lol at the thread title, as if your worth as a man is based on how much you can lift

It's worth noting that while this might be "infinitely" more important, it's also something that not that many people in the real world care that much about.

Just do what you enjoy.

The whole staying at 14% and lower is daft; putting on enough size between 10-14% religiously would be borderline hell. Plus sub 10% which is what half the internet is, is getting into the unhealthy range and sub 8% shouldn't really be considered "normal" by anyones imagination

Depends how you mean. Most people will notice that you're big and many will comment on it, and I suppose where I'm tall as well it's like I automatically command a lot more respect than I used to as, quite frankly, a long streak of piss. Though, generally, nobody cares about your minute proportions or your bicep peak or whatever. You're right there though, you should enjoy what you're doing or good luck being consistent with it.

Well I don't know. I've been "big" by normal people standards for pretty much my entire adult life, while being "small" by gym and internet standards the entire time also. So it's hard for me to compare what my quality of life would be if I were skinny, but I imagine not too bad apart from internally wanting to be bigger.

Also you need to compare like with like when you're talking about strength trainees as opposed to bodybuilders. Yes the average guy gets off Starting Strength looking mediocre at best, but SS is at best a 9 month program, and I think the people who look great after 9 months of anything are few and far between.

I get comments on my appearance even though I definitely don't train for it. People say my arms are huge (they're ~15") and I only do about 3 sets of curls a week in a good week. I've had people say I'm ripped even though I've never dieted in my life and my abs are just about visible on a good day. Fact is, if you had been on a "strength building" program this whole time, you'd probably be getting exactly the same comments from exactly the same people provided your diet isn't completely moronic.

You got called out by an 85 year old chinese grandma...

Also if you bench a lot, you should be bodybuilding and look like you lift. At this stage I think preferably north of 160kg.

But regardless bit weird to train for the sole reason of external validation. It's a nice bonus, and a powerful motivator, but there are TONS of other reasons which are just as powerful and motivating for why you'd lift.