The gyms you go to are crowded with guys trying to look like men, as if being a man means looking the way a sculptor or an art director says. - Chuck Palahniuk, Fight Club

citizenmouse · 2009-12-10T04:29:07+00:00

Great quote and very true. As a female, I think there is just something odd about the gym rats who try to look like Adonis.

2009-12-10T05:28:09+00:00

This a little off topic, but the quote reminds me of this article, which discusses how the average BMI has been increasing since the 70s.

Additionally, I think even an overweight fat man is seen as more masculine than a skinny guy. There are archetypes of masculine skinny men, such as the long distance runner or the womanising musician, but we tend to wrongly ignore these in favour of a simpler big=straight/masculine thin=gay/feminine dichotomy.

yourenotmydad · 2009-12-10T08:19:17+00:00

true, but some of us are just trying to get stronger. i've got a boring desk job and thanks to biking to and fro and going to the gym during my breaks i feel better all around, and even sleep way better than before.
http://www.toothpastefordinner.com/062805/the-mirrorflex.gif

rsho · 2009-12-10T10:20:35+00:00

I don't really follow the quote. It reminds me of Arnold Schwarzenegger who advocated being your own art director and sculptor as you rework (or express) your body. It seems like a pretty healthy attitude to me, so long as you can avoid busting a heart valve.

rmbarnes · 2009-12-10T09:53:16+00:00

I always found it funny in that film how Brad Pitt's character derides a guy in an underwear ad, yet the character himself has a very similar type of body (ripped).

Thing is our bodies were built to get way more exercise than most people these days get. Also, a slightly (but not overly) muscular body is more aesthetically pleasing than a skinny one or a fat one.

2010-02-09T23:04:49+00:00

I accepted years ago that I'm never going to be ripped, or cut, or lean, or defined. I am fat and I am strong.

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