I should clarify that the type of discussion that I'm talking about is acceptance (or even fetishization) of body-types outside of a beachgoing Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Nine times out of ten - okay, more than that. Probably 98 times out of 100 if I see art of a male figure that has more than 20% body fat, it's drawn by someone in the LGBT community. I'm not talking about morbidly obese here, I'm talking the body fat percentage I'm at, the vast majority of my friends are at, and the vast majority of other men I meet are at: in other words, a normal human male body.

I'm happy about that. Don't get me wrong: I love it. I love seeing depictions of something that resembles me and seeing someone describe how much they would love to cuddle someone like that.

But I find it frustrating that I have to go to a community where gender roles are pretty much challenged right out of the box to see open discussion about the attractive viability of... normal guys. And I feel like a lot of other men see this too, and are frustrated by it. If I'm honest, I don't blame them. I'm bi, so I can engage with the LGBT side of things and feel included; the vast majority of men will not feel the same way.

I feel like guys are starting to ask why they aren't told they are attractive the way we see others. Objectification in excess is certainly bad, but objectification in moderation is... affirming (to many). I've heard the same thing from guy after guy: where's our sexual revolution? Why do I want to be attractive in a world that says I shouldn't want that? Are there unspoken taboos about liking the male form, or do I simply not hold a candle to women? Am I only attractive because I can provide?

Those are frustrating questions, and I feel like we've pushed a lot of them to the side to dedicate time to the countering issues for women. But the number of frustrated men grows more, and I fear we'll eventually reach a breaking point where we have to talk about this out in the open and not behind closed doors in therapy. Simply put: when can we talk about the relative lack of affirmation for male beauty?