Men having body image problems thanks to current muscleman ideal.

Leylen · 2012-07-23T06:48:27+00:00

So how come schools all over the western world are cutting kids physical activity time to almost nothing? Starting out young is a huge help.

hans1193 · 2012-07-23T11:16:41+00:00

I am a fairly good looking and physically fit guy, but I will admit that Erik Northman on True Blood gives me a complex... Talk about an unrealistic standard of male beauty :p

2012-07-23T13:55:43+00:00

For every pert, slender woman gracing a billboard or peering out from the advertising pages of magazines there is a rippling, Thor-like specimen held up as the masculine ideal which is largely unattainable for many young men regardless of how many bench presses they do or protein shakes they drink.

I disagree. I'd say at least 90% of men can attain a muscular, toned, physique if they train for several years. They shouldn't feel like they have to, though.

ThePigman · 2012-07-23T06:12:26+00:00

Haven't read it but i thought some here might want to. Tell you one thing, though - these days a woman has to be slim, but a man has to be slim and well muscled, two things that are to a great extent incompatible. Most guys who are lean aren't about to get massive, and most massive guys tend to have average body fat.

Charwinger21 · 2012-07-23T17:04:04+00:00

He'd spent years going to the gym every night

Alright, I know this post is kinda off topic, but it's sad how little people know about fitness. If you go to the gym every night, you're not giving your body enough time to rest (even single body part isolation only really gets up to 5 day splits), and you won't be able to push yourself hard enough to see any progress.

Even bodyweight programs like C25K only recommend working out (or rather running in C25K's case) 3 times a week.

2012-07-23T19:20:31+00:00

Not sure how entirely fair this is but I have lost 2 stone this year and am now back in a healthy range, yes I did feel bad when when I was in an unhealthy range, and I did something about it and I no longer feel bad about it.

This male feminist Noah Brand is going the female feminist route, transferring the blame, responsibility and the onus from himself onto society.

sskmpd · 2012-07-23T12:18:15+00:00

I have always wondered about this. Why am I supposed to feel bad for female body disorders, caused by some arbitrary reason. But a woman is allowed to voice any body preference she so desires.

dermanus · 2012-07-23T14:52:47+00:00

I went through a bit of that in my early twenties.

I eventually got over it on my own, but I have seen guys at the gym who clearly have this kind of a problem. I've now completely stopped going to the gym and exercise at home with simple tools. It's healthier and I end up looking pretty good, but with no joint problems, kidney problems, etc...

When I volunteer with teenagers who want to get big I usually give them my example and explain how the guys in the magazines are just as fake as the girls. Even the guys who do look like that don't usually look like that. They add makeup¹ and basically dehydrate themselves to get that look.

¹ I call it makeup very deliberately. I may be hurting the cause of gender equality, but it does tend to turn most guys off the idea

XxDailyDreamxX · 2012-07-23T16:42:09+00:00

This is horrible.. To me, honestly, as long as a guy isn't morbidly obese and is in decent shape I don't mind. As long as they're healthy and happy, I'm happy.

And honestly, I don't think I know a single girl that would be sexually attracted to a guy with bulging veins and muscles. That's just rather gross... I mean, a muscular body can be appealing. I think it's because an instinctive thought leads women to believe that a strong man can protect them, and they are more attracted to the stronger men. I believe there is also something about the shape of womens bodies that attracts men due to the fact that they're more likely to have healthier or more children. It's either the bust or the hips, I can't remember which.

So just remember guys, basic hygiene, take care of yourself, and be a good person. That's all you really need. :)

2012-07-23T22:42:09+00:00

One day I found myself thinking why am I so skinny? It sickens me that most women prefer a great body over a great personality.

2012-07-24T17:08:19+00:00

I still feel like this is a non-fucking-issue. ~66% of America is overweight, ~34% is obese. ~4% are underweight because of have an eating disorder. How many have "bigorexia?" 1%? Less than 1%?

Don't demonize people who want to be healthy, even if they exercise for 2 hours a day. Demonize people who are eating themselves to death.

Title	Men having body image problems thanks to current muscleman ideal.
Author	ThePigman
Upvotes	39
Comments	44
Date	July 23, 2012 6:07 AM UTC (14 years ago)
Subreddit	Posted in /r/MensRights
Original Link	https://old.reddit.com/r/MensRights/comments/x05gz/men_having_body_image_problems_thanks_to_current/
Archive Link	https://theredarchive.com/r/MensRights/men-having-body-image-problems-thanks-to-current.1017381 https://theredarchive.com/post/1017381

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