The article The Rise of the Adonis Complex: Roots of Male Body Obsession
presented many interesting facts and statistics relating to Men’s growing obsessions
with their bodies and physical appearance. Forty-three percent of men were
found to be dissatisfied with their bodies, and it was interesting that many
men are unhappier with their chests than women. These statistics were shocking
to me. “Muscularity in particular
has become increasingly important, because it symbolizes masculinity”(51). We
know this is true because women with large defined muscles are frowned upon;
they are seen as very hyper masculine. Before reading this article I didn’t
know how much men actually care about their bodies. However, I was not
surprised to see that these percentages have grown over the years. As a society
the push to have a “perfect” body is becoming more important. This is
perpetuated through the media; both women and men feel almost an equal amount
of pressure trying to look good, and obtain the perfect body. However, as we
all know the percent of people that actually have that idealized perfect body
is so small. I also thought it was interesting that the article didn’t talk
about the influence of sports as it relates to steroids. I personally feel like many men and boys
take steroids because of the pressure to be an athletic monster on the field.
My little brother is 6’3 and he has
a very athletic toned body. However, since he is only 16 and grew at a
relatively fast pace, and does not weigh as much as he’d like. I know he always
feels a lot of pressure to gain weight and “get bigger” so he can perform at a
high level of athletics. He works out several times a day and consumes a
ridiculous amount of food. So in his case, his drive to be strong and obtain a
hyper masculine body comes from the pressures and growing competition he is
presented with on the athletic fields. His quest for the “perfect body” is not
because he wants to look good, but more about wanting to thrive in athletics.
However, through the pressures of sports he still is trying to achieve this
desired muscular male body. I just thought it was interesting that the article
didn’t touch on the influence of sports and athletic icons in relation to men’s
ideal body images.
Josephine Bingler - Response
ReplyDeleteIt is no surprise that guys are concerned about their appearance but I was shocked at some of the statistics that guys care almost as much as girls do. I remember in one of the documentaries, maybe Tough Guise, it showed how dolls and figured nowadays are very different than they used to be. In the 1950's and 1960's, there was much less of an emphasis on appearance and achieving the "rock hard" body for men. Media focuses so much on the body and how it should look. Magazines are FILLED with images and tips on how to get a more toned body. It is no wonder that plastic surgery has skyrocketed. Toys geared towards women are shown with much thinner waists, large boobs, and perfect dainty facial features. Women are expected to have thin bodies like the ones they see in their dolls. But boys have to face very different expectations. Boy's dolls and figurines have gotten bigger and more muscular as the years have passed. Kids play with these dolls and figures at such a young age and are conditioned to believe that this is what their bodies should mirror.
I think Tina commented on an important concept raised in the article, it is not that more males are focused on their appearance but the idea that they are forced to do this because of social pressure. Tina comments that society is pushing for people to find the “perfect body” regardless of gender. Like the article I think that perfection is not natural and a perfect body does not really exist. I find it extremely worrisome that both males and females are being pushed to extremes in order to have a body that in reality is not real. Media is part of the problem, over the years men have become more muscular, this image is what is fueling the steroid market and gym memberships. In addition Tina comments on how competition from peers adds to this obsession. Athletics are extremely competitive and size does matter for most athletes. Athletes are expected to be a certain size and have a certain amount of strength; this too is pushing males to become obsessed with appearance and their bodies.
ReplyDeleteI agree with and can empathize with Tina in regards to the pressures felt by men, and more specifically her brother, to maintain a certain body weight and size. My brother had an athletic scholarship and felt such extreme pressures to maintain a certain weight and musculature in order to avoid losing his scholarship that he was constantly at the gym or eating an unhealthful diet that kept his body fat unnaturally low and his muscular content unnaturally high. Unfortunately, the images of men, who my brother were aspiring to mimic in terms of physical appearance, grace the covers of magazines that promote health and fitness so men start to believe that looking a certain way will require unhealthful amounts of exercise and/or, in extreme cases, steroids. No matter how much a man (who does not choose steroids) works out or how well he monitors his food intake, he will never be able to resemble the hypermasculine, unrealistic images of the modern-day GI Joe or the steroid-abusing models on the cover of fitness magazines. What is even more detrimental to a man's perception of his body image is the fact that many little boys admire men who use steroids, such as unnaturally muscular athletes who use these drugs to improve their athletic performance.
ReplyDeleteLike Tina and Alexa, I can relate to having a little brother who feels the need to constantly be bulking up. He's 6'3, and for awhile he was super skinny because of growth spurts. People would always describe him as "scrawny" or "gangly" and he got really sick of it. Eventually, he started lifting weights and taking a ton supplements in order to boost his muscularity. I feel like men feel pressure to be big from both women and men. As we read about in Kimmel's Guyland, boys and men put a lot of pressure on each other to be tough and strong. Even though Kimmel talked about this in terms of emotions, like not crying, I can't help but think that this also applies to physical appearance. Additionally, women always talking about wanting a guy who is bigger than them. For example, I've never heard a women say that they would want to date a man who is shorter than them. Our media also portrays men as coming to the rescue of women and being their heroes. I think this puts a lot of pressure on men to live up to this ultra-masculine ideal that they feel women want.
ReplyDeleteThere is always a certain way that society is going to say that a person has to look to be attractive or to fit in. This social pressure that I'm sure we all feel is at times very stressful. I think that at certain times in our lives we are compelled to look a certain way either due to friends, parents, television, sports and so one. There are so many factors that can influence how we think about ourselves and sometimes we don't even realize it. Sometimes were content with our bodies but society isn't so we then feel compelled to change it. This kind of pressure is very unhealthy and may even be unhealthy for our bodies. There is such a thing as over doing it in terms of working out. Eating disorders for women can occur and over steroid use for men. The way our society is structured around our bodies is dangerous.
ReplyDeleteJae