A win against societies expectations of body image

[SeanSeanston]

This isn't going to magically make guys not want to look like Rich Froning, Henry Cavill, or Chris Hemsworth.

Indeed; you need steroids for that

EDIT: Wait, I misread that as something about making people look like those people... blah, whatever.

Which I guess, is perhaps the main difference between "expectations of body image" between men and women; idealized women are generally perfectly humanly possible to obtain naturally, whereas probably the vast majority of idealized male physiques aren't.

...unless you have the genetics of Marvin ***ing Eder, or something >_________>

 

[The Lunatic]

You know, I'm really not seeing what's wrong with promoting health.

Male standards tend to be being athletic, which is far from a bad thing. Obviously, it's a luck of the draw with your general attractiveness, but, grooming and healthy living go a long way.

Women, well, there's the whole unhealthy thin thing, which is... Creepy. But, beyond that, basically genetic pot luck and not being overweight.

Is that really so terrible?

 

[f1r2a3n4k5]

Having this guy on the cover flies in the face of that. He's not a bad looking guy, but he's average, and he clearly isn't particularly healthy considering he has a gut on him and smokes. That's not a celebration of hard work, it's a celebration of being lazy and mediocre. It's easy to sit on the couch all day and smoke a pipe, it's hard to go to the gym and work, and one should clearly be seen as more impressive than the other.

Having this guy on the cover of Men's Health would be like having a Ford Pinto on the cover of "Top Gear" or a Nerf gun on the cover of Guns and Ammo. It's disrespectful to the readership of the magazine because it sends the message that they're stupid for caring about and taking care of their bodies, and that people should be lazy.

Also, the irony is not lost on me that I'm advocating for healthy people to be on the cover of men's health magazine when the people on the cover are typically photographed after they've starved and dehydrated themselves and are at their least healthy.

It's amazing how everyone is an expert on what is healthy. To gain core/arm muscles is a lot of exercise and proper diet. That is NOT unhealthy.
The last step is the unhealthy one, cutting to ridiculously low bodyfat% and dehydrating for the photo shoot. After that though, they're certainly more healthy than that average guy.
How you even came up with steroids is completely beyond me. A sixpack is actually relatively easy to obtain and doesn't require drugs or divine intervention.

I think the problem is that the guy who's attracting all this attention makes it seem like a mockery.

Certainly the ideal for male beauty is a ripped 20-something male. Which isn't feasible for everyone. Truth of the matter is that we age. So I think it would be more about "Overthrowing societal expectations of beauty" if they found... I don't know... maybe someone more middle-aged. Because if you look at adverts, that's what they push. Look younger. Get more hair. Have less fat. Lose your wrinkles.

So someone that it still in excellent shape, but older, would probably suit the cause.

Instead, it's someone that's clearly out-of-shape. So it doesn't subvert the ideals, it reinforces them by bashing against them. "Look at this guy who definitely doesn't belong on the cover. How humorous." Kind of thing.

 

[ElMinotoro]

I'm sick and tired of being made to feel like a fat freak because I don't have abs. Well done this dude.

 

[briankoontz]

Have you actually read men's health or are you just guessing at what it's about based on the cover? It's not a body building manual or anything like that. Yes, part of it is how to work out, but that's less than half of it, and most of the work out's aren't even about "getting ripped." Most of it is about nutrition and eating right, men's fashion, sexuality, etc. It's basically the same thing as something like Esquire, but with a focus on working out.

Also, seriously, steroids? I don't think there's a single magazine that would advocate their use.

And who is to say what's "excessively vain" and what isn't? Is anyone who doesn't walk around in a stained tee-shirt and sweatpants "vain?"

There's an irony to your Escapist login name here.

A lot is said about how women's fashion magazines adversely affect women's health and self-esteem. I believe the same is true for men's fashion magazines, albeit to a lesser extent. Women's magazines increase anorexia and other disorders, and men's magazines increase steroid use and other disorders. Obviously no magazine that wants to stay on the shelves *advocates* for anorexia or steroids, that would be ridiculous. But that's the effect.

Health is a separate issue from vanity. Exercise, proper diet, effective medical care - noone is disputing the value of these things to health. What we should question is the *reason* people have a certain lifestyle. Obsessing over "six-pack abs" is not a health issue, it's a vanity issue. Vanity is unhealthy, even when it coincides with physical health.

Vanity isn't "harmless". Time is always sacrificed, time that could be better spent doing something else. The difference in health between a person who gets proper exercise, eats right, and maintains medical condition and one who does all of this and spend two hours a day getting six-pack abs is two hours a day. Time is the most valuable thing we humans have, it shouldn't be wasted on vanity projects.

 

[ElMinotoro]

Having this guy on the cover flies in the face of that. He's not a bad looking guy, but he's average, and he clearly isn't particularly healthy considering he has a gut on him and smokes. That's not a celebration of hard work, it's a celebration of being lazy and mediocre. It's easy to sit on the couch all day and smoke a pipe, it's hard to go to the gym and work, and one should clearly be seen as more impressive than the other.

Having this guy on the cover of Men's Health would be like having a Ford Pinto on the cover of "Top Gear" or a Nerf gun on the cover of Guns and Ammo. It's disrespectful to the readership of the magazine because it sends the message that they're stupid for caring about and taking care of their bodies, and that people should be lazy.

Also, the irony is not lost on me that I'm advocating for healthy people to be on the cover of men's health magazine when the people on the cover are typically photographed after they've starved and dehydrated themselves and are at their least healthy.

It's amazing how everyone is an expert on what is healthy. To gain core/arm muscles is a lot of exercise and proper diet. That is NOT unhealthy.
The last step is the unhealthy one, cutting to ridiculously low bodyfat% and dehydrating for the photo shoot. After that though, they're certainly more healthy than that average guy.
How you even came up with steroids is completely beyond me. A sixpack is actually relatively easy to obtain and doesn't require drugs or divine intervention.

I think the problem is that the guy who's attracting all this attention makes it seem like a mockery.

Certainly the ideal for male beauty is a ripped 20-something male. Which isn't feasible for everyone. Truth of the matter is that we age. So I think it would be more about "Overthrowing societal expectations of beauty" if they found... I don't know... maybe someone more middle-aged. Because if you look at adverts, that's what they push. Look younger. Get more hair. Have less fat. Lose your wrinkles.

So someone that it still in excellent shape, but older, would probably suit the cause.

Instead, it's someone that's clearly out-of-shape. So it doesn't subvert the ideals, it reinforces them by bashing against them. "Look at this guy who definitely doesn't belong on the cover. How humorous." Kind of thing.

Fuck me dead, this guy doesn't look "out of shape". That's pretty much how people are meant to look, not the bio-mechanically designed slabs of meat you're thinking of. That's how fucked up this is

 

[f1r2a3n4k5]

Fuck me dead, this guy doesn't look "out of shape". That's pretty much how people are meant to look, not the bio-mechanically designed slabs of meat you're thinking of. That's how fucked up this is

I should clarify that I don't think he's horrifically out-of-shape. But he's definitely not "in-shape." And he's definitely purposefully highlighting that fact because he's a comedian.

I mean, look at this picture:

http://www.cosmopolitan.co.za/wp-content/uploads/Screen-Shot-2014-09-29-at-12.53.15-PM.png

And tell me he's not trying to highlight the fact that he's not quite an athlete.

He's a comedian. Not a revolutionary of body image. Men's Health set him up and he's delivering himself as the punchline.

 

[tippy2k2]

Men's Health Magazine is something that celebrates the human body and hard work, as well as encouraging people to be fit and lead a healthy lifestyle. Having this guy on the cover flies in the face of that. He's not a bad looking guy, but he's average, and he clearly isn't particularly healthy considering he has a gut on him and smokes. That's not a celebration of hard work, it's a celebration of being lazy and mediocre. It's easy to sit on the couch all day and smoke a pipe, it's hard to go to the gym and work, and one should clearly be seen as more impressive than the other.

Having this guy on the cover of Men's Health would be like having a Ford Pinto on the cover of "Top Gear" or a Nerf gun on the cover of Guns and Ammo. It's disrespectful to the readership of the magazine because it sends the message that they're stupid for caring about and taking care of their bodies, and that people should be lazy.

Also, the irony is not lost on me that I'm advocating for healthy people to be on the cover of men's health magazine when the people on the cover are typically photographed after they've starved and dehydrated themselves and are at their least healthy.

I think I love you...

That came out creepily. What I meant to say was "This".

I swear it's like some people on here that are bashing Men's Health have never actually read the thing. The vast vast vast VAST majority of articles (and hell, even the pictures of the guys) are not steroid induced muscle men. The magazine one third diet and eating tips, one third health (like articles on cancer and whatnot) and one third exercise. I suppose my subscription ran out last year so maybe it became a tabloid between then and now but I highly doubt that...

The men on the cover and whatnot are in excellent shape...you know...the entire point of a magazine like this. When I was subscribing to Men's Health, those men were the posters for what I wanted to become (a goal that I still strive to achieve today).

So no, I am not in favor of this guy getting on the cover and would even go so far to say if he does somehow win, Mens Health should put the #2 guy on the cover instead.

 

[Neverhoodian]

Eh, more power to the guy, I suppose. I do think society is too obsessed with youth and beauty, but I don't think this incident is going to amount to much either way. I've never bothered with those types of magazines anyway.

Ugh, not only is he fat, hes also smoking tobacco, "men's health" my ass. Yeah, do whatever you wanna do, and bullies are assholes, but don't call it "health", you get cancer from tobacco (or it rather heavily increasing the risk, if some git wants to be pedantic) and being a fatass increases the chances for a heartattack, that's just the way things are.

So yes, people sometimes do have legitimate reasons to be fat (it's not easy to be fit while poor in America due to how fucking expensive vegetables are and how cheap and easy fat food is, por ejemplo), but really, being fat is not healthy, it's directly unhealthy. Now, if you don't give a shit about that, that totally fine, but it's not fucking healthy, and yes, kids should be actively encouraged to stay fit (and no, that doesn't mean being chasticed for being fat).

Call him a fucking "connocieur of the arts" or whatever, but don't call him an example of health, because that's dumb.

Dang man, you have some pretty draconian standards on weight if you consider this guy a "fatass." I'd hardly call a slight bulge when sitting down "fat."

 

[Dirty Hipsters]

Having this guy on the cover flies in the face of that. He's not a bad looking guy, but he's average, and he clearly isn't particularly healthy considering he has a gut on him and smokes. That's not a celebration of hard work, it's a celebration of being lazy and mediocre. It's easy to sit on the couch all day and smoke a pipe, it's hard to go to the gym and work, and one should clearly be seen as more impressive than the other.

Having this guy on the cover of Men's Health would be like having a Ford Pinto on the cover of "Top Gear" or a Nerf gun on the cover of Guns and Ammo. It's disrespectful to the readership of the magazine because it sends the message that they're stupid for caring about and taking care of their bodies, and that people should be lazy.

Also, the irony is not lost on me that I'm advocating for healthy people to be on the cover of men's health magazine when the people on the cover are typically photographed after they've starved and dehydrated themselves and are at their least healthy.

It's amazing how everyone is an expert on what is healthy. To gain core/arm muscles is a lot of exercise and proper diet. That is NOT unhealthy.
The last step is the unhealthy one, cutting to ridiculously low bodyfat% and dehydrating for the photo shoot. After that though, they're certainly more healthy than that average guy.
How you even came up with steroids is completely beyond me. A sixpack is actually relatively easy to obtain and doesn't require drugs or divine intervention.

I think the problem is that the guy who's attracting all this attention makes it seem like a mockery.

Certainly the ideal for male beauty is a ripped 20-something male. Which isn't feasible for everyone. Truth of the matter is that we age. So I think it would be more about "Overthrowing societal expectations of beauty" if they found... I don't know... maybe someone more middle-aged. Because if you look at adverts, that's what they push. Look younger. Get more hair. Have less fat. Lose your wrinkles.

So someone that it still in excellent shape, but older, would probably suit the cause.

Instead, it's someone that's clearly out-of-shape. So it doesn't subvert the ideals, it reinforces them by bashing against them. "Look at this guy who definitely doesn't belong on the cover. How humorous." Kind of thing.

Actually quite a few of the men on the cover of Men's Health tend to be older, with graying hair. Hugh Jackman (46) has been on there a few times

Spoiler

Barack Obama (53) has been on there multiple times

Spoiler

as has Jason Statham (47)

Spoiler

and many others. Men's Health doesn't always feature young 20 somethings with six packs (although they often do), and they do cater to various demographics with health and fitness articles specifically for different age groups, including those who are middle aged and sometimes older. The point is that the people on the cover exemplify the urge to want to be fit and healthy, and you're right that Paul Snodgrass is just mocking the entire premise.

Have you actually read men's health or are you just guessing at what it's about based on the cover? It's not a body building manual or anything like that. Yes, part of it is how to work out, but that's less than half of it, and most of the work out's aren't even about "getting ripped." Most of it is about nutrition and eating right, men's fashion, sexuality, etc. It's basically the same thing as something like Esquire, but with a focus on working out.

Also, seriously, steroids? I don't think there's a single magazine that would advocate their use.

And who is to say what's "excessively vain" and what isn't? Is anyone who doesn't walk around in a stained tee-shirt and sweatpants "vain?"

There's an irony to your Escapist login name here.

A lot is said about how women's fashion magazines adversely affect women's health and self-esteem. I believe the same is true for men's fashion magazines, albeit to a lesser extent. Women's magazines increase anorexia and other disorders, and men's magazines increase steroid use and other disorders. Obviously no magazine that wants to stay on the shelves *advocates* for anorexia or steroids, that would be ridiculous. But that's the effect.

Health is a separate issue from vanity. Exercise, proper diet, effective medical care - noone is disputing the value of these things to health. What we should question is the *reason* people have a certain lifestyle. Obsessing over "six-pack abs" is not a health issue, it's a vanity issue. Vanity is unhealthy, even when it coincides with physical health.

Vanity isn't "harmless". Time is always sacrificed, time that could be better spent doing something else. The difference in health between a person who gets proper exercise, eats right, and maintains medical condition and one who does all of this and spend two hours a day getting six-pack abs is two hours a day. Time is the most valuable thing we humans have, it shouldn't be wasted on vanity projects.

Really, you're going to tell me that working out is time that's being sacrificed? We're on a forum where the vast majority of people spend most of their free time watching TV and playing video games. If they aren't "sacrificing" their time then what are they doing? I'd say that if someone's idea of happiness is sitting around watching "The Walking Dead" and another person's idea of happiness is going for a 5 mile run, then they're both equally valid uses of free time, but one is getting way more benefit out of it than the other, and it shouldn't be wrong even if they're doing it out of a sense of vanity, because at the end of the day if they feel good about the fact that they're in good shape then what's wrong with that?

 

[manic_depressive13]

Vanity isn't "harmless". Time is always sacrificed, time that could be better spent doing something else.

Like playing video games?

I love this forum. Not only are we in people's business for smoking or being fat, or generally not healthy enough. They better not be vain or have aspirations other than health. I'd think I accidentally signed on to some straight edge forum if everyone didn't hate vegans so much.

 

[Westaway]

What? Normal people aren't amazingly beautiful? What a strange concept.

Seriously though, who gives a fuck. The man is fat. If he worked out he wouldn't be. Maybe you should look at images of ripped guys and try to strive for that and not start complaining they're more physically attractive than you are.

 

[Fieldy409_v1legacy]

Nah, I dont think Mens Health is a problem in the same way as womens magazines. The male standard of beauty is to be strong, muscular, low fat, ie: Actually healthy and that in my mind is a good goal to strive for. Womens magazines encourage women to be malnourished waifs, thats bad. Encouraging people to eat clean and workout isnt bad to me.

 

[Lil devils x_v1legacy]

I guess I just find it odd that people do not think he is unattractive. I see it as a joke vote, that people are voting for him because he looks like a dweeb. I guess everyone has their own idea of what is and what is not attractive, as a woman, yea I find him pretty unattractive like as in not a type of guy I would ever want to date or breathe on me. It seems to be mocking the concept the same as lets vote for the "naked fat hairy guy on the trampoline" but with a pipe kind of joke.

EDIT: also his beer gut is pretty obvious there, not sure how people can not notice it.
But then again, it is terrible that we do have this ingrained in us when we look at people to judge whether or not we find them attractive, due to how we are conditioned by the society we live in.

It is one of those things I think initially when I look at someone and quickly determine whether or not I find the attractive, then come back later and think, it is terrible I thought that about them in the first place. I am not sure how you recondition society to not have that as the default reaction when viewing someone.

 

[Guerilla]

It's a joke for God's sake, you really thought it's "a win against societies expectations of body image"? People saw that this guy has a unfit body and makes weird poses, laughed at it and voted for him. The joke is that he's unfit and not that attractive and he knows it. In fact everyone knows it except the OP.

 

[Dalrien]

As long as you're not overweight / Fat / Massive, then you're golden.

Oh and, congratulations to the comedian. Atleast he won't become a politician by winning, like a comedian we once had here in Denmark.

 

[Thaluikhain]

It's a joke for God's sake, you really thought it's "a win against societies expectations of body image"? People saw that this guy has a unfit body and makes weird poses, laughed at it and voted for him. The joke is that he's unfit and not that attractive and he knows it. In fact everyone knows it except the OP.

I'd say he's not unattractive anyway.

In any case, yeah, people are often very eager to find evidence that beauty standard has changed, and aren't to picky about whether or not the evidence they find actually exists.