I was just finishing a workout in the FHSU fitness center when I noticed a surface filled with magazines for people to read while they worked out on the cardio equipment. Many of the issues dealt with health and physical fitness, and this particular issue of Men's Health drew my attention. We've talking in class about body image as it relates to race and the female gender. But I thought this cover of Men's health, along with the accompanying article titles, was worth mentioning in this body journal.
Susan Bordo writes about a societal ideal of slenderness that many women (and men) feel is part of what it means to have an attractive body. She mentions that anorexia is a severe, albeit unconscious, statement a woman makes about feeling like her appetites, and the very space her body takes up, are constrained by society. She also mentions that women are expected to embody the traditionally masculine values of control, determination, and self-mastery. She notes that these two constructions of femininity and masculinity intersect, creating a double-bind. At this point I read that intersection as a kind of blending of the masculine and the feminine on what it means to be beautiful as a woman.
However, it seems that the same blending of masculine and feminine is also being applied to male ideas of attractiveness. I haven't read much on this subject, but I can try to extrapolate some things from Bordo. It seems that part of what is traditionally tied to a man's body image is his strength, his size/height, and his work and usefulness. But the first headline I noticed from the magazine was "What Women Find Sexy." It seems that instead of being displayed in the work/professional sphere, Men have come to be seen on the front of magazines as sex symbols and objects to be admired. Instead of working out, running, or even swimming, the man on the front of the magazine has been "dunked" in order to look more attractive. He is not a swimmer; he is a professional basketball player.
In this sense, the active athlete being asked to take a static, passive position in order to look "sexy" seems something that is traditionally asked of woman instead of a man. Granted, there are headings on the cover that claim to show men how to "Get back in Shape in 17 Days" and "Get Bigger Arms Fast," but the heading at the top of the cover, above the title of the magazine, is "Special Lose your Gut Issue". This title is couple with a man with incredibly defined abs, an 8-pack. There seems to be a growing expectation of men that we look a little more like this guy on the cover of Men's Health. And it's not just the size of the muscles that matters, but also the chiseled, well-defined, abdominal muscles that show we can control our appetites and our waistlines. If I were to flip Bordo's point that women feel physically constrained by American culture to have smaller bodies and take up less space, the I might argue that men are expected to be large, to be tall, to have our muscles bust out of our shirts, and to have the presence of a fully padded football player wherever we go. I've heard many women/girls say that they could never be with a man that is shorter than they. But clearly there are parts of men that women and culture want to constrain and keep downsized.
Of course, where did I see this magazine with the sexy, muscular, male athelete on the cover: at the gym. I was there working on my body, to keep it fit, thin, strong, and well-shaped. In some respects I work out because I want to be healthy and feel good. However, I'd be lying to myself if that was the only reason I put in the tremendous effort to tear down my muscles, rep by rep, only to have them knit back together, stronger than before. The visual result is definitely a big part of why I do it. I know I get positive feed back from people, male and female (my wife included), when I am fit, strong, and "cut." And the 6 pack...I'm working on.
Susan Bordo writes about a societal ideal of slenderness that many women (and men) feel is part of what it means to have an attractive body. She mentions that anorexia is a severe, albeit unconscious, statement a woman makes about feeling like her appetites, and the very space her body takes up, are constrained by society. She also mentions that women are expected to embody the traditionally masculine values of control, determination, and self-mastery. She notes that these two constructions of femininity and masculinity intersect, creating a double-bind. At this point I read that intersection as a kind of blending of the masculine and the feminine on what it means to be beautiful as a woman.
However, it seems that the same blending of masculine and feminine is also being applied to male ideas of attractiveness. I haven't read much on this subject, but I can try to extrapolate some things from Bordo. It seems that part of what is traditionally tied to a man's body image is his strength, his size/height, and his work and usefulness. But the first headline I noticed from the magazine was "What Women Find Sexy." It seems that instead of being displayed in the work/professional sphere, Men have come to be seen on the front of magazines as sex symbols and objects to be admired. Instead of working out, running, or even swimming, the man on the front of the magazine has been "dunked" in order to look more attractive. He is not a swimmer; he is a professional basketball player.
In this sense, the active athlete being asked to take a static, passive position in order to look "sexy" seems something that is traditionally asked of woman instead of a man. Granted, there are headings on the cover that claim to show men how to "Get back in Shape in 17 Days" and "Get Bigger Arms Fast," but the heading at the top of the cover, above the title of the magazine, is "Special Lose your Gut Issue". This title is couple with a man with incredibly defined abs, an 8-pack. There seems to be a growing expectation of men that we look a little more like this guy on the cover of Men's Health. And it's not just the size of the muscles that matters, but also the chiseled, well-defined, abdominal muscles that show we can control our appetites and our waistlines. If I were to flip Bordo's point that women feel physically constrained by American culture to have smaller bodies and take up less space, the I might argue that men are expected to be large, to be tall, to have our muscles bust out of our shirts, and to have the presence of a fully padded football player wherever we go. I've heard many women/girls say that they could never be with a man that is shorter than they. But clearly there are parts of men that women and culture want to constrain and keep downsized.
Of course, where did I see this magazine with the sexy, muscular, male athelete on the cover: at the gym. I was there working on my body, to keep it fit, thin, strong, and well-shaped. In some respects I work out because I want to be healthy and feel good. However, I'd be lying to myself if that was the only reason I put in the tremendous effort to tear down my muscles, rep by rep, only to have them knit back together, stronger than before. The visual result is definitely a big part of why I do it. I know I get positive feed back from people, male and female (my wife included), when I am fit, strong, and "cut." And the 6 pack...I'm working on.
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