 |
| Male Body Types |
Body image may have been blown up in female media, but it is just as exaggerated in male media, though perhaps a little subtler. It's pretty obvious that the idealistic male is shown everywhere as a buff, muscular, seemingly hairless man with a pack of abs and biceps, most commonly shown on underwear packaging. There's lingo going around such as "get swole" and "do you even lift, bro?" Energy drinks and whey milkshakes are catered specifically towards the working [out] man, with hopes of one day turning into that greek god of masculinity.
The problem with today's ideal man, just like the ideal woman, is that it's fairly unrealistic and superficial. Not everyone can have the chiseled muscles and gorgeous hair. Physical aspects of a person can only get them so far in a relationship. Yes, looks matter, but they aren't everything. According to a study by the University of Louisville and Lakehead University, a big factor for women in choosing a potential partner is humor. About eighty-one percent of female college students reported that having a sense of humor was crucial in a dating partner. Out of thirty three possible qualities for a dating partner, humor was ranked number three. In the same study, honesty was deemed as another very important quality in potential spouses and dating partners. Both of these qualities being based on personality rather than physical attractiveness.
Surprisingly, the image of the "ideal male" we have in the US is actually quite different from what other cultures deem as attractive. However, there are a few traits that seem to encompass most countries' idea of attractiveness. It seems to come down to three things: muscle tone, amount of fat on the body, and height. Generally speaking, many cultures prefer taller men, with little fat, and some signs of muscularity either in the arms or the torso. However, when ignoring those three things, cultures appear to vary significantly in what they deem is attractive. As seen in this video by Business Insider, some countries prefer darker or lighter skin tones, some prefer different posture or facial expressions, and one even deems tattoos as attractive.
Another example of how attractiveness varies by country is by comparing boy bands - supposedly attractive young boys or men who can sing, dance, and perform music. Here in America, the boy band is typically composed of fit young males with defined muscles and young-yet-mature faces, having boyish smiles but defined jawlines, brows, and perhaps facial hair. Usually in the age range between mid-teens to early twenties. American boy bands are able to encompass a large age range of girls and women while still looking like they can be eligible bachelors to those females. Now, let's look at K-pop boy bands. Korean boy bands are more androgynous and boyish in stature. This is both due to the genetic tendencies of Asian males to not be masculine in the Western sense, but also because of the large market for these type of boys in the market...apparently. Often times these K-Pop groups have softer and rounder features, large and expressive eyes, and a devilish/devious look. In their respective cultures, they are both deemed as very attractive, yet they are almost on opposite sides of the masculinity spectrum.
The "ideal male" differs from country to country, as well as culture to culture, but it can also differ from decade to decade. Over time, our tastes in the perfect man has changed, just as any other taste does. An article from DailyMail shows this change over 150 years, starting from the 1870's. Back in the 1800's, having a heavier disposition and wider waist showed signs of wealth, a very attractive trait indeed. It was so in fashion that a Fat Man's Club was founded in Connecticut for anyone weighing over 200 lbs. As excess weight became associated with poor health and excess food stopped being associated with economic status, the trend soon fell out in the 1900's. As the years progress into the 1930's, the broad-shouldered movie star body comes into popularity. Come the 60's, anything resembling muscle seems to disappear, as hairiness and rebelliousness comes into fashion. The spike in drug use during the 60's also contributed in the lack of musculature and lanky bodies. In the 80's we see a complete turnaround with the introduction of bodybuilding. This was where all of the bulging muscles and working-out tropes originate. The current-day lean hunk stems from this bodybuilding predecessor, having all of the beefiness of bodybuilding yet a leaner, more natural body shape.
Advertising and media may portray the ideal made as one thing, but in reality the body image changes over time and culture and preference. Every single man shouldn't look like the same male model, especially since physical appearance isn't the most important thing in a relationship or life in general. Keeping yourself fit and healthy is one thing, but keeping to standards that may be impossible to obtain to you is another. In many cases, getting the ideal body type could strictly be a genetic thing, in which case life is a bit unfair, but it's not the end of the world. The most important thing is to appreciate yourself without worrying about being the hottest thing around.
Another example of how attractiveness varies by country is by comparing boy bands - supposedly attractive young boys or men who can sing, dance, and perform music. Here in America, the boy band is typically composed of fit young males with defined muscles and young-yet-mature faces, having boyish smiles but defined jawlines, brows, and perhaps facial hair. Usually in the age range between mid-teens to early twenties. American boy bands are able to encompass a large age range of girls and women while still looking like they can be eligible bachelors to those females. Now, let's look at K-pop boy bands. Korean boy bands are more androgynous and boyish in stature. This is both due to the genetic tendencies of Asian males to not be masculine in the Western sense, but also because of the large market for these type of boys in the market...apparently. Often times these K-Pop groups have softer and rounder features, large and expressive eyes, and a devilish/devious look. In their respective cultures, they are both deemed as very attractive, yet they are almost on opposite sides of the masculinity spectrum.
 |
| K-Pop Group BTS (by Wikimedia Commons) |
Advertising and media may portray the ideal made as one thing, but in reality the body image changes over time and culture and preference. Every single man shouldn't look like the same male model, especially since physical appearance isn't the most important thing in a relationship or life in general. Keeping yourself fit and healthy is one thing, but keeping to standards that may be impossible to obtain to you is another. In many cases, getting the ideal body type could strictly be a genetic thing, in which case life is a bit unfair, but it's not the end of the world. The most important thing is to appreciate yourself without worrying about being the hottest thing around.
Annabelle, I enjoy reading your blog each week as it always pushes me to consider aspects of gender roles that I wouldn’t typically think about. In our society, where the issue of an ideal body image for women and pressures from media to attain this impossible image is such a hot topic, the issue of body image for men is often overlooked. Nonetheless, it does seem that there are many similarities between the two, especially in the way they have changed with time and how they can be unique for different cultures. And after reading your post, I can definitely see where an ideal male body type is implicated throughout our society: your mention of the “do you even lift, bro?” is a perfect example!
ReplyDeleteIt's pretty interesting to note the differing cultures view of what's attractive. It was helpful that you even provided a concrete example of boy bands across varying cultures and how they are different in appearance. I also like how you mentioned that people who were overweight were actually considered "attractive" in the sense that it meant they were successful and wealthy! This is one of my favorite history trivia facts. Also, when you mentioned the phrase "get swole," I actually laughed out loud.
ReplyDeleteI think the video you provided shows a great deal of the many different forms of an "ideal man." I found it very interesting how different countries and different cultures detail the male model for themselves and how differing some of these models are from our own American male expectations. I completely agree with you regarding the composition of a man: the physical appearance is not nearly as important as the personality and character of the person, so why fixate on being someone you are not?
ReplyDeleteI really like your blog because you talk about a topic that is rarely discussed in today's society, but it should be. I think it is very interesting how ideal body types change from decade to decade. I remember learning about how being larger in size used to be considered very attractive because it meant you were wealthy enough to eat. It is so crazy how far we have come from this and how now models are starving themselves just to be deemed beautiful. I do however feel that we are starting to value health and natural physique with campaigns like untouched models by Aerie. Hopefully this trend will extend to males as well.
ReplyDeleteAnnabelle, your blog always gets me thinking about the other side of the story. I think as a woman, I tend to focus on the female gender and advocate for us (selfishly), while there are males out there going through the same struggles. I think we need to start putting a greater emphasis on health rather than attractiveness and embrace our natural looks. It's obvious that not every boy is going to have an eight pack of abs and stunning facial hair, but we can still appreciate them for their humor and chivalry (where it still exists).
ReplyDeleteHi Annabelle! This post was really interesting in terms of Western culture vs. the rest of the world. It's true that across the world, attractiveness changes. What we consider attractive, is not the same everywhere. Also, there's a lot of pressure on men these days, especially in terms of working out. I see guys living off Whey protein and working out so much that their bodies can barely withstand the pressure. Did our society force this stigma upon these men or do they genuinely like shaping their bodies in this way? Or is the answer both? I also really liked how you showed that humor is one of the most important features that a man can have that makes them more attractive. I just hope more men recognize that personality matters too. Really great post!!!!
ReplyDelete