"Men feel pressure to build perfect bodies"

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) -- Men are catching up to women in one area. They too are feeling pressure to achieve perfect bodies, and this can lead them down unhealthy paths. link

The findings of a new study "challenge that myth that men aren't affected by the media or other's comments towards their bodies," Dr. Tracy L. Tylka, at Ohio State University, told Reuters Health.

"Men are affected by those pressures in the media ... or the pressures that others put on them to look more muscular," she said.

"For some men, this can lead to unhealthy and potentially dangerous behaviors to try to reach that ideal," Tylka added in a statement from the university.

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Men who were dissatisfied with their muscularity, for example, were likely to be more preoccupied about becoming more muscular, which led to their use of supplements and possibly steroid use as well, to achieve that muscular image, according to Tylka. Dissatisfaction with their level of body fat predicted a higher preoccupation with counting calories and cutting off certain food groups, she explained.

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Because the idealized muscular body image is rooted in society, with "men thinking they're expected to look a certain way, it can contribute to very negative things for men," Tylka said.

I don't disagree with Tylka's findings at all, especially since women are attaining greater economic parity with men and can increasingly take their pick of mates. They no longer have to settle for any slob with a job. But...

1. Her study is supposed to "...challenge that myth that men aren't affected by the media or other's comments towards their bodies." What myth? What the hell is she talking about? Oh you mean that myth, which has confounded women who are really slow and unintuitive and who think men are robots. Remember those old ads by Charles Atlas* about the scrawny weakling getting sand kicked in his face at the beach? That's an older example of commercial marketers exploiting an anxiety; an anxiety that was already there. Men don't care about how they look (that's a myth!). Duh, really?

2. She puts "use of supplements" and "counting calories" on the same level of danger as "taking steroids." That was a good laugh. Whey protein and a vitamin, oh the horror! Taking supplements is a negative consequence if one gets ripped-off by unethical business people. Counting calories? What? Study: Even a few extra pounds are risky: "Being overweight does increase health risks. It's not simply a cosmetic or social problem."

3. "the idealized muscular body image is rooted in society." That's because a muscular body is rooted in biology. It manifests itself in society. Secondary sex characteristics like muscles on men and boobs on women are biologically hard-wired into the minds of the opposite sex and further motivated by the sex drive, or libido. Some like small, some like big (muscles or boobs), there's personal taste based on learning involved, but they're still boobs and muscles. That's why images of cleavage and of shirtless guys are everywhere. And that's why the people in movies and TV look like that. Because people want to see it; pay to see it. It's the only explanation for why an inane show like Baywatch could last so long.

Secondary sex characteristics (except body hair) are like signals that say, "hey. worthy mate here. the kids would be healthy and would live long enough to produce grandkids." A male with a desirable but costly trait and who is still alive despite that cost, sends a message, like a sign that says "good genes." It's biology, not sociology.

4. And at the end of the article she says...

"Instead of pressuring men to be more muscular, (we need to) accept men's bodies for what they are and instead focus on internal characteristics," she said. "Stop focusing on appearance, for both men and women."

?!Wow. That's a tall order! Let's watch Shallow Hal and make the moral of that story into a reality. Good luck with that, lady. That's as naive as her comment, "(we need to) accept men's bodies for what they are." What are they, exactly?

If people stopped focusing on appearance, what good would that do? How will that help improve's people's self-image and self-esteem? The last time I checked, people don't read each other's minds. We can't telepathically say to each other, "you might not think you're good enough, but I accept you just fine as you are." That would be idyllic, sure, but it's not gonna happen. Her advice would be good if it were part of a larger statement: "If you're looking for a mate and any mate will do, [stop focusing on appearance, for both men and women].

We live in a culture that tends to settle. A lot. Say no to steroids, absolutely, but there is nothing wrong with striving to be excellent.

People don't get self-esteem from the sweet-sounding compliments and approval of others. That's how insecure people judge their own value.

Self-esteem comes from doing difficult but worthwhile things. BTW, taking steroids is the easy way, for wussies. Who gets self-esteem from accomplishing easy things? That's right. No one.

If you're a man and you care about the way your body looks (it's a myth that you wouldn't) then do something about it. Give it a sincere effort. Arm yourself with knowledge and then do it. The journey is fun and fulfilling and it carries into all other aspects of your life. You'll see.

*So what did they get? Who? The people who saw those Charles Atlas ads and ordered the product that was being sold. I'm so sure he paid out of his pocket for full-page ads to give away things. Anyway, what was Charles Atlas selling that turned the scrawny weakling into a very muscular guy who went back to the beach and in revenge, punched the bully in the face? (How convenient that the bully was still on the beach!). What was it that gave this guy such big muscles and newly learned fighting skills?

Isometric contraction. Build muscles by grabbing and squeezing a doorknob as hard as you can and hold it for a couple of minutes, that sort of thing. Only 15 minutes a day! Amazing, huh? Whether or not he made a truckload of money or did it out of vanity or for publicity, the supplement industry has continued the same tradition of exploiting mens' muscle anxiety, in grand style.