Anna Grofik: Size Matters & Beyond Muscle and Fat

Anna Grofik

Size Matters

           This article asserts the claim that in recent time, men’s bodies have become subject to “intensive scrutiny and objectification” inducing what is called “male body panic”. The article firstly discusses the “moral panic” that exists in different forms in the subject of HIV/AIDS in men. I thought it was interesting that the media coverage of the HIV cases of openly gay Louganis and the other straight male athletes, Morrison and Johnson, differed greatly. While it was assumed in the media that Louganis was promiscuous, Johnson and Morrison were classified as “giving into the women’s requests” and escaped the blame placed on the women they had sex with. I agree with the article in saying that the idea of “scoring” sexually is a main component in the American construction of male identity. However, it is evident that our society constructs exclusive male identity, not including gay men. Furthermore the article’s idea that male body panic sets the social stature of individuals made me think that our society is not much further evolved compared to the Paleolithic days when the leader of the group was the most massive man with the biggest wooden stick. In the article’s reference to Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray, I believe that this phenomenon of outward beauty being an indicator of inward goodness is a common circumstance in our society. Just as Dorian’s outward appearance of youth and pureness mask his sins and debauchery, mainstream ideals of male body stature hide the importance of personal identity in masculinity. In my view, if we continue this practice of belief we will only end up like Dorian, killing ourselves. Additionally, the article’s idea that the increase in men’s gym memberships, magazines, and cosmetic purchases are mostly due to vanity and bodily anxiety is an indicator that men are being pulled under the critical microscope. The article continues to state that men are pressured to be bigger, have more muscle, and lose body fat all at the same time. The idea that men are geared towards perfection in the upper body and women in the lower body is also mentioned here. While women face restrictions on their lower body size, men are encouraged to build up their upper bodies as a sign of their masculinity. I also thought it was comical when the article said, “as if not working out is analogous to being a person with a substance abuse problem”. I think that due to the high importance placed on bodily beauty, someone who doesn’t work towards this is considered unhealthy and inadequate. The idea that the prescribed male identity is moving towards the idea of being invulnerable is also present in the article. Specifically, the article discusses the necessity of male physical strength and power during wartime. Many workout ads pay tribute to the armed forces, circulating the idea that in working out a man is better defending and representing his country. “The constant threat of terrorist attack creates more amorphous demands on the fitness of citizens called to protect their nation”. I believe that this quote, while having national security in mind, serves to protect the consumer industry rather than civilians protecting our country. Does a man performing abs crunches every day protect the U.S. more efficiently?  That seems to be the idea in some of these men’s workout magazine articles.  Moreover, “separate spheres” for women and men in practices such as aerobic exercise show the societal resistance against men partaking in “feminine exercises” and fear of the feminization of men.  The article discusses many views of feminization, such as non-aggression, focus and reserve, in addition to antifeminism.  Antifeminism is shown in the subjects of sport, crying and other practices. Due to public weeping of male athletes, male crying has apparently become more acceptable. In addition, gender equality in sport has been met with resistance of chauvinism. The article suggests that because we are in a time of change concerning gender relations, males found solace in sport as something that men are superior in to women. Due to these evolutionary times, the fact that men are increasingly concerned with their “male image” could suggest that men are trying to find their footing in a time where female and male identities are being altered.

Beyond Muscle and Fat

          This article begins with a disheartening picture of male self anxiety and continues with statistics that 43% of male respondents were dissatisfied with their appearance and that younger men worry about their appearance over 60 minutes a day. I thought it was off-putting to learn that many men suffer from “Body Dysmorphic Disorder” and preoccupations with their appearance. I believe that many people, including myself, are unaware of this issue because men aren’t encouraged to discuss their anxieties and self doubt, which is a serious disadvantage to a man’s self image. I was shocked to read about the different anxieties and cases of BDD of different men in the article. The case of Jeremy, in particular, linked his bodily and facial anxiety with self-injury in smashing his nose or binding his legs. I believe this circumstance alone shows that this issue requires a transformation in how we treat male appearance. By asserting the belief that men don’t care about their appearance, very real and harmful concerns of men with regards to how they view themselves are trivialized. This leads to what the article calls “silent suffering” of men in fear of taboos attached to “talking about their feelings”. It is evident from these interviews with men that BDD can be a destructive force on a man’s work life, personal life, and psyche.  Particularly, hair, and lack of it, seemed to be a common preoccupation of men. This might be an issue because loss of hair could signify loss of youth. The fact that some men have given up dating for fear that women will be disgusted with their thinning hair points to the hidden idea that hair could be linked to masculinity and self worth. Another concern of masculine identity mentioned in the article was penis size. I believe this circumstance can parallel to the idea of breast augmentation because both circulate the idea that what exists naturally is not good enough. This affliction prevents men from having normal sex lives for fear women will reject them. Specifically, Al blames advertisements for the insecurity of men towards penis size, due to the fact that he believes they are doctored to look bigger and additionally set a standard. Another, what the article calls “secret concern”, is male breast size. What preoccupies men is the thought that their chest is too big or feminine. This problem is related to worries about masculinity. Maybe because breast size is so commonly associated with femininity, male fear of feminization translates to bodily anxiety and the idea of “not looking manly enough”. I was surprised to learn that thousands of men receive breast reduction surgeries, mainly because I’ve linked that to a female body altering practice. Other sources of anxiety for men were body hair and height. Men seemed to relate these traits to degree of manliness. They faced dissatisfaction with these traits in the fear that “no woman will like me”. In my opinion, this practice of looking for approval from the opposite sex is the main source of body anxiety and insecurity, which is fueled by unrealistic media standards. These cases of BDD reveal the frightening power of the Adonis complex and its ability to wreak havoc over men.