The Adonis Complex and Size Matters
Kelsey Warkentin
Because of
history and social norms, our society has been focused on the idea of feminism
for quite some time. Most people assume that the men are the “bad guys” and are
belittling women and their body image. Yet the two articles, “The Adonis
Complex” and “Size Matters”, prove otherwise. Women are not the only ones
plagued with body panic and the pressure to be presentable in today’s world. Men
are too. Whether it means men feeling objectified or suffering from severe
disorders, gender notions aren’t the same as they were 50 years ago.
The
article, “Size Matters”, focuses on how health and fitness play an enormous
role in “male body panic”. Society used to think that men’s bodies couldn’t be
judged and that they had the incapability to be objectified. Although with the
growing consumer culture and notions of manhood being questioned, men are more
concerned with their body image. American men spent over $2 billion on gym
memberships in 1999. Imagine that number now! The most perfect example of how
consumerism is playing a part in this epidemic is men’s magazines. Every cover
and picture focuses on size. Most images only show the upper body of a man and
it is always well defined and muscular. This makes men think that they need to
look like that in order to be considered attractive. Not only do men feel
pressured in the consumer aspect, but also in general health and natural
elements. Men almost always work on their upper bodies, whereas women focus on
the lower part. Not only this, but excessive cardiovascular workouts are
thought to be feminine. Although of course when magazines advertise sex, the
“feminizing taint of cardiovascular activity is removed from the unquestionably
masculine activity of sex” (96). It is important to note that men seem to be overcompensating
in their workout routines in order to feel manlier. The effect of sports also
plays a huge role in male body panic. Men see sports players who are “ripped”
and seem to be superior over others. In some cases, they go as far as to take
out violence in sports or cry in front of the camera. But because these
athletes are considered so “manly”, no one questions their actions and their
“dominance on the field is synonymous with national success” (89). All in all,
just like women, men are constantly being reminded about what they should be.
Ever since the first few waves of feminism, economic growth and the media, the
notions of manhood have been contextualized.
The other
article, “The Adonis Complex”, analyzes the fact that men worry about other
parts of their body besides muscles and fat. This issue has only been recently
discovered. It used to be unheard of for a man to be notably self-conscious
about his body. Now, it is considered a common feeling. While almost every man
may experience insecurities at some point in his life, it “doesn’t usually
interfere with daily living” (153). BDD (Body Dismorphic Disorder) has remained
underground because “real men aren’t supposed to worry about what they look
like, much less go around confessing such concerns to others” (157). Despite this common belief, there have been
some severe cases where BDD has caused men to suffer. It was shocking to hear
that some men have gone as far as tying up their calves at night or smashing
their noses in. Others contemplated suicide or resorted to extreme surgeries. BDD
doesn’t cause people to try and look good, only what they think is acceptable
and society. And just like in “Size Matters”, the media is constantly
influencing the feelings of men. For example, penis enlargement remedies have
become extremely popular. This is because advertisements are putting ideas into
men’s heads that what’s normal isn’t okay. While the media may affect women
too, they tend to voice their insecurities and make it known. But men are
“silently suffering” with the fear that they will be considered too feminine to
be insecure. This article showed the ugly sides of male body panic, and just
how far some will go to feel good about their looks.
One of the
most overwhelming focuses in both articles was the impact of the media. In
“Size Matters”, the media portrayed the ideal male body and how masculinity is
directly related to sports and appearance. In “The Adonis Complex”, the media
caused men to suffer from disorders in fear that they wont be accepted. While
feminism and consumerism do play major roles in this worldwide problem, the
media is the definite catalyst. With past articles we have read in class, we
have learned that women need to recognize their obsessions and go against
social norms. Now, in my opinion, men need to start recognizing the problem of
the media and stand up to it. Sure, they can still be healthy and work out, but
there is a difference between “health” and “appearance”. If men and women don’t
start to recognize this body panic, it will only get worse as mass media
evolves.
As Kelsey shows, the main idea in both of these articles is that males receive just as much pressure from the media as women do. In her second paragraph she states, "society used to think that men's' bodies couldn’t be judged and that they had the incapability to be objectified." This reminds me of a fact mentioned in "The Adonis Complex" that ten years ago BDD did exist but no one noticed because the media didn't stress any importance on male bodies. Men have always struggled with appearance issues yet their true worries are becoming more noticeable and are now being diagnosed. She also mentions a quote from "The Adonis Complex" that I also thought was important, "in our society, 'real men 'aren't supposed to worry about what they look like, much less go around confessing such concerns to others." Truthfully, I had this stereotype stuck in my head but after reading this article I questioned myself: why is it not masculine to worry about body appearance? Men have suffered as much pressures, if not more, as women have from the media and from the opposite sex. These pressures are clearly causing BDD and other self confidence issues so why isn't the media backing down? Solutions need to occur or else more disastrous things will occur from these overwhelming pressures.
ReplyDeleteJill Dahrooge
Kelsey, I really liked the way you opened up your blog post about how the feminist world gets the reputation for portraying men in a very bad light. I think this notion is interesting in comparison to what these articles reveal to us about the male psyche that revolves around their own appearance. It was fascinating to me to learn about how, upon a closer look, men are also haunted by the societal pressures of beauty. I think it is interesting how much attention women get for being controlled by beauty standards produced through mass-media, yet how little attention men receive for this same problem. I also thought that, as you discussed and the article talked about, the issue with men overcompensating their workout regimens seem absurd. The workouts that men in this country are being told to emulate are those of the people who need to be at a level of fitness to protect our country, and for men to feel the pressure of achieving that superior level of fitness for everyday living seems crazy and dangerous. In your discussion of "The Adonis Complex," I think that it is very sad that men are conditioned to believe that they need to bottle up their insecurities that eat away at their confidence, unlike women who are told to "let it all out." I think this is especially sad for just by reading the testimonies of the men who are diagnosed with BDD, you can tell how emotionally painful their insecurities are to them. Even more troubling, is to know that individuals who suffer from BDD are comparing themselves to mass-media images of models, most of whom have been photoshopped anyways. I, too, agree that men, like women have more recently, become more informed by the poisonous and unrealistic beauty standards that the media has created and try to take a stand against them.
ReplyDelete-Annie Husted
DeleteI also found it shocking the lengths some men went to because of body issues. These articles made it clear that men suffer from the pressures of the media to look and present themselves a certain way. And displaying any emotion or vulnerability about this topic could be viewed as unmanly, which is the exact opposite they are attempting to achieve. I agree with your statement that the media is a catalyst in the issue of body panic. “Size Matters” showed us the ideal male image created by the media, and “The Adonis Complex” showed us how this image affects men who fear they won’t be accepted because they can’t reach these standards of masculinity. The media clearly plays a major role in the pressures men are put under to look a certain way that denotes masculinity.
ReplyDeleteSammy Secrist
I completely agree with Kelsey when she said, “That is because advertisements are putting ideas into men’s heads that what’s normal isn’t okay”. The media is attacking men and women’s self-esteem, making them look at their bodies as something that they have to change to be “accepted” into society. They have to reach some unattainable idea and be “perfect”. I found it interesting and sad that, as Kelsey said, “men are “silently suffering” with the fear that they will be considered too feminine to be insecure”. Men having body issues equal to women’s body issues equals the problems of the two sexes, but not in a good way. Men and women both should feel comfortable with who they are naturally and not obsess over certain parts of their looks to the point where it severely interferes with their life. The media also should bring light to the fact that men are going through similar things that women have gone through in order to show it’s not “shameful” to feel that way and that men aren’t alone in how they feel.
ReplyDeleteJane Vinocur
in Kelsey's opening remarks she states a very important fact, " Because of history and social norms, our society has been focused on the idea of feminism for quite some time. Most people assume that the men are the “bad guys” and are belittling women and their body image. Yet the two articles, “The Adonis Complex” and “Size Matters”, prove otherwise. Women are not the only ones plagued with body panic and the pressure to be presentable in today’s world. Men are too." this is extremely important to realize that these problems are not gender specific, although the pressure women receive is often more preached, men have pressures as well that we have to abide by. some men however do not of try to separate them selves from this pressure while others welcome it and try to follow and fit to become a real man.
ReplyDeletebobby
DeleteKelsey, seeing this from your feminist perspective was interesting and made for a good read. Honestly, when most men think of feminists, they think of "man haters", and are therefore intimidated by them. However, as you have said before, a feminist is just somebody who thinks that women should have equal rights as men. That's barely even needs the label "feminist" honestly. It could just be called "reasonable." This blog post is original and well thought out, and how you mentioned that just because BDD is an attempt to improve body image, that doesn't mean that it's healthy.
ReplyDelete-Zael
Kelsey says that the body panic is occurring “because advertisements are putting ideas into men’s heads that what’s normal isn’t okay”, and I completely agree. It made me realize that 0% of men reported preoccupation with their toes because the media has yet to blow up on products for such an issue. You don’t find products to improve the health of men’s toenails, for example, and because there are no products, there are no advertisements. There are, however, products for mens’ feet explaining their 2% preoccupation. Kelsey and Dworkin state that “athletes are considered so “manly”, [so] no one questions their actions and their “dominance on the field is synonymous with national success” (89)". This is can be seen through Tim Tebows decision to remain abstinent versus Lolo Jones’ decision and the medias response to such claims. The media questioned Jones’ sexuality while praising Tebows decision. This occurred because the world was confident in his manhood, after all he is a football player.
ReplyDelete-Zeina