After our class on muscular men and women athletes, I'm ashamed to say that my reaction was that I thought the men and women were just too much. I feel bad saying that because discriminating against someone based on appearance is something I'm most certainly against and I try my hardest not to do. However, I just don't understand why individuals want to make themselves look that bulky with muscles. The consensus in class seemed to be that fit and toned bodies were acceptable and desirable while overly muscular bodies were not. I think that is definitely due in part to our societal and cultural norms.
These norms play a direct part in the "ideal" feminine and masculine bodies. These ideals are what leads men to believe that they should have large muscles as a sign of dominance and women to believe they should have a tight, fit, contained body. These "ideals" are in place because we allow them to be and we accept them. The truth is that if we didn't embrace them, they wouldn't be our ideals and overly muscular men and women wouldn't be looked at by people with unapproving glances.
Another issue we discussed in class were the three predominant themes in Flex magazine; positioning reader as inferior, promise of transformation, and muscular body as a sign of hegemonic masculinity. After reviewing these facts alone, I know I most certainly would not be a subscriber. According to the themes, this magazine is trying to show you that the people in it are better and they are who you should want to be. I for one don't need someone to tell me how I should look and I'd hope that other people wouldn't want a magazine telling them either.
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I would agree that most magazines do make readings feel less superior. Almost worthless in someways. They make it seem like if you don't have biceps like these or if you don't have a steel abs, that you are weak. I personally would never want to be that big. I have no reason to have muscles on top of muscles.It is ridiculous that some men feel that in order to be strong or in order to get a women, they need to be built like an ox. Most girls I know actually find alot of muscle as a turn-off.
ReplyDeleteA lot of people mentioned the same response that you had to the overly-muscular male and female bodies. Perhaps some of the revulsion is based on the fact that these bodies do not seem "normal," as you suggested. However, if you think about the term, "megarexia," athletes who obsess with weightlifting may feel that they are never "big" enough. Thus, I imagine that such athletes do not have the same perceptions of themselves that "normal" people have--if that makes sense.
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