Why do we want to look this way?

[Kracka]

Im sure many of you have asked yourself, is it really 'right' to wana look like the kind of body I want to achieve?

Reverse it: Is it really 'right' to look like a fat c*nt that eats mcdonalds and kfc all day, with their only exercise being lifting a handle of beer?

[drizzt]

Just my thoughts, but I reckon its genetic, and it isn't specific to Humans. For most species, (generally) the strongest survives. With humans (and heck, even some other species) having what is considered an aesthetically pleasing body is often a byproduct of being an ideally-functioning male - strong + fast = provider?

You need to be able to provide to attract a mate, so it's wired in us to find that sort of shape pleasing (a female would be wanting to mate with such a male, male wanting to attain the shape to attract a female + sire offspring).

Just my random thoughts anyway :pfft:

At a more basic/selfish level, why do I want to look this way? Overall I'm addicted, I can never stay away too long as the iron always calls me back. From a lower-level viewpoint, I want to be strong + athletic (or simply put, be a highly-functioning physical specimen :pfft:) first and foremost, and a very close second is I want to look it. These two reasons seem to be interchangeable year on year

[Specter]

Im sure many of you have asked yourself, is it really 'right' to wana look like the kind of body I want to achieve?

Reverse it: Is it really 'right' to look like a fat c*nt that eats mcdonalds and kfc all day, with their only exercise being lifting a handle of beer?

Watch your tounge bro..your talking about a few powerlifters here who may take exception to that.. :pfft:

[tomsammce]

IIFYM brah..

[Pseudonym]

Drizzt, I was having the exact same conversation with HumanPerformance on Sunday.

We were talking about how more and more guys are becoming concerned about their image (and obviously physique is a large part of that). But it's a very recent development - only in the last 10-20 years has it really taken off. Before that, society put a lot of pressure on girls to have great bodies, but the guys, not so much.

And yet, when you look at other species, it's almost always the male that's bigger, brighter, flashier, stronger. From peacocks to gorillas. So in some ways, humans have been the odd ones out all this time.

That's not to say status wasn't important for guys wanting to attract a girl, but it was measured in other ways - money, power, flash cars, etc.

So what does it say about society that our priorities are shifting now? What's causing the change? It's an interesting one.

:think:

[Specter]

Drizzt, I was having the exact same conversation with HumanPerformance on Sunday.

We were talking about how more and more guys are becoming concerned about their image (and obviously physique is a large part of that). But it's a very recent development - only in the last 10-20 years has it really taken off. Before that, society put a lot of pressure on girls to have great bodies, but the guys, not so much.

And yet, when you look at other species, it's almost always the male that's bigger, brighter, flashier, stronger. From peacocks to gorillas. So in some ways, humans have been the odd ones out all this time.

That's not to say status wasn't important for guys wanting to attract a girl, but it was measured in other ways - money, power, flash cars, etc.

So what does it say about society that our priorities are shifting now? What's causing the change? It's an interesting one.

:think:

I blame Hollywood and Google

[Bobsta]

No Pecs, No Sex...

This goes all the way back to the pre-historic man, its in our DNA, its the most basic form of ensuring the survival of the species, not just human but other species also.

It comes in many forms depending on the species, this could be physical strength, skill, looks, belongings and assets or a combination of it all, a male bird with the brightest feathers, or one that puts on the best courting dance display, the strongest most aggressive top Dog in the pack, the biggest gorilla in the group or the one that owns the largest territory area, all insure that THE MALE has more chances to procreate.

Human are interesting because they find all these traits, individually or even better all of them together, attractive, the more of these traits THE MALE has the more of a suitable mate he would be to a Female and the more she wants to have his babies :pfft:

Now this topic addresses only 1 of these traits, the physical appearance.

A physically fit and muscular male would appear very attractive to a female because his physical appearance would denote that he is strong and healthy, strong therefore he can provide and protect, healthy therefore he can do this for a long time. This attraction is built in within the female’s instincts, its a subconscious thing, she doesn’t necessarily know why she finds these attributes attractive, she just does, and this ensures the survival of the fittest and the best of the species.

Unlike women, where their body image issues stem from seeing fashion models in the media which dictates super skinny so the designer clothes hang better off them, The male body image is not dictated by society, as mentioned above its a built in instinct where every male somewhere deep down would love the idea of looking big and muscular, this instinct is so strong that even little boys at a very young age who have had no influence by the society or their elders still recognise and are impressed by the sight of muscular man or a cartoon character.

I remember the very first muscular man that I saw like many others here was Arnold in the movie Commando, I was very young and growing up in a very academic family with no interest or awareness of the physical culture that was still very obscure at the time, however instantly I was impressed when I saw Arnie’s muscles flex and twitch as he started to paddle on the boat in that infamous scene, despite the fact that my mother and auntie were squealing in disgust!! And I knew I wanted to look like that when I grew up even if my Mum and Auntie hated it.

No Pecs, No Sex...

[thatwaslight]

Exactly what bobsta said.

[drizzt]

(edit - Bobsta said pretty much what I was trying to say, so if you've read his, don't bother with mine :pfft:)

^Fair point, Pseu, but I think in the scheme of things that is a relatively short time period. I'd suggest aesthetics have always been "desirable", just possibly not always of the foremost relevance. I'm thinking "since the dawn of man" kinda timeline here Although that doesn't make a smaller timeline less relevant...

Being a provider in this day and age means more than being able to go out and catch dinner (although I'm sure that is still attractive to some :grin:), being an earner in the modern world takes on more importance... and then you can buy dinner :pfft: Hence why aesthetics have possibly been given a backseat. That ripped body is still desireable to most - as I think has been hard-wired in us - but the hard work and dedication it takes to achieve the look is probably trumped for most people by simply spending their time trying to earn more money.

(a lot of) Ladies have in the past, and always will, flock to a guy who is bronzed up, pecs and guns blazing (although who cares about legs, right? :pfft:) and probably want to mate - these are our basal desires! But then they'll probably settle down with a provider - probably not so aesthetically appealing, but rakes in the money :nod: I think (again, at a very base level) our male instincts are kicking in, and guys have figured that the more boxes we can tick, the more desirable we are to mate with...

The modern psyche and way of living has placed less importance on being physically active - and as an offshoot, possibly less on physical attractiveness too - and more on earning. It's easy to be lazy, and as a society looking to take shortcuts on everything, we much prefer the easy route.

Anyway, I've gone off on a bit of a tangent there :oops:...

What has changed in recent history to make the "Adonis" shape more desirable? Possibly that earning just isn't enough to attract a mate anymore, most people have a job! Guys need a point of difference. So we go back to our (ancestral) roots and shape up :shrug: Or we see our mate doing well and it prompts us to give it a go, causing a chain reaction? Maybe with the advances in medical technology, we're more aware than ever the risks of being unhealthy/fat, so more and more people are putting aside the time to shape up. And heck, why not aim for a bodybuilding/powerlifting/strongman competition while you're at it.

That's the way I see it, anyway, flame away :grin:

[AlBundy]

Yea bobsta if I think about it that's alot of it. Being confident and having a social presence is majorly bolstered by having a physical presence as well it certainly caps of the traits of an alpha male, along with charisma and intelligence.

[Android]

A Simple list for me...

1. Because not everyone can. If everyone was buff I'd probably go skinny or slob gotta have a point of difference and b memorable these days. It's not for health reasons or I wouldn't do gear, eat loads of meat, and bulk up.

2. I like the way I look...nah I love the way I look!

3. It takes committment and sacrifice to look this good and people believe that you prolly display those qualities in all areas of your life, business too...more mulah, more respect, more opportunities.

4. Not more girls, just a different kind of girl

[Pseudonym]

What has changed in recent history to make the "Adonis" shape more desirable? Possibly that earning just isn't enough to attract a mate anymore, most people have a job!

I think you're onto something here. But it's less about guys having jobs, and more that the girls now have them too.

How's this hypothesis? Since females have become more self-sufficient in recent times, they earn their own money and provide for themselves. That means less pressure to find a mate who is a good earner/provider. I'm sure it's still a nice-to-have, but it's not the must-have it once was. Because of that, they're able to indulge in looking for more "luxury" attributes, such as aesthetics.

That means more pressure on the males to keep up appearances. And you know what? We started this whole female self-sufficiency thing in NZ when we gave women the vote. It was the start of a slippery slope. If only we'd known, we could have stayed couch-bound slobs, but instead we have to work off our beer-bellies and get in shape. And we've only got ourselves to blame. :doh:

We're getting a lot of male viewpoints here. Feel free to chime in with your thoughts, ladies! :grin:

[tomleegolf]

In the past, being fat (1800s and 1900s) was what everyone tried to achieve as it was a sign of wealth. It meant that you could eat as much as you want and that you were rich.

But now as people realise that being fat leads to health problems and you don't have to be rich to be fat, it's now on having a lean muscular body.

[Shutupandsquat]

i do it for myself.... if you look good, you feel good. every male 18-25 (my age group) wants to be big and muscly but no one wants to put in the effort/hardwork...

Everybody wants to be a bodybuilder, but ain't nobody wanna lift no heavy ass weights!

But I couldn't agree more with you, Tom on your post as a whole. Well said.

[StraydoG]

Interesting read... It could be partly programmed in or a social thing but in my mind its personal.

Ive always been a real skinny guy (still am, just started this new routine!) so have always wanted to put some muscle on, nothing crazy but just fill out a little. Being skinny isnt the bane of my life, eat whatever I want and have good cardio just want some more strength to go with it. That and I enjoy exercise so its like a small challenge for myself to add 5-10kg this year.

As quite a few have said already if you look good you feel good too and so many people want to be bigger or slimmer its just they dont help themselves.

[DinoTrainer]

Good thing I found this thread. Love bodybuilding but lately it's making me obsessed about 6 pack abs and huge muscle size.

Bodybuilding is a casual hobby of mine. However the longer I'm into it, the more obsessed/weird about body image I become. I spent too muchh time learning about bodybuilding online and it's making me (beginner bodybuilder) into muscle size obsessed freaks.

Mr Olympia trend is to be abnormally huge . The magazine is full of massive freaks with 6 pack abs. Now that's the normal standard for bodybuilding ? For women bodybuilder, there's abnormal standard on 6 pack abs, perfect glutes shape, perfect legs, etc.

Now is that healthy... ? No, that's no healthy. It's just freak form of healthy image.

Don't get lost in the game. Bodybuilding is supposed to make you healthy.

[runveerun]

Some interesting views from the male perspective there. It's funny how alot of you say females are attracted to the provider type, the muscly guys who look like they can hunt etc.

I never appreciated muscle or muscly guys until I started lifting myself, in fact I have always like the thin geek types :pfft: as logically (in my mind) the more intelligent guy would be able to provide in this day and age- not that having muscles doesn't make you intelligent :shifty:

Since I have started lifting I have realised how much effort and disipline is put in to be strong and my views of muscly guys and girls have certainly changed.

I just do it to be strong it is just a by-product as somebody else was saying that I end up being reasonably healthy and muscular, I'd rather lift weights than do any other sort of exercise regime any day of the week! I just love it!

[Peachy]

Kinda agree with Vee.

Before I started weight training I used to think muscly guys looked good but I would never have wanted to date one. Because stereotypically big muscled gym freaks are thought of as meatheads. All brawn and no brains (no offence to anyone I promise). Its kinda like how pretty girls with platinum blonde hair and big tits are thought of as airheads. And in both cases I think the opposite sex is attracted to them physically but when considering them for a life long mate maybe not so much. Because the person you think is totally hot is not necessarily the same person you wana take home to meet your mum and dad.

However in saying that I have still all my life worn fake tan makeup and tight dresses, exercised and wanted a boob job to achieve the desired barbie look. Im not dumb, I achieved top marks throughout school, and I know that the physcial appearance that I strive for isnt what will ultimately be what attracts the person I marry to me. Yet it doesnt stop me from still wanting to look like that.

I think the reason we still do it is because the media tells us that is what we like. The same way it advertises consumer products that we "want" it also advertises the physical appearance that we "want" and perhaps shows us that appearance is the only way to get what you want in life. And I dont care who you are you cant say your not influenced by advertising and the media unless your living completely self sufficient isolated from society. And while maybe we think we are smart enough to see through the media and know that looks is not everything we cannot assume that everyone else is as enlightened. Maybe the people who are dedicated enough to achieve this coveted appearance and MAINTAIN it are despite stereotypes actually the smarter ones because they know that appearance is valued over nearly everything in society and can simply go further in all aspects of their life because of it.

Now that I do weight train i am attracted to guys who do aswell, and thats purely because i know the discipline and strength of character it takes to be dedicated to achieve results. So when i see a big muscly guy i no longer think hes meathead with no brains i think that that guy clearly has the ambition and determination to achieve his goals. Which i think are endearing qualities.

[nate225]

I do it for the chicks! :pfft: :grin:

Seriously tho, I always liked the look & was a kinda skinny but fat kid! As I trained I enjoyed the strength & size, but equally I enjoyed the discipline of training (instead of being a bad drunk!).

I guess as I've got bigger & stronger I've come to enjoy being seen as slightly different from the norm. Circus freaks are cool.

Nate

[olympia]

Yeah definately saved me from a lifestyle of drinking, drugs and staying up all night partying with models. Put on 16kg in the first 14 months and a total of 22kg so far. I love getting bigger , i love growing out of clothes, people staring, getting stronger, sex drive increase, feeling awesome everyday, everything weights have given me.

[Andre01]

I agree with some of the previous comments, I love the look of the fitness models and yes, this is where I want to start with... However, the more I look into it the more that I want to get bigger and stronger. Nevertheless, until I get my six-pack, I won’t be getting any bigger, that however, until winter when I will try my first bulk. :pfft:

The other reason I have found that I enjoy lifting, is that now that I am no longer medicated for ADHD, I have all this energy to burn off. So Im going to take my training to the next level while I wait to sit my final exam in two weeks time and while I wait to start a new job (hopfully in 8 weeks time). I need something to do with all my time.

[Gym rat]

I also tend to agree with other comments it is a good way to blow off steam also a good way to lower the risk of all the health problems that are out there today for the likes of cancer,high blood preasure,heart problems etc.I also the main reasson I love training is going hard in the gym plus getting a very nice burn in my ass when I am going hard when I am training quads or hamstring plus at the gym that I work at I get checked out a fair bit by hotties or when I am walking around town including when I am traveling which makes me feel a bit :shifty: .

[trademe900]

I can not stand blindly conforming to societal images and do not believe that I do this as a result of that at all.

In fact for me, it is partly a result of wanting to escape societal pressures; pressures of chasing money, health risks, materialism, binge drinking- the list goes on and on.

Everyone in this capitalist society is a temporarily embarrassed millionaire and is obsessed with material possession- I am attracted to fitness and strength because it is something that money can not buy. It is something you can truly be proud of yourself in and is positive in all aspects.

I wish to enjoy my athletic potential the the utmost; it's about making the most out of my time alive on this earth. No regrets.

[karm015]

interesting replies

personally, i dont know why i want to look huge. cos i was a skinny weak kid growing up? cos i grew up in shitty low income neighborhoods, where academics < sport etc? who knows :wink:

[thatwaslight]

large men get respected (no homo)

/thread