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>I think it is a terrible sport. It's not only terrible for the competitors but also for the culture as a whole as normalizing steroid physique hurts normal peo

by Bakary 6y ago

>I think it is a terrible sport. It's not only terrible for the competitors but also for the culture as a whole as normalizing steroid physique hurts normal people. It's not only bodybuilding by the way. Fitness magazines and Hollywood actors take most of the blame to be sure. The world is growing fatter by the year so it does not seem as though people are too stressed about those conceptions of the body being thrown around. If anything, the normalization of obesity is a far more pressing threat. Just looking at recent stats is awe-inducing, and not in a good way.[0] [0]https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/obesity-and-overweight https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/obesity-and...

deleted 6y ago
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xirbeosbwo1234 6y ago
>The world is growing fatter by the year so it does not seem as though people are too stressed about those conceptions of the body being thrown around. You are assuming that seeing an impressive physique would inspire people to attain it. That doesn't follow. Stress, depression, and low-self esteem can encourage overeating or a sedentary lifestyle. If someone believes they cannot compete with others, they may give up entirely.
- Jtsummers 6y ago
  I wonder if the issue is cultural. We've, mostly, come to understand the impact of the common media representation of (often) hyper thin "perfect" women on women and girls in general, which is a lot of the reason for pushback into various (often ad) campaigns to present more typical female forms. But, like many things, there's a lag in the appreciation that men can experience the same thing and have similar reactions. Perhaps because it occurs in smaller numbers (not sure), or just a different attitude towards how men should be. Admitting that men have similar body image issues and due to similar causes as women is harder for people to consider, let alone accept.
  - WalterBright 6y ago
    Just look at the evolution of male movie stars. A handsome face and slim figure used to be all that was required (Clark Gable, Paul Newman, Peter O'Toole). Today the men have to be jacked (Brad Pitt, Tom Cruise, George Clooney). You can bet that to be a male star in Hollywood requires a personal trainer and a lot of work.
    - Jtsummers 6y ago
      I had a similar image (though different individuals) in mind when I wrote my post. Older leading men were also in good shape, notable in a number of roles when they appeared shirtless or in short sleeve shirts, but rarely did they get to the extreme leanness (and muscularity) that modern (2010s in particular) leading men seem to be aiming for.
Jtsummers 6y ago
While the obesity epidemic is certainly the larger societal problem, we can try and develop a better representation of what's actually healthy. There's a happy medium between single digit body fat percentage (what most bodybuilders are aiming for in competition, and the image people have of them not recognizing it's their competition form not their year-round form) and 25% body fat (lower limit of obese for men, apparently).
- Bakary 6y ago
  It's not even just a larger societal problem, but something on altogether different scales of magnitude (pun not intended). People suffering from health issues due to bodybuilding are a rounding error of a rounding error in comparison. Getting anywhere close to that is an arduous task that will put off all but the most dedicated, so the problem solves itself. I'm all for a more informed population on health matters, but I don't see the point of going after the practitioners of a specific hobby on account of it potentially hurting other people's feelings, as implied in the post I was originally replying to. Reminds me a bit of the mindset criticized in Harrison Bergeron.
fpgaminer 6y ago
I think the logic usually goes that people get fat because they know they'll never look like what they see in the media. And so the argument is that if we bring those depictions more towards the attainable, then more people will feel like they can get there and not just give up altogether.

by Bakary 6y ago

deleted 6y ago

[deleted]

xirbeosbwo1234 6y ago

>The world is growing fatter by the year so it does not seem as though people are too stressed about those conceptions of the body being thrown around. You are assuming that seeing an impressive physique would inspire people to attain it. That doesn't follow. Stress, depression, and low-self esteem can encourage overeating or a sedentary lifestyle. If someone believes they cannot compete with others, they may give up entirely.

Jtsummers 6y ago
I wonder if the issue is cultural. We've, mostly, come to understand the impact of the common media representation of (often) hyper thin "perfect" women on women and girls in general, which is a lot of the reason for pushback into various (often ad) campaigns to present more typical female forms. But, like many things, there's a lag in the appreciation that men can experience the same thing and have similar reactions. Perhaps because it occurs in smaller numbers (not sure), or just a different attitude towards how men should be. Admitting that men have similar body image issues and due to similar causes as women is harder for people to consider, let alone accept.
- WalterBright 6y ago
  Just look at the evolution of male movie stars. A handsome face and slim figure used to be all that was required (Clark Gable, Paul Newman, Peter O'Toole). Today the men have to be jacked (Brad Pitt, Tom Cruise, George Clooney). You can bet that to be a male star in Hollywood requires a personal trainer and a lot of work.
  - Jtsummers 6y ago
    I had a similar image (though different individuals) in mind when I wrote my post. Older leading men were also in good shape, notable in a number of roles when they appeared shirtless or in short sleeve shirts, but rarely did they get to the extreme leanness (and muscularity) that modern (2010s in particular) leading men seem to be aiming for.

Jtsummers 6y ago

While the obesity epidemic is certainly the larger societal problem, we can try and develop a better representation of what's actually healthy. There's a happy medium between single digit body fat percentage (what most bodybuilders are aiming for in competition, and the image people have of them not recognizing it's their competition form not their year-round form) and 25% body fat (lower limit of obese for men, apparently).

Bakary 6y ago
It's not even just a larger societal problem, but something on altogether different scales of magnitude (pun not intended). People suffering from health issues due to bodybuilding are a rounding error of a rounding error in comparison. Getting anywhere close to that is an arduous task that will put off all but the most dedicated, so the problem solves itself. I'm all for a more informed population on health matters, but I don't see the point of going after the practitioners of a specific hobby on account of it potentially hurting other people's feelings, as implied in the post I was originally replying to. Reminds me a bit of the mindset criticized in Harrison Bergeron.

fpgaminer 6y ago

I think the logic usually goes that people get fat because they know they'll never look like what they see in the media. And so the argument is that if we bring those depictions more towards the attainable, then more people will feel like they can get there and not just give up altogether.