![]() As the vilification of homosexuality became less intense, male bodies were increasingly sexualized-and men’s attention to their appearances became acceptable. Oddly enough, the withering of gender stereotypes was just as powerful a filter in changing how male bodies are seen. Only after the myths surrounding muscle-that it contributed to heart disease, made one slow and inflexible, and was not something produced through training but was instead a God-given marker of a low caste-were debunked did it become a marker of health and prosperity. But, it had an extremely limited influence until the current era. The notion of muscularity was reintroduced to the world in the mid-16th century, with the discovery of what came to be known as the Farnese Hercules, a Roman copy of an ancient Greek sculpture. The greatest attitude shift, however, has been toward beefcake. As a result, privilege is signified by figures with low body-fat percentages that showcase taught muscles, by the leisure to afford long workouts in expensive gyms, by eating regimens crafted by coaches and trainers, by tans that bespeak travel, and by fitted, expensive clothing that accentuates these advantages. ![]() Today, the cost of access to the highest-quality food and gyms, as well as to the best information about how both ought to be used, has spiked. Things began to change only around 2000, with the proliferation of access to information about health via the internet. And while the first mass fitness revolution occurred in the early ’70s, the masculine figure it celebrated-the thin, jogger’s frame-remained aesthetically identical to the old upper-class ideal, if perhaps a bit less winded. Despite the more developed physiques found in Tarzan or James Bond films, athleticism has been far less esteemed throughout history than a body formed by ease, alcohol, and cigarettes. It’s a type that began to take shape in early 19th-century Europe, in England in particular, and held sway until very recently. (And on women, they present a whole other set of problems.) The ideal man-the gentle-man-has no muscles because he does no physical work he is also pale, because he has not toiled in the sun and he is tall because he is well-nourished. For much of history, muscles have been seen as vulgar, meaty indicators of labor rather than strength they have suggested oafishness or, at best, potentially deviant self-regard.Įven today, we’re not clear on whether muscle is an indication of health or narcissism, menace or manliness. ![]() Be it in the East or West, the epitome of a handsome man has generally been an idealized version of an upper-class individual, an archetype that has itself changed over time.īecause of this, people in many cultures have confronted muscle-today more commonly understood as a symbol of virile masculinity-as a problem. Class or status has been the determining factor in the defining of male exemplars. Hence "Stuck a feather in his hat and called it Macaroni," both throws shade on Washington for thinking a feather would be enough to be a snappy dresser and refers back the Macaronis, rather than the pasta we all loved as kids (and still love now).In the history of masculinity, it is money rather than muscle that tends to be articulated. Extra fun fact: In "Yankee Doodle Dandy" the song is about the British mocking the Americans' tattered and worn way of dressing. People resented this womanly look and it soon fell out of fashion and placed a greater importance on looking properly masculine. It is called a Macaroni.I may perhaps, on some future occasion, be ample in animadversion on those lady-like gentlemen, who, despairing to be thought men, are ambitious of resembling women." Their look became so extreme with huge wigs, heavily made up faces, and ornate and ridiculous accessories that by 1775 people began to describe the look as "effeminate." The Oxford Magazine of the time said, "There is a indeed a kind of animal, neither male nor female, a thing of the neuter gender, lately started up among us. Eventually, Macaronis became a laughing stock.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |