2014 Time Magazine Article Summary

A 2014 TIME Magazine article explains the phenomenon of “bigorexia”, or muscle dysmorphia. Considered the opposite of anorexia, bigorexia is a disorder where men (many of whom are already fit to begin with) try to build as much muscle as they can, which leads to unhealthy exercise and diet regimens and sometimes supplement and steroid use. The article explains clear changes in the way male bodies are depicted and idealized today compared to thirty or so years ago: the old Batman or Superman would be no match for today’s super heroes. The author ends with “I just wish more men realized what a near-impossible standard is being set, and instead of fretting over their own lack of visual “perfection,” would just sit back and enjoy the show” (Fell, 2014). The author of this article does not problematize the impossible standard, but simply …show more content…
However, this unattainable standard of the male physique and idealized masculinity is hurting men (and women) by preventing them from accepting their bodies and the myriad identities and qualities that make them masculine. Body seems like a simple enough term that doesn’t need defining, but our bodies are more than the physical form we take or the fleshy suit we occupy. The Oxford English Dictionary has over 20 definitions of body from many different disciplines, and in American cultural studies the term body comes from theology (mind/body dualism), social contract theory, and complex gender theorists like Judith Butler (Cherniavsky, 2014). Through these different theories, the body becomes a symbol and projection of many ideals in society. In her Keywords essay, Eva Cherniavsky (2014) ends with the tensions between the history and progress of ‘body’ in political and gender