Men and Weightlifting

Countless forms of media have been devoted to exploring the female body ideal and to highlighting the extremes to which some women will go to achieve these socially accepted expectations. However, little information is readily available addressing how men feel about their perceived obligations to fulfill a certain body ideal. Do men experience the same pressures to look a certain way as women do? Is the psychology of male weightlifting compa­rable to that of exercising for women? To gain insight into these questions, [in]Visible asked men from all 4C’s about their personal experiences with body image issues.

What do men think women are physically attracted to? When asked to describe the type of body they thought women wanted, moderation was thought to be key to get­ting female approval. However, it was assumed that the majority of women would be more into muscles than not. One participant, when asked what kind of male body he thought women wanted, answered, “One with a six pack… not necessarily a six pack but a nicely flat chest and stom­ach…a very tight muscular body. Maybe women have a tol­erance for guts or flabbiness but not much. Arms are im­portant too.” Most of the men expressed the belief that women generally evaluate the physical appearance of men more subjectively than men do. One respondent stated, “I think it varies a whole lot. A lot of women think Brad Pitt is really hot, but some wom­en think Vince Vaughn is hot. But personally I don’t see why for Vince Vaughn.” Another stated, “I don’t know if I’m convinced that women care as much as males think.”

In terms of motivations for weightlifting, the ma­jority of interviewees reported both aesthetic and practi­cal incentives. The men who participated in sports or who had hobbies that necessitated strength stated that weight­lifting granted practical benefits in these activities. One interviewee stated, “I think it’s not necessary to have su­per huge pecs as long as your arms don’t look all bony and you look resilient enough to do something that requires some labor. As long as you look dependable, not useless.” When asked whether strength or looks was more impor­tant to him, one contributor answered, “I definitely care more about strength, probably because I’m trying to be a good athlete. But for guys who aren’t trying to be good at sports, it’s about looks.” Aesthetic appearance is a heavy motivation for weightlifting. One participant, in explain­ing his motivations for weightlifting stated, “It seems like the average person at my school is really jacked. There’s peer pressure to lift weights. Everyone is really conscious of their image. They want to look good, and they are really motivated.” However, some men expressed an entirely dif­ferent motivation for working out, one saying, “Exercising is a way of escaping, especially from the stress of academ­ics. You feel free. It feels really good.”

Whether it be to attain their ideal bodies, gain strength, or just let off steam and relieve stress, men visit the gym for a variety of reasons. Many of the men inter­viewed feel societal and peer pressure to look a certain way. While all of the participants acknowledge that society projects a particular standard of masculine appearance, many men also acknowledge that women generally evalu­ate men in the real world with subjectivity. Many men ob­serve that women seem to “accept” a broad range of male body types. It would be difficult to determine if this male assumption of female subjectivity is valid or not, but it is certainly worth thinking about.