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| HereAmI seems to have hit the nail on the head - we want to look like what the advertisers tell us we should look like. I am appalled at amount of the hype given to those who would normally be labeled anorexic or bulemic except for their status or notariety. Look at that lousy show - The Simple Life with wafer-thin women and how those two get all the media attention and all the young girls just *have* to look like them and the young dudes are shown 8-packs and big arms and that's not reality, in my book. Toned and healthy to your body type and bone structure is what it's all about and the media should be ashamed of itself but hey - it all sells!
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CGEESAMAN
6/30/07 11:35 A
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| definitely a good observation. i myself would like to find a happy medium with the two. i do nto want to be ultra thin or "twink" as you called it, but i also do not want to be a bodybuilder. i wander if you evaluate it from a psychological perspective if men who are insecure with their sexuality try to go polar opposite from what may be viewed a certain type of man. i.e. a man that is extremely muscular may not be comfortable being a little feminine in some areas, and vice a versa. i don't know, it's just a thought...
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I'm straight. I've seen bigger, bulky gay men but the majority I've seen in Southern and Northern California have tended toward lean svelt physique. While I'm heading toward lean, I still at the end want some muscle. And at 40, I'm not going to suddenly be rocked up like I was in my 20s. Somewhere between that and the flabby mass I am now will be great.
It's interesting how we all have to declare our preference prior to weighing in. Not judging anything I just thought it was interesting...
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I’m straight; we have three communities in our area with a lot of gays. I now some gay guys and some lesbians I don’t think they can be categorized some are big bodybuilder types and some are thin. I think gays, lesbians as well as heterosexuals it is probably what we all picture our own body as and what our desires are.
One of my nephews and one of my nieces are both gay. While they are both very thin she married a woman that looked like a bolder. All the guys I’ve seen him hang around with varied. I worked with a lesbian she looked like a truck driver and was a strong as a horse but, was not fat. She wore baggy clothes so who knows what she looked like.
The human body is an awesome machine that has the ability to adapt to most things. I believe we all have the ability to reinvent ourselves should we desire to. I choose to reinvent myself as I get older I want to be stronger and look it for a change, I also want a six pack instead of the keg I have been carrying around for the past few years. I want to look as good with a shirt on or off. Will I ever reach my goals? I’ll tell you if I don’t it will not be because I did not try!
So, yes I think it is what the individual wants to look like.
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THESULTAN
6/10/07 10:12 A
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| LOL! I ain't touchin' this one man!
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SVEINBJORN
5/30/07 8:34 P
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Straight guy here, (with my looks I'd be the world's loneliest gay guy) but I don't want to be bulky...My goal is maximum functional strength with an emphasis on core strength. I guess a gymnast's build would be a good example...
Svein
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WYLDEKAARD
5/29/07 12:09 P
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| I find the desire to be thin, but not waifish or twinkish. I know that I'll never be that small due to my body type and muscle mass. Even still I find the yearnings to be impossibly skinny. I guess that's the power of media on the brain. I put on muscle mass really easy, but I can also put fat on easy. There's that and it's not easy bein 6'4 haha.
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RHYTHMIC01
7/30/06 5:01 A
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weird.
A lot of the gay guys I know go to the gym and work on thier muscles....
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I think you answered your question in your opening statement. Pulling out my Psychology 101 card and dusting off my Marketing Merit Badge I would say, from a professional stand point of course, that we often lean towards what is marketed to us. The catalogs, television and radio shows we listen to influence us greatly. The friends we choose to associate with do as well; they too are influence by the marketing they choose to allow to influence them.
I was reading a book on personal finance management by Howard Dayton and a point made by the author was a direct connection exists between how much we spend and the amount of marketing we are exposed to; he went so far as to recommend not leisurely perusing catalogs, less television and radio to cut expenses.
The media has such influence that Billions are spent on 15 to 30 second ads, bill boards and full color glossy. What affect do you think and hour and half movie might have on your friends. You have probably not gotten out of the parking lot and imitative behavior has already taken place.
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CRAZY4BLUES
7/25/06 12:54 A
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Interesting observation, Ez. My BIL is gay, and both he and his partner are pretty svelt. I reckon that body image really needs to come from w/in, be you gay or straight. Deciding WHAT you want to look like also means deciding WHY you want to look that way.
For me, I don't want look bulky or "whispy" thin; I mostly want strong bones, healthy and flexible joints, and good cardio capacity. I'm about to turn 40, and these are the most important things to me now. The actual look I achieve, really, will be incidental to the health concerns.
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Interesting question! I live in a very "gay-friendly" community in Northern California and have noticed that most gay men do tend to be on the slender side. This may be all wrong, but I wonder if it has anything to do with gay men being more in touch with their "feminine side"? In other words, they aren't as concerned about having to be some big macho guy. One of my employees is gay and he definitely is attracted to the thin type you describe. I'm definitely straight, but don't have any desire to be big and bulky. Nor do I want to be super skinny rail thin. I'd be happy with an average size body and a little definition.
matt
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EZ_THE_PEZ
7/25/06 12:05 A
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| I'm a twenty year old gay guy and I've noticed that there is a significant difference in the media images produced of gay men vs. straight men. Straight men tend to be bulkier, bigger, and more muscled and body hair is okay. Gay men tend to be slender, hairless, thin little guys, more toward the swimmer type build. I find craving to be that tinny little waif type guy, generally referred to as a twink. Smooth, hairless, and whispy thin. The muscles don't even enter into my mind. It's all about being THIN!! I've been wondering how other guys feel about this, both gay and straigh alike. Do straight men want to be the big bulky type and gay men the tiny little twinks? I know that this is a rather broad gerneral statement and that there are going to be exceptions, but I'm just wondering if I'm toally off the mark here or what. I would really appreciate any input from either side of the fence.
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