LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth |
CAMP Fitness: Body Image |
by Rick Moore |
I cant help it. Whenever Dave and I go to the Wal-Mart, K-Mart, or any large department store, the first place I head off to is the toy department. Its no secret Ive collected Hot Wheels and Matchbox cars for as long as I can remember. Ive got boxes, drawers, bags, and display cases full of cars and trucks, some up to 30 years old. So, you say, where is he going with this in a fitness column? Well, I strolled over to the new action figures one day to check out the new WCW (World Championship Wrestling) and WWF (World Wrestling Federation) offerings. OK, I admit it. I watch wrestling when I get a chance. I happen to like Goldberg, and Dave likes Scott Steiner - Big Poppa Pump. Guess what these action figures are unbelievable! Theyve got 25" biceps, 60" chests, and 28" waists. If only I looked like that! (But then again, dont you think its kind of exaggerated?) While those wrestlers are big in person, theyre nowhere near as big as the action figures make them out to be. I started to do a little reading and research on this. I found out that good ol G. I. Joe is now so buff that he must be sold with little plastic steroid pills. If you worked out the proportions from the plastic doll to a human size figure, the new "G. I. Joe Extreme" has measurements that would come in at an eye-popping 27" biceps, 55" massive chest, and a rippled 30" waist. Not bad for a guy who started out in the 1960s with just 12" biceps. This guy must have been busy at the gym and I mean bizz-eee! If you look around, youll find that Batman is just as ripped as Joe. And, by chance, did you notice that the latest Han Solo and Luke Skywalker Star Wars figures are a lot more buff? Theyre massive compared to when they were first introduced as toys in 1978 with normal-looking (i.e., human-proportioned) bodies. Now I know how some girls feel when they see super-breast-implant Barbie. Those things must reach into the next county! Its just like with the massive biceps you want them, but youll never get them, no matter what you do. And if you try for them, youll just wreck your health. Dont you think these images, when theyre held up as ideals, negatively affect the general population? I do. The public is exposed daily in magazines, motion pictures, and on TV to increasingly and often unnaturally muscular images. It seems men and women alike are trying to transform their own bodies based on these new "ideals," because theyre no longer happy with the way they look. We all seem to have a problem with the way we view our bodies. Every decade or so, popular culture seems to change, and with it, the ideal body type changes, too. Women were once prized for their delicate features and cherubic bodies. Now theyve got to be rock hard with zero body fat. Masculine men were once big barrel-chested guys. Now theyve got to have 26" biceps. I dont mind the change. Those guys do look hot. The trouble is that the new ideal is virtually unattainable. Whats really surprising is how the male population is affected. Studies show boys as young as 9 or 10 years old are looking for some way to make their muscles bigger. Im sure that after watching Saturday morning cartoons with those gigantic overly-built super-heroes, a small percentage of them will turn to steroids, compulsive weightlifting, or unhealthy eating habits in hopes of making their bodies "perfect." As a kid, I remember reading comic books with nicely built super heroes, but now, these guys must be stacking roids and taking human growth hormone. Strange, though, you never see any of these action figures working out in a gym. Hmmmmm. The number of men exercising has increased more than 30 percent since the start of the 1990s. And theres no telling how big of an increase we will see in the next millennium. Its great if people are exercising to improve their health and appearance in fact, even more people should be doing so. But Im a little concerned when a young guy walks in the gym, shows me a picture in a body building magazine and says, "Make me look like this!" Researchers have documented a body-image distortion disorder known as "reverse anorexia." Actually called muscle dysmorphia, this syndrome appears in athletes, both male and female. Despite a great build and superbly muscled body, some people are convinced that theyre too small. One guy who weighs 250 pounds with 20" biceps and 6% body fat is afraid to take off his shirt in public because he feels out-of-shape. People with this problem sometimes wear bulky sweatshirts and sweatpants to "hide their smallness." Sounds ridiculous? Maybe, but its really a serious affliction. And for you ladies, it seems youve got your problems, too. All these gorgeous bodies in magazines and on TV have you feeling inadequate because you havent reached perfection yourself. Though guys are affected by body image problems, females lead the way by far. Heres an example. Back in 1995, before television arrived in the small island nation of Fiji, just 3% of the teenage girls had any kind of eating disorder. But just three years later (1998), 15% of Fijian girls had eating disorders. Its the "Baywatch phenomenon." Now thats a show that could ruin any girls self esteem and body image. Unless youre plastic, how could you look that good all the time? Wouldnt it be nice if we all felt comfortable with the way we looked, and tried to improve ourselves in a reasonable manner? Hey, just look at Barbies boyfriend, Ken. His shape hasnt changed since he was introduced. His designers havent taken him to the extreme, yet. But no doubt hell soon be out-flexing even G. I. Joe. See you at the beach! Rick Moore is a personal trainer certified by the American Fitness Professionals & Associates. He believes in common-sense, drug-free training. Visit him at Ricks Fitness & Health, Inc., in beautiful downtown Milton. Check out his website at http://www.enrapt.com/ricksfitness, or give him a call at (302) 684-3669. |
LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth, Vol. 9, No. 6, June 4, 1999 |