Defined as a preoccupation with one’s perceived lack of muscularity, muscle dysmorphia is becoming increasingly prevalent, causing what experts are calling a ‘silent crisis’ in men’s mental health
Defined as a preoccupation with one’s perceived lack of muscularity, muscle dysmorphia is becoming increasingly prevalent, causing what experts are calling a ‘silent crisis’ in men’s mental health
I was watching 'The Getaway' with Steve McQueen a few weeks ago. At the time the movie was made, Steve was one of Hollywood's top action heroes. When he took his shirt off I thought how skinny he looked. I know that the Marvel heroes work out for months to get the 'superhero' body, but I still made the comparison.
Another story I heard. A friend of mine wanted to buy his nephew the same Luke Skywalker action figure he'd played with as a child. The original toy looked like a skinny farm boy, and the new one had Luke looking like a body builder.
The x men series is a clear example. Look at Hugh Jackman Wolverine in the original movie compared to the newer ones. In the original he was lean, and in shape but not super muscular or anything. By the Wolverine he's a body building monster
Look at some old movies. Buster Crabbe [Flash Gordon] and Johnny Weissmuller [Tarzan] were both Olympic athletes. Back in the day, they were the peak of manly developement; today they'd be henchmen at best.
That's actually because Jackman was cast very late (it was supposed to be Dougray Scott originally), so he didn't have time to bulk up to superhero physique. X-Men 2's Wolverine is the form Jackman aimed for originally, although he also got even bulkier und more bodybuilder-y later on, like in Days of Future Past.
The lengths they go to today are insane. Like, on top of sort of obsessive body building they're also dehydrating themselves before the bare chest scene for extra definition or some shit. Seems unhealthy all around.