Englands leading commercial t.v channel showed a prime time documentary of bodybuilders in the u.k called ‘the strongest men in Britain’. I was expecting good training shots of the weights and excercises, a little nutrition insight and perhpaps even a few pressing questions on roids. Instead I got this prick interviewer asking consistant questions relating to homosexuality like’ do you get off posing in tight pants flexing your ass?. Or 'how many hours do you spend flexing in front of the mirror a day?
The bodybuilders were treating like freaks as the programme took a spoof direction by adding sound f.x onto the posing routines from what sounded like a gay porn film 'oohhh, ahhh! It was painful to watch and I was just waiting for one of the guys to pick up the interviwer and snap his spine the ignorant tosser!
It was a comedy, ‘come look and laugh at the freaks’ should have been the title of the show. This sport has reached a new low, in the 70/80s it was hip now it’s a joke. My theroie is that regular joe’s laugh at bodyuilders beacuse they are secretly jealous of the mounds of muscle so they completly alienate us by calling us ‘gay boys’.
As good as this site and however many people visit it's still sub-culture sneered at by the general public. I kinda like it beacuse it makes you stand out from the crowd but laughing at us and calling us queer behinde our backs insn't somthing i'm proud to be a part of.
I believe envy has a lot to do with why bodybuilding is always seen as a “fringe” activity. That’s fine with me. Most people don’t have the willpower, dedication or desire to make the lifestyle changes that bodybuilding requires. It’s a lot easier hitting a little white ball around a green for a few hours, then going belly-up to the clubhouse bar. As for the program’s references to homosexuality, that may simply be a result of the mainstream media’s need to sexualize everything. The Average Joe or Jane can’t seem to get really interested in anything unless a sexual angle is presented. Sad.
I don’t think the public laughs at bodybuilders behind their wide backs, I think they do it to bodybuilders’ faces. You have to admit that homosexuals are completely into the bodybuilding thing (not all, I know). And think about it - muscly, oily men “posing” onstage in thongs (or at least something very slightly removed from a thong). It depends on the point of view you take - sport or meat market. I prefer to take the view of sport, but I completely understand people finding it strange. Oh, and did I mention that bodybuilders shave their body hair too? That’s really not helping the image - imagining some big, strong, virile man in the tub with his leg draped over the side shaving it.
I’m amazed that you expected anything other than a pisstake! If you look through the mainstream media you’ll see many examples of pandering to so called ‘normal’ people. These normal people are the weak, fat, non-exercising majority who sit on their fat arses eating bad food, smoking, drinking, and reassuring themselves that only a ‘queer’ would be attracted to bodybuilding. Just be thankful that you’re not one of these sad individuals, and if the opportunity arises perhaps show these ‘normal’ people what they’re missing out on.
That doesn’t surprise me at all, just look at how much the media panders to lazy over-indulgent lifestyles. I often see alot of sympathy for the overweight demographic and a negative slant aimed at overly muscular individuals. They group us all together with ex-cons, fags, and date rapist jocks. Sucks but what can you do? Jealousy and fear are ugly emotions that lead to even uglier behavior.
I would also like to point out, however, that it’s the rare “normal” individual, male or female, who will say something disparaging to a bodybuilder’s face if s/he (the normal person) is alone. I don’t think this has anything to do with fear of being beaten up or anything, I think that it’s just a desire to fit into the group. One on one, most people are okay with it, and will even pay lip-service to how bad their own lifestyle is (not that they’ll do anything about it).
As a powerlifter, I have to say that there are a lot of faggot bodybuilders. In fact, there are a few homos that train at my gym; I guess the rest of us just have to watch our asses!
Del Boy, I saw it myself and agree with all that you said. The interviewer insulted the intelligence of the two subjects. The program must have been scripted by “cliche-man”. EG. “do you see yourself as a bulldog?”, “were you bullied as a child?”. Jeez!
Ok, who care what pencil geeks think, I workout,surf,skateboard,play drums, rollerblade and run. Someone is alway going to say something about something, Yes the gym has some gays in there, so what, as long as they don’t cross the line, let them say what they want…I’ve been call a few name in my time, and if I got pissed off everytime an assh— voices their opinion I would never get on with my life. BB is the S— I love it and things are changing, you know they wish they where Like US!
Del Boy you obviously haven’t been reading all the T-mag articles. Based on what they are writing most if not all of the T-mag staff think PROFESSIONAL bodybuilding has become very gay. I think so too. Plenty of the professionals who can’t make a living competing pick up spare cash by fulfilling gay fantasies.
You don’t think that shaving all the hair of your body, covering yourself with oil then pulling your shorts up your ass while flexing your glutes is gay? Particularly when you are getting tons of catcalls and hoots from a predominantly male audience? Cum on!
Having said that, I couldn’t care less whether someone is gay or not, nor does their sexual preference affect my opinion of them.