The New Zealand Herald should be the new ‘National Enquirer’, this is hilarious. This was an article previewing a documentary “Testosterone Boys”. Fiona Rae writes:
If you were worried your teenagers spend too much time playing computer games, then be thankful they haven’t taken up bodybuilding. It’s an obsession that requires dangerous dieting and excessive training. And still they have what one trainer calls “reverse anorexia”, where they look in the mirror and think they’re too thin.
Dangerous dieting and excessive training, as opposed to eating your KFC and playing some more computer games, right?
All the parents are worried, particularly about their sons’ diets. “It’s not normal,” says one dad, and his son has to agree. One of the Jasons has only 4 per cent body fat 0 a good ratio for a man is 12 per cent. Paradoxically, this means that Jason is as weak as a kitten, despite his muscles because fat is a source of energy.
When I finished laughing, I realised this ‘paradoxically’ means the author probably believes the average Joe at 12 per cent bodyfat is a lot stronger than Mike Tyson, Jonah Lomu, etc etc… virtually every professional athlete on the planet. I love it when people are logical!
[The mother] is supportive, but clearly doesn’t like it. She helps him get ready for a competition, painting on the brown muck that makes muscles stand out under the lights, and shaving his hair off.
The shock! The horror! What could this mysterious brown muck substance be?
At the national champs, this bizzare vision of manliness is finally put on display.
Meanwhile the nation breathes a sigh of relief as we collectively obesify ourselves towards the ‘true’ vision of manliness.