I’m just a 22 year old kid, and like many others, started lifting in my teens because of severe body dysmorphia and self image issues.
These days, I’m the kind of guy whom you can tell that actually lifts in practically all contexts, but won’t get mistaken for a competitive BBer anytime soon. The limbo of the several year old gymrat.
Anyway, during this time I’ve grown out of my teenaged body dysmorphic size and status, insecurity driven, frenzy and that put not only my past into perspective, but male culture surrounding me.
Just pop onto forums and the number of muscle starved kids grows by the day. Muscle has become a huge status symbol, especially among the poorer and less educated classes. Read a Youtube lifting video’s comment section, and I dare you not to rage. These days, everyone and their mother is an expert these days. Everyone is so needy to assert their own territory, obsessed with comparing themselves to others and so quick to put them down.
I can’t stand people treating my any differently because of my size. I’ve had so much ridiculous shit from men, like random guys in nightclubs pretending they’re tight with me, to drunken idiots wanting to start a fight because I was ‘showing off my arm’ (I was standing still talking to people). Same goes for females. I’ve had strangers groping me in elevators and public transportation (which not only would get me slapped or arrested if I did the same, but on one occasion left me very nervous because it was by a group of drunk hoodrat bitches and I didn’t know what to do since I could never hit a woman), to random girls calling me a conceited meatheaded idiot and ‘ridiculous’ when I was just wearing a tank top
Sigh, I don’t even know where I’m going with this, I guess I’m just venting.
I mean, not long ago I was not unlike the same exact people I’m crying about now, but thankfully I matured emotionally, socially and civically.
I guess it’s not just one thing that gets to me… It’s not just the obsession with Male Body Image, it’s thinking that by itself it warrants any uncivil treatment, lack of civility and good sense in general, insecure males trying to assure themselves by putting down others and just this ‘Alpha Male dur hur’ mentality that is spreading like wildfire amongst losers these days
I’m sure many will disagree, maybe even calling me a pussy or a ‘fag’ (I forgot to rant about that one, homophobia in wannabe-manly circles, cute!). But I guess that’s how it goes
