Are Websites creating or contributing to society’s expectations of men?

Who needs a personal trainer when you have free access to fitness websites?

Bodybuilding.com is the largest online sports nutrition store and the most visited fitness website in the world, with around 29 million unique visitors every month, producing over 35,000 posts of free information, such as fitness programs, nutritious recipes, and heaps of inspiration – so much that it can be overwhelming.

It has become a website, not only for bodybuilders, but for all types of people, however far along they are on their fitness journey. All you need to do to reach this website is simply type into Google, ‘arm workout’, or ‘leg workout’, or any other muscle group, and guaranteed Bodybuilding.com will be the first result – or even dominate the whole first page of results!

There is no escaping the bodybuilding industry in the digital world.

On the homepage, you will be generously offered a free customised fitness plan with the option to choose your gender. Here’s a screenshot…

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I mean, we’re all familiar with the words ‘male’ and ‘female’, right? So, why did the editors feel the need to include definitions through the use of images, instead of just simply listed the words? They’ve specifically chosen to represent the term ‘male’ with a sculpted body showing beefy shoulders, defined abs and a rounded chest.

What’s worse, after completing the first three selections regarding gender, age and height/weight, you’ll be faced with more images of men, emphasising physical appearance as the norm for determining masculine worth. As you can see, there is little difference between ‘Build Muscle’ and ‘Lose Fat’, which just confirms the appropriate physique that they believe should be reached by males. Let’s not even get started on the ‘Transform’ goal portraying the escape from the undesirable male body.

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“Just like our customers, we’re always trying to be the best versions of ourselves(Bodybuilding.com, 2016).

Don’t get me wrong, I’ve used this particular website before and I think it contains a lot of goof information. However, there’s no denying that these fitness websites and online magazines have encouraged society’s image of what men and women should and shouldn’t look like. This is because the Internet has allowed the fitness industry to become increasingly popular, adding to higher readership levels and achieving wide circulation.

However, unlike women, men are expected to obtain a stoical demeanour, withholding and denying insecurities about their physical appearance, which is the reason why male body image is not discussed as much as it should be. And it’s because of masculinity being associated to stoicism, it seems that the rising pressures of having the idealised body are simply accepted.

What does it mean to be ‘masculine’?

Men’s Fitness is a men’s magazine that focuses on fitness, sports and nutrition. Like other magazines, Men’s Fitness have progressed to digital, granting free access for those online. They describe themselves as “A source for exercise, health and nutrition advice, and information on exercise programs, building muscle, athletic performance and male sexuality”.

Is it just me or does ‘male sexuality’ seem irrelevant?

Interestingly, their website menu includes the category ‘Women’. At first, I thought this was a section designed for a female audience, but I was so wrong. Instead I was faced with articles such as ‘How to warm her up to morning sex’ and ’10 sex tips that guarantee her orgasm’.

As Men’s Fitness only target a male audience, it drives their content towards masculinity, causing stereotypical material with traditional masculine values. This is confirmed as the magazine declares that men are attracted to women…

Therefore, Men’s Fitness is suggesting that working out and gaining muscle are masculine traits, discrediting those who don’t and heavily contributing to the pressures men face.

All in all, the digital world has exposed men, even more so, to the idealistic muscular body. And with free access to fitness sites and online magazines, they are easily circulated and can be accessed by a broader audience. Thus, they can be hugely influencial in shaping society’s image of men and the way males view themselves, especially when defining masculinity.

Due to men being taught to be emotionally repressive, body image is a subject that is not often discussed, which has lead to results such as an increased use of steroids, escalated sales of protein powders and supplements and undergoing cosmetic surgery – conforming to society’s expectations.

 

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