Gay men tend to grapple with complex feelings about body image, influenced by societal ideals that often emphasize a lean and muscular physique. As a result, gay gym culture is often marked by a complex interplay of such body standards, which can both motivate and challenge individuals within the community to base their self-perception on chasing an idealized appearance.
In this episode, we're exploring the intersection of gay culture and gym culture, along with how societal conceptions of masculinity on gay men's self-image and relationships can lead to feelings of insecurity, inadequacy, and the pursuit of often unrealistic physical ideals.
Additional Resources:
- 32. Gay Men and Body Obsession
- Fitness Culture
- The History of How the Modern Day Gym Came to Be
- Wrestling and Weightlifting: The WWF and Fitness in the 1980s
- The Evolution of San Francisco’s Gay Gym Culture
- YMCA
- Working, Out
- 19. The Queer History of Disco
- 24. Gay Villages: Won't You Be My Gaybor?
- Reported Effects of Masculine Ideals on Gay Men
- Eating Disorder Statistics
- Gay Men and Body Image: What You Need to Know
- It’s Complicated: Exploring Why Gay Men Have Such a Unique Relationship with the Gym
- The Sweaty Homophobia of the Gym