It's no secret that America holds unnaturally high beauty standards for its citizens, standards that drive people to drastic surgeries or even anorexia and bulimia. Luckily, there seems to be more and more support for women who are not stick thin with huge breasts and a big butt.
Yet, the struggles that men face to look a certain way go almost completely unnoticed, so I want to share what it's like to be a large man in a world that caters to thin, muscular men.
First and foremost, male beauty in America is centered around a chiseled, muscular body. Broad shoulders, huge biceps, a strong chest, and a flat six pack. What most people don't know is that in order to have this body type, you must have a body fat percentage that is extremely low, so this body is not easy to achieve or maintain. For many people, this body can even be unhealthy.
Not to mention the whole "body mass index" thing, where doctors calculate the weight you should be based on your height. The BMI makes people feel like they weigh too much, when in reality they are healthy. The BMI does not account for muscle mass, and it definitely doesn't account for dietary needs and chronic diseases that influence weight. There's a difference between being unhealthy and obese and having fat while still being healthy.
So now every male celebrity does everything they can to mold themselves into muscle machines, just to satisfy the masses and get more casting jobs. And now, the clothing industry has caught on and insists that men be a certain size.
If I walk into any store designer store, whether it be American Eagle or Express or Polo Ralph Lauren- they never carry my waist size. Never have. I wear a size forty waist. The biggest size most of them carry is thirty-eight, some even stop at thirty-six. The have an abundance of pants sizes twenty-nine to thirty-six, basically telling me that I'm too fat to wear their clothes.
The last time my waist was twenty-nine inches I was in fifth grade. I'm not a huge guy, but I'm not thin either. It's apparent to me that the "all-american sexy man" that they're catering to are all men who work out excessively or who have high metabolisms. Either that or they just want fifth graders to wear their clothes.
Not to mention that most shirts, whether they're casual or dressy button-downs, are "athletic fit" or "slim fit". I am neither athletic or slim. I don't want to wear these tight, clinging shirts. It's almost like they're actually trying to physically force me to slim down to meet their standards. The only stores that always carry my size are Target and Wal-Mart. At least they know that not everyone is super thin.
It sucks to have a body type that some, if not most, consider unattractive. It sucks that people want me and others to change. It's not fair. If I like the way I look, then why does it matter? Maybe things will be different one day, but until then, I'll keep ordering my pants off of Amazon.
And I'll keep reiterating that beautiful comes in many different forms.
