Although females have stringent demands as to what their body should look like, males, too, have aesthetic guidelines through which they assert their masculinity. Like their female counterparts, there exists an idealization of slenderness among males. Similar to the female situation, slenderness is associated with happiness and success. However, this ideal for males, and females alike, is not a universal belief shared around the world. Rothblum states that in developing countries such as Puerto Rico, India, China and the Philippines, an increased standard of living is commonly associated with being overweight. In such cases, excess weight shows that one is able to splurge and eat in excess (Rothblum, 1990, p. 120). From this instance, it is clear that the ideal of slenderness is exclusive to affluent western culture, both for men and women.
The main ideal that most men aspire to be is the “muscular” ideal. Having well-developed chest, arm and shoulder muscles, coupled with a narrow waist is associated with positive personality traits, according to Grogan (Grogan, 1999, p. 59). Especially in western culture, there appears to be an intimate relationship between one’s muscularity and masculinity. Strength, power and aggression combine everything it means to be male. Often, such traits are associated with being active, capable of fighting and most importantly, being able to provide – a trait that has been defining masculinity since the early hunter-gatherer period. In this case, it is no wonder why males choose to assert their masculinity through the appearance of their body. According to Klein, a large percentage of men deal with their personal flaws and insecurities through the conveyance of masculinity in their body (Klein, 1993, p.4). Muscles, in particular are a means of compensating for areas that men feel they lack in, whether it be relationship, career or intellectually related. Klein further emphasizes that it can easily be argued that “every man determines his sense of self through some sort of response to the biological emblems of masculinity: possessing a penis and male musculature” (Klein, 1993, p.4). In a sense, building the body up to have big muscles for the main purpose of “being big” rather than obtaining health benefits, parallels bragging about the size of grants won or the number of books one has published. In all cases, the male psyche finds the most effective means of asserting masculinity that best suits him. It is clear that ideals exist on what a male and female form should look like. With the main ideologies of the physical form established, it is now important to discuss the current trends that are the result of such ideals.