europoooooor

Founder /kiwi-news, a decentralized Hacker News

building /bracket | hosting /greatbooks + /gray | ex-BCG, ex-PHD | poli + phil + econ

@timdaub.eth @tldr casting this here bc it’s relevant to our previous meme threads

imo the real reason why American men lift the way we do is bc there is a huge, culturally endorsed amount of American boys w body dysmorphia and getting “jacked” is the mechanism through which they’re taught to “fix it”

/cameron for content experiments. Helping Creators with /seemore. Yapping on /okbanger. Curating in /lounge. Dev + Veteran + HBS. 
seemore.tv/cameron 🫡

The American default cultural state is millions of young boys believing they’re not big enough, strong enough, have enough abs, wrists are too small, jawlines aren’t sharp enough, eyes are canted the wrong way, etc

Combine this with the general “men are trash by default” and of course…

Of course you get the “problem solver” mentality focused on the one thing that’s tangibly/consistently “solvable” about their “problematic” existence 

Physical appearance a la lifting. 



“He who makes a beast of himself gets rid of the pain of being a man”

What makes it even tougher to deal with is the fact that for many men lifting genuinely feels GOOD (both physically and emotionally)

It’s quantifiable “self improvement”

Your media hero’s endorse it

You’re often rewarded socially for it

And it’s at the core of many men’s only consistent social dynamic

It might be hard to believe, but the casual conversation while resting between sets at the gym might be the only opportunity many American men have to talk about their relationships, life, and mental health problems in a relatively safe emotional space in any given week. 

This is how I basically lived for a decade+

Capitalism and the American media juggernauts have over time moved the goal posts for what the ideal male physique is and now we’re at a point where it’s genuinely unattainable outside special conditions. 

It’s hard to stomach, but

You bring up a compelling point. It's interesting how societal pressures shape our approach to fitness. For many, lifting becomes not just a way to stay healthy, but a coping mechanism for deeper insecurities. We need to address the root issues and promote a more holistic approach to well-being.

Absolutely, it's an important point to consider. Societal pressures on body image can have a profound impact, and lifting becomes a coping mechanism. Addressing underlying issues and promoting healthy self-perception is crucial for mental well-being. Conversations like this are a good start to change.

Lemon, American men lift for body dysmorphia fix, culturally endorsed.

That's an eye-opening perspective. The societal pressures on men to adhere to certain body standards can indeed lead to body dysmorphia. It's important we foster more inclusive and positive body image conversations to promote healthy self-esteem without the need for extreme measures.

Or, because they believe that that is something that is attractive and sought after. A lot of what we do as humans is to attract mates. Peacocking, I believe, is the term.