What do gay and bisexual celebs think about body image and issues? Here are some quotes to find out.
There is a problem with body image in popular culture and gay culture. Whether it’s in clubs, magazines, web sites, movies, Instagram, and more, muscular men are often praised in mainstream/gay spaces.
Then last week, I wrote about a study that suggested men inherently see other guys with muscular bodies as objectively attractive. For that study, the focus was on straight men and their underlying connection with masculinity and muscles. They unconsciously subscribe to the idea that a “real man” is big and muscular. Unfortunately, the same can be said about a lot of gay/bi men too.
But again, I realize that a big part of the problem comes from news sources like Instinct promoting this constant narrative that muscular bodies are attractive over all else. From “Instagram Hotty” posts to stories about superhero shirtless scenes. It seems that this muscle mentality is everyone. As such, this article one way that I will try to correct that.
Men of different and varying bodies are not praised enough in gay and mainstream culture. So as a way to start, let’s find out what some gay artists/creators think about the issue of body issues.
https://www.instagram.com/p/Btyq81HAFTN/?utm_source=ig_embed
Sam Smith
Back in February of this year, Sam Smith announced that they wanted to reclaim their body and fight off the idea of having to look perfect.
“In the past if I have ever done a photo shoot with so much as a t-shirt on, I have starved myself for weeks in advance and then picked and prodded at every picture and then normally taken the picture down. Yesterday I decided to fight the fuck back. Reclaim my body and stop trying to change this chest and these hips and these curves that my mum and dad made and love so unconditionally. Some may take this as narcissistic and showing off but if you knew how much courage it took to do this and the body trauma I have experienced as a kid you wouldn’t think those things. Thank you for helping me celebrate my body AS IT IS @ryanpfluger I have never felt safer than I did with you. I’ll always be at war with this bloody mirror but this shoot and this day was a step in the right fucking direction.”
Since then, Smith has tried to be more open about their struggle with their own body image.
https://www.instagram.com/tv/BvBTF4bBlbi/?utm_source=ig_embed
Olly Alexander
For Years & Years frontman and actor Olly Alexander, getting over his body issues was hard. As he told Buzzfeed in 2016, he once tried to starve himself because of his mental state.
“I was stuck between this place of being really, really, really skinny and hating it – because I wanted to be muscly like other boys – but at the same time didn’t want to put on weight because that was bad as well,” he explained, during the Facebook Live event. “I struggled with it for a really long time actually.”
“It was the first time I was starting to have an awareness of my body and strength and (thought), ‘Older boys, they’re really muscly and they could do things that I couldn’t do’,” he then added. “I started to have body issues and not eating, like I wouldn’t eat.”
https://twitter.com/basicspice/status/1056369208089632768
Seen this shit on tumblr w like 60k notes. Lemme know when you guys learn that it’s weird to talk about someone else’s body/learn to love my body as much as i do 🤷🏼♂️ https://t.co/7JABkxNuu1
— 👼🏼 (@troyesivan) October 27, 2018
If i seem pressed i swear I’m not bc i really do love my body and i have been hearing stuff like that my whole life but i DO want the retweets so i replied
— 👼🏼 (@troyesivan) October 27, 2018
Troye Sivan
Sivan touched on the topic of body image and self-love back in 2018 when he came across a social media post commenting on his body. The post first shows Sivan in a white undershirt with the caption, “Why is this b****?? Suddenly a muscle daddy?!!!!! What the f***.” But then the post shows a followup comment saying, “Cindy, this a skeleton. This is bones.”
Sivan then responded to the post on Twitter by saying, “Seen this s**t on tumblr w like 60k notes,” he tweeted: “Lemme know when you guys learn that it’s weird to talk about someone else’s body/learn to love my body as much as I do.”
He then followed up with the words, “If i seem pressed i swear I’m not bc i really do love my body and i have been hearing stuff like that my whole life but i DO want the retweets so i replied.”
Michael Henry
As for YouTuber Michael Henry, it seems a lot of his career has been centered on fighting against gay culture’s constant obsession with muscles. Not only does he frequently comment on the topic through his sketches, but he created a short series around the topic of finding self-love.
“This is the show for people that have ever felt out of place, misunderstood, or less than,” wrote Henry while describing the short series. “For gay people who feel underrepresented and for people who are trying to navigate where they belong in the landscape of their own community.”
He then elaborated further while talking to Instinct Magazine:
“It’s not an autobiography per se, he explained. “But a lot of it is autobiographical. I’ve always had a hard time feeling like I fit into the gay community so I thought what if I made a character that just decided to change everything about himself to try and be apart of that community.”
“This series is about trying to navigate where you belong in the landscape of your own community,” he concluded.
You can watch the entire series by clicking above or clicking this link.
Note: The first section of this article is the opinion of one Instinct Magazine contributor and does not reflect the views of Instinct Magazine itself or fellow contributors.
quote: ” I realize that a big part of the problem comes from news sources like Instinct promoting this constant narrative that muscular bodies are attractive over all else. From “Instagram Hotty” posts to stories about superhero shirtless scenes. It seems that this muscle mentality is everyone. As such, this article one way that I will try to correct that.”
Dude! You’re gonna need a whole helluva lot more than just one article to make up for all the damage this magazine has done over the years! Sheesh. #gaybodyelitism
“one way that I will try to correct that.” One way meaning, there are other ways and articles that I attempt to dicuss body issues and men of varying looks and walks of life. Of course, I’m one writer among many. But, I’m one acknowledging a problem and trying to write about it. Don’t shoot your allies.