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VENUS Envy bianca rodriguez The average American man weighs in at about 200 pounds and is just a little above five feet, eight inches tall. His waist size ranges from 34 to 36 inches. The average male model weighs between 120 to 170 pounds, is upwards of 6 feet tall, and wears pants with 30 to 32 inch waists. That is a difference of nearly 50 pounds and 4 inches around the waist.
a man’s physicality, this ultimately means that expressing conventionally conditioned “feminine” norms, such as tenderness and sensitivity, is completely off limits. This makes many numb to what the fashion industry lacks: a label for men of larger stature. Although labels like “husky” and “big and “tall” are frequently used in mass market American retailers, they remain absent from luxury markets and the media. The motto “love the skin you are in” seems to be splashed across the size-inclusive editorials of Elle , Marie Claire , and Vogue’s annual “Shape Issue.” However, a body positive mission does not extend to men’s fashion publications like GQ and Maxim. While the “ideal” woman has many faces and molds, self-image for men is another can of worms left unopened. As told by IMG models, ‘brawn’ implies strength, not vulnerability. The concept is a ubiquitous, unrealistic, aspirational fantasy of sculpted arms and defined abs. Men are not just dissatisfied with their weight, but also with their muscle tone in particular. A survey conducted through Men’s Fitness found that while 39 percent of men are dissatisfied with their weight, 30 percent wish they
In 2016, IMG models launched a new division titled ‘Brawn,’ for plus-size male models, in hopes of mirroring the female ‘curvy’ division. While ‘curvy’ means voluptuous and shapely, ‘brawn’ is defined as physical strength, and seems unfitting for the perception of what a plus-size male model looks like. The term is not sticking. It has been nearly two years, and the acceptance of this category, or the new body positive term ‘brawn,’ has not yet reached mass media, therefore leaving men behind in the recent “body positivity” evolution. It is 2018, and the female experience continues to be at the forefront of all political and social issues. With this comes the discussion of hypermasculinity: the notion that in order to be considered truly a man, one must emphasize physical strength, aggression and sexuality. In addition to
100 FM/AM FASHION MAGAZINE AT MARIST
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