Women have been obsessing over their weight and beauty for ages, blaming everything from Barbie dolls to bulimic supermodels for a negative body image. But women aren’t the only ones with those hang-ups.
Today, a growing number of men are turning to plastic surgery, more serious fitness regimens and the cosmetics aisle to achieve the perfect body. They are increasingly bombarded with images of the ideal male body–strong, lean and “manscaped”–and they are paying attention.
“For years, the media focused exclusively on female attractiveness and fitness, and now I think the trend is to emphasize the male physique as well,” says Laura Grochocki, spokeswoman for Equinox Fitness. “The word metrosexual isn’t just a buzz word. Guys are really interested in being their best, and as a result, men are becoming more interested in fashion, their appearance, their personal health and good nutrition.”
Drop by the bookstore and find men’s lifestyle magazines lining the racks, promising tips to achieve better abs, better sex and better hair. Turn on the television and watch shows like Bravo’s “Manhunt: The Search for America’s Most Gorgeous Male Model” and “Queer Eye for the Straight Guy”–programs that add to the growing sphere of men’s fashion and grooming.
Or head to the gym, where men are devoting more time to their personal fitness–both in the weight room and on the yoga mat.
Charles Hocevar, 38, says he works out four days a week and is “obsessive” when it comes to his gym routine. Why?
“Pure and utter vanity,” Hocevar says. “Most men won’t admit it, but they’re doing it for the same reason as women: It’s all about self image. Lots of men stand in the gym and just look at themselves in the mirrors. Once they start working out, they can’t stop.”
Gyms like Equinox Fitness in Lincoln Park aren’t ignoring the trend. The athletic club is inviting men (both members and non-members) to register through Tuesday for its “Fit Eye for the Average Guy” challenge, a full-body makeover with five experts. The program will give three winners a chance to work with the “Fit Five,” a panel consisting of a fitness trainer, yoga instructor, fashion consultant, massage therapist and nutrition adviser.
“We saw a desire for this type of program from men who want to achieve all-around fitness,” said Katie Smetana, the gym’s general manager.
“Men have cared about their bodies for a long time, but now you’re starting to see more and more men involved in yoga and Pilates and those types of classes.”
(Men interested in applying for the challenge can send an e-mail to lincolnpark@equinoxfitness.com.)
This whole-body approach has fueled other outlets too.
Men’s Health magazine, for instance, which first appeared in 1988, has gone from a core circulation of 200,000 to a worldwide circulation of around 4 million today. The magazine is available in 39 countries, according to the Audit Bureau of Circulation. Following its success, titles like Men’s Fitness, Men’s Journal and Maxim have become the face of men’s health and lifestyle.
“While there are certainly a lot of sports magazines for specific sports, on everything from cycling to iron-man competitions, these magazines are popular because they deal with men’s overall lifestyle. They’re not just about sports,” says Lori Hile, Chicago’s area marketing manager for Borders.
Magazines aren’t the only publications that body-conscious men are picking up.
Hile says more and more men are purchasing books like Peggy Brill’s “The Core Program: Fifteen Minutes a Day That Can Change Your Life” and the “Perricone Prescription: A Physician’s 28-Day Program for Total Body and Face Rejuvenation.”
“It used to be that the health and fitness section was primarily a women’s section, but we’ve definitely seen a trend toward more men coming in and asking for those titles,” Hile says. “We’ve seen an uptrend in men buying these titles because they’re more interested in caring for themselves than they used to be.”
The cosmetics industry is also seeing a rise in spending by men.
Global Cosmetics Industry, a trade publication, estimates that last year men spent more than $14 billion on their appearance, with a significant amount being spent on increasingly popular surgical and non-surgical cosmetic procedures. The American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery reports that men accounted for 1.1 million cosmetic procedures last year, about 13 percent of all cosmetic procedures.
Why do men turn to plastic surgery? While media images of ideal male bodies play a role, the larger picture is longevity, said Dr. Edward Lack, director of the Center for Liposculpture and Cosmetic Laser Surgery in Chicago.
“Men are living longer than ever before,” Lack says. “Before, men used to be active until their 50s and then slow down. But today, males are active into their 80s.
“A person who looks and feels arthritic is not going to feel fit in today’s society. Cosmetic surgery becomes a great way for men to feel youthful again and to look masculine in a masculine world.”
Rick Falzone, one of Lack’s patients, says he’s been happy with the procedures he has had, including male breast reduction, an eye lift and liposuction. Falzone, who lives near Springfield, said he had the work done for himself and would recommend cosmetic surgery to others.
Even though he doesn’t admit to feeling more societal pressure to change his body, Falzone, who’s 66, acknowledged that “you do see a lot of it on TV.
“Men don’t talk about plastic surgery as much as women do,” Falzone said, “but for me, it was a matter of how I looked and felt about myself.”
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csmeryage@tribune.com
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Tune in
Who’s the most beautiful man? Check out the finale of “Manhunt: The Search for America’s Most Gorgeous Male
Model” at 7 p.m. Tuesday on Bravo.
The show began with 20 buff men, discovered at bars, gyms and colleges, who braved various challenges (including male model “boot camp” and an S&M-inspired photo shoot challenge) in the search to discover who’s the fairest of them all.
Seven episodes later, the three remaining finalists–Jon, Kevin and Rob–head to New York for one final photo shoot before the winner is announced, taking home a $100,000 modeling contract with agency IMG Models.
–Colleen Smeryage
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Manly men
It’s hard to escape images of buff male bods in pop culture. A few notable contributions to the genre include:
Men’s Health paved the way for men’s fitness magazines and is chock full of perfect abs. There’s usually a nice six-pack splashed on the cover.
Maxim is the best-selling male lifestyle magazine of its kind. It provides men with a little less fitness and a little more sex than other offerings.
“Queer Eye for the Straight Guy” broke ground by letting men know that it was OK to pay attention to fashion, grooming and hair “juj-ing.”
“Manhunt: The Search for America’s Most Gorgeous Male Model,” hosted by Carmen Electra, has women salivating and men heading for the gym.
“The Metrosexual Guide to Style” emphasizes the core values of the metrosexual movement, covering everything from appearance to entertaining.
Usher, rarely seen on stage wearing a shirt, is a poster boy for pin-up abs.
This year’s “Troy” showed a backside of Brad Pitt we’d never seen, and it reportedly had him training for months.
Will Smith’s much-talked-about shower scene in “I, Robot” featured a nude Smith with water running down his body.
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Getting worked over
Men today are undergoing plastic surgery in record numbers, with procedures ranging from butt lifts to Botox. More than a million had work done last year alone, up 31 percent from the year before. The top five surgical and non-surgical cosmetic procedures performed last year on men:
SURGICAL PROCEDURES
Liposuction: 61,646
Rhinoplasty (nose job): 53,346
Eyelid surgery: 50,798
Breast reduction: 22,049
Hair transplant: 14,891
NON-SURGICAL PROCEDURES
Botox Injection: 309,063
Laser hair Removal: 227,990
Micro-dermabrasion: 84,049
Chemical peel: 82,174
Collagen Injection: 51,674
