‘Dad bods’ should be seen for what they are, not celebrated

Why are we applauding and embracing men for carrying extra fat around their middle but decrying similar images of women when there are serious health considerations for both sexes, asks Louise Roberts.

So this is where we’ve come to in the gender wars. We want our blokes fat and our women thin.

As a woman I can happily comment on a man’s rounded tum because it’s a bit of fun, right, and he’s probably leaning back in his chair proudly patting his “all bought and paid for” stomach.

To that point, a dad bod — defined as a regular man shape with a side of paunch — is apparently the most popular physique among women according to a new survey by a gym chain, who found 65 per cent approved.

But no sane bloke would risk his life commenting on my body shape — he’d be strung up by the diversity witches.

Meanwhile a plus size mannequin in Nike lycra gym gear on the floor of a department store has triggered hysteria because “fat shamers” are flagging the O word — obesity.

Suggesting that a woman is overweight and that is not ideal is a form of hatred, “a toxicity of mind that is epidemic”, they squealed. So best be thin to avoid any controversy.

Nike's new plus-sized mannequins in their London NikeTown store. Picture: Nike

It’s a win for the holy grail of modern feminism — do as I say and not as I do.

That’s their comfort zone, a bit like trackie dacks on the sofa with a deep pan pizza on one side and a six pack (of lager) on the other. Just don’t tell me I’ll get fat.

Labelling men who are apparently soft around the edges is just another condescending move by the card-carrying feminists to keep blokes in their place. It devalues them and undermines their masculinity.

It’s insidious, passive aggressive body shaming — exactly what a man would be criticised for if he raved about a mum bod with, her middle aged spread and crepey thighs.

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The only person who can safely poke fun at her own rolls of flesh is said woman, we’re routinely lectured. Anyone else is a bully, a fat shamer or a creep.

I know nurses who have tiptoed around this very issue — the dire need for weight loss — for fear they’ll be labelled fatist. Ludicrous, isn’t it?

Picture this scenario. A woman gives her male partner an affectionate pat on their gut with a serene smile and an “I will love you no matter how podgy you get”.

Instantly the woman assumes the power and secretly feels better about her orange peel thighs or tuck shop arms.

US actor Chris Pratt paraded his ‘dad bod’ with ex-wife Anna Faris. Picture: supplied

Does she imagine that by keeping her bloke podgy, he will be less inclined to stray? After all, she has promised to love him no matter how much he lets himself go.

And if the roles were reversed? Your ears would bleed from the howls of outrage. She’s the victim of a body fascist, a feeder and a superficial tyrant seeking to control and undermine. Sound familiar?

The survey results published this week by Planet Fitness added that 61 per cent of women questioned said men with dad bods are sexy — which is up 10 per cent on last year.

Nearly half cooed that dad bods are “the new six pack” and 83 per cent would “be proud to have a husband with a dad bod”.

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A Yale University professor of anthropology Richard Bribiescas has also previously handed the get out of fat free card. “The change in body composition not only causes men to shop for more comfortable trousers,” he wrote, “but also facilitates increased survivorship and hypothetically a hormonal milieu that would more effectively promote and support paternal investment.” What rubbish.

What is worse — obesity stigma or the state of being obese itself?

In the case of Nike, its flagship store in London introduced the larger models earlier this month.

Why are we applauding men carrying extra fat around their middle and yet we decry the image of women when there are some serious health considerations here for both sexes.

Obesity expert Dr Evelyn Parr made it graphically clear when she wrote recently: “Excess fat around the tummy is subcutaneous fat — which you can pinch — as well as visceral fat, which is in and around the organs in the abdominal cavity and only visible using medical scans. Researchers have found excess visceral fat storage is a significant risk factor for metabolic health complications of obesity such as type 2 diabetes, fatty liver and heart disease.”

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Before we flippantly draw attention to a male’s body — which is inappropriate anyway and would never be acceptable in a role reversal — maybe we should stop and think about the message we are sending our boys.

In October last year, peak Australian eating disorder group the Butterfly Foundation, released the country’s first digital body image program for adolescent boys. RESET is designed to give boys the opportunity to illuminate the pressures and concerns they experience in relation to body image because body dissatisfaction and eating disorders are on the increase for boys.

Yoyo dieting for roles, as Chris Pratt has done, is hardly a healthy trend to promote either. Picture: AFP/Robyn Beck

A Sydney University study released in 2016 revealed male body image was a growing public health issue. In the first large-scale population study into the subject, researchers found that, although proportionately many more females than males are dissatisfied with their bodies, men suffer more psychologically.

The problems are exacerbated by stigma associated with males suffering from what tends to be seen as a female problem.

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Actors like Chris Pratt famously paraded his off-season beer gut while his bikini-clad then wife Anna Faris hammed it up on the beach. When he is not working, Pratt says he likes to “let himself go”.

But when an acting role comes up that requires him to bring out the six pack (that’s abs, not beer) — he buffs up in no time. His body is a tool of his trade which hardly makes him a poster man for the real life dads, most of whom don’t have access to personal trainers, chefs and the pricey supplements required.

It’s galling that some women feel the need to devalue men in their quest to feel better about themselves. Which makes me think the feminists stoking the gender fires really have no clue what they are aiming for. Again.

@whatlouthinks