Did you know that in the UK & the USA that four of the top Men’s magazines were about Health, Fitness and Working Out. In fact the Number One magazine on average is Men’s Health. (The Lad’s Mags have dropped out of the top ten, pretty much but that’s a discussion for another post). It has been written about before but Men are under increasingly the same pressure as women to conform to a standard of physical perfection and there is an industry out there to cater to it.
I know that women have been under this microscope for a much longer time and with more vigour in the focus than men. What fascinates me about this the way men have taken to this pressure and how they deal with it.
For disclosure, through periods of my life I have been exceptionally fit, healthy with a good weight and then there are periods of time that I have certainly not. I am asthmatic and that brings its own fitness challenges which I have done my utmost to overcome and never let it stop me from doing anything.
Bringing us back to the subject at hand, I have started an exercise and diet regime, what with the impending Media attention and the rigours of Start-Up going into overdrive. I know that my health, fitness and weight have become a priority.
My female friends all complimented me and asked what I was doing especially now that the changes have become noticeable. What was interesting was my male friends reactions, some ignored the changes and made no comment. Those that commented fell into 2 sections; one the fitness fiends immediately asked what I was doing and proceeded to give me advice; the other noticed and then waited till no one was in earshot and asked what I was doing and how could they do it.
Men are not quite yet comfortable talking about this need for change, but then they are not confident in their public need for change or help in any area of personal development. We find that all the time with the Perfect Gentleman, men tend to believe that they don’t need it or they seek it out via a non-public medium like a magazine. Though what we find is once you find the group of men who are supportive and are willing to share your goals for change then it becomes easier. We at the PG team hope to provide that group and support however you engage with us.
For example, I was sitting with some male friends recently and we were all discussing our various diet and exercise regimes and what we were doing. None of us were card-carrying fitness freaks but normal guys, indeed we were sitting in a Cigar store. One lady, who joined us commented that she expected this kind of conversation from her female friends not by us. We all had a good discussion and felt that we were all supporting each other.
Yes, we need to be fit, we need to be healthy and we at the PG say you need to be able to defend yourself and others but we never and will never say that you need to conform to some kind of Media Ideal of Physical Perfection and that last part applies to Ladies as well as Men.
Respectfully your as always,
1PG
