Ab Fab

Sunday, November 12, 2006 by
O, glorious abs. Why do you taunt us so?

Such a simple word and yet so versatile. Complimentary: "Your abs look great!"
Predatory: "Check out the abs on that guy." Envious (and possibly homicidal): "I'd kill for abs like that." Macho: "I'm on a killer abs routine." Depressed: "I'll never have abs like that." Narcissistic: "Look at my abs!"

Complimentary+Predatory+Envious+Macho+Depressed+
Narcissistic = Gay with a capital G. Don't believe us? We guarantee that every gay man reading this is having a hard time following along because of the illustrations.

Oh sure, men and women of all sexual persuasions spend their time in pursuit of the elusive visible abs, but only gay men have turned it into a culture-wide obsession. Every porn star, underwear ad and guy-at-the-gym-
that-we-desperately-want-to-see-naked has them. And every one of those guys exist solely to make us feel inadequate for not having them. Which is strange, because there's no good reason for anyone to walk around with a midsection that looks like an insect's thorax. Seriously, did you ever have sex with a guy who had ripped abs? It's like touching a warm, self-involved mannequin.

Lemme tell you something, we did that ab thing a couple years ago. Starved ourselves down to Nicole-Ritchie levels, pumped ourselves full of bullshit supplements and fat-burners at a cost of about half our rent every month and obsessively crunched. All day. Every day. At one point, we proudly (and quite foolishly) announced to anyone within earshot that we were up to a thousand crunches a day.

And you know what? It worked. In about 6 months we both had what we'd wanted since we'd seen our first Calvin Klein underwear ad back in the frothy days of our adolescence: the killer set of abs. It didn't matter that none of our clothes fit us properly anymore or that the loss of bodyfat in our faces aged us by about ten years or that we now had stretchmarks that would make a post-partum woman laugh hysterically. No, all that mattered was that we now finally had the ability to lift our shirts at cocktail parties and say "Look what I've been doing!"

Yeah, we were hungry all the time and we couldn't figure out why we were so cranky (complete lack of carbs and alcohol) but hey, the A-list guys at the gay coffeehouse suddenly started talking to us after years of ignoring us. It was like we were in a secret brotherhood. Of course it's not much of a secret if every member constantly walks around shirtless as if their nipples weren't getting enough air.

But here's the thing: in all the time we were indulging our little obsession we never once thought about what we needed to do after we reached our goal. And you know what we needed to do? KEEP GOING. There's no finish line. Unlike a diet, where you can relax slightly once you reach your goal and figure out how to integrate better eating habits into your life, there's no relaxation point with abs. If you want to keep them, you've gotta keep starving yourself, keep crunching as if your life depended on it and keep taking those fat-burners. Abs infinitum.

When that realization settled in, we both unconsciously said "Fuck this. I want my life back." And what took us six months to achieve was gone in about two. For the most part, we were fine to settle in with our Ben & Jerry's on the couch, secure in the knowledge that yes, we had achieved ab-dom, but in our wisdom and go-against-the-grainism we had decided that it was a foolish pursuit.

Then we turned 40.

Oh please. This can't be happening again. Please tell us that we are not becoming self-conscious at the gym again; that we are not really thinking things like "If I just get up and do 300 crunches first thing every morning, I can go to the beach next summer."; that we are not lingering over the bottles of Hydroxycut at the drugstore thinking "What's a little heart palpitation when you look great in Speedos?"

No. We will be strong. We will resist the porn and advertising imagery that has been relentlessly pumped into our brains from adolescence. We'll define male beauty however we like, goddammit. We are trailblazers and we will say no to the absorthodoxy running rampant through our community.

Just as soon as we do a quick "Abs of Steel" workout and maybe take a laxative or two.

39 comments:

patsystone said...

OOOOOOh, those pictures are crunch-dilly-umptious! Can one get a cavity from too much eye candy?

Anonymous said...

Its not so much that I was distracted by the photos althought they were YUMMY as it was difficult to read thru the tears as I kept thinking to myself "I want abs like that" But of course everyone has now settled down with their winter boyfriends so I have until after the holidays to just say fuck it then get serious in time for everyone to dump their winter boyfriends and start prowling for fresh meat in the Spring. I think this one will go on the fridge to remind me!!
Thanks boys!

Gorgeous Things said...

There was a great interview with Brendan Fraser, who talked about making the George of the Jungle Movie. For that role, he worked out with a trainer 7 days a week and got down to 2% body fat. His abs are killer. But he said it was way too much work, and unhealthy, and he went right back to his regular (in-shape) body type right after the movie. But he did say he would keep a copy of the movie around to prove to his kids that he once looked that good!

Still, it's nice to look at! I settle for just having the vertical line down my middle these days!

Embeedubya said...

Some of those pictures look like guys with their small intestines exposed (and in the wrong place). I once dated a professional soccer player. An all-around athlete at the peak of fitness. And, yeah, it was nice. He was ripped in that lean way of somone who runs for a living. But he practiced four hours a day and spent another two in the gym, ate many mysterious supplements, drank no alcohol and never stayed up past 9:00 pm. Got to be a real bore. Needless to say, the relationship didn't last. But he was gorgeous...

macasism said...

Ripped abs are nice and all, but as soon as I seen them I think about all the time invested and wonder how empty their little heads must be. And then other things get empty and small with all the supplements. Plus when my husband diets, he get so cranky & he loses those lovely little dimples above his ass. I think lean is so overrated.

Sandy said...

Dearest Gay Boys, Hubby #1 was ex-pro football player..yeah,hunka-hunka w/ abs of steel and brain of a pea! Should have known~ first date he dislocates an entire shoulder (ole football injury)w/ a sneaky arm around my shoulder( I am thinking.. WTF??)Honeymoon(?) he removes his front teeth( knock out on some tackle(??)) and from that day forward the knees began to go!
He was as fun as sheetrock w/ continuous exercising throughout the marriage but finially decided to drink himself stupid reliving 'what might have been if only' he hadn't been injured...Adious, went me ;-)

MY Advice? Keep your precious lil tummy and enjoy all the ice cream you want!
ps: Found my precious soulmate and he doesn't even watch sports! Whahooo!!!

snaillady2 said...

I agree with Sandy--keep the Chunky Monkey tummy and ditch the ab concerns! I dated a pro bodybuilder (Mr. Universe semi-finalist)--and his obsession with drinking/salt/supplements and the like was bordering on the religious and ridiculous. Besides the fact that since all his time and energy seemed to go in that pursuit of the perfect body, he had the intellectual capabilities of an empty toilet paper roll, but without the usefulness.

Instead, invest all that supplement money in a good pair of dark sunglasses, a comfy beach chair, and join the rest of us "eye candy connoisseurs" on the beach. You bring the cosmos in brown paper bags, I'll bring the chocolate. ;)

Saskia said...

I know this post was funny, but it also made me really sad.

To quote a bumper sticker I saw the other day: "Start a Revolution: Love Your Body!"

Seriously, so many men and women alike are kept in constant states of anxiety and self-hatred by body image problems. Imagine if what we could do if we spent that energy on something positive!

Love your body, love yourself, and other people will love you too.

Lisette said...

Oh god, you guys are girls! See with women you start early. In elementary school its cute knees, middle school its why don't/do I have boobs, and by high school you've moved on to psychological torture. Ripped ABs?, not if you're any fun!

Granite Janet said...

I'm a mid-40s woman and all I want is abs! Waaaaa! I see 20-year ripped women trolling the gym and think, "I can look like that with a few crunches." Yeah right. In my dreams.

Thanks for a very fine thesis on ab envy.

Anonymous said...

Tell it like it is, sistas!
Y'all have hit the nail right on the head, and it is so true that we're taught to hate our bodies if they are less than perfect. If only we were conditioned to be envious of big brains, instead...

James Derek Dwyer said...

I'll be in Brasil in two months. I have to start buying my Granny Smiths and chicken broth ehheheheh... I dont get into abs, but I dont want anyone to start looking for a blowhole on me ;-)

Graham said...

Sad thing: after reading this and thinking, "Wow, so true!" I'll still keep drinking my protein shakes and doing a billion crunches. Dammit I know there are abs in there somewhere!

philly boy said...

Just do what I did: embrace your beardom. You don't have to fly the flag or attend the meetings, just frigging relax, stop manscaping, eat carbs and have a beer or three. And have sex in the dark.

Christie said...

I'm sorry; What did you say? I was distracted by the abs...

bungle said...

Well then! Learn sumpin' every day! This blog has been interesting and instructive concerning Gaydom stuff I've been blissfully clueless about. Abs, icons (wonder WOman, Joan Rivers, Madonna) and 007. Gotcha. Oh yeah and fishing out diaphragms, a no-no for a gal to ask a gay, it upsets him, right right.

Good stuff fellas. You're gentlemen and scholars, straight up.... errrr maybe that should be "Two snaps up"...?

Bay said...

"Abs Infinitum" -- I want this on a t-shirt with a circle and a cross bar over it. You guys still rock!!!

Babs said...

No, girls, noooooo!!!!!!!!!

Repeat after me: "I am a fierce ass bitch and I don't need to starve myself into a 32" waistband."

I'm also thrilled that someone else appreciates the concept of a winter boyfriend, which, by definition, must have a little bit of a tummy. You know, to warm my cold little girl feet and colder and littler girl heart...

I say we save our time and shallowness for more important enterprises, like making fun of Tara Reid.

Amie said...

"We guarantee that every gay man reading this is having a hard time following along because of the illustrations."

Just every man? Damn. You're getting me worked up too. Damn you Gay Boys.

fergus said...

philly boy said:

"embrace your beardom".

Amen, honey! Can I get a hallelujah in here?

One need not grow to elephantine proportions, but there's a point in every (gay)man's life when you realize it's time to start enjoying things and stop trying to vainly capture youth in an attempt to rectify the emotional/mental damage experienced during adolescence. Remember, those bitches at the bar who scornfully look down upon the ab-less are no different than those high school twits now stuck with bad marriages, annoying children, and stretch marks.

Suzanne said...

Remember if all else fails, there's always liposuction and ab implants.
Hey- it worked for Janet Jackson!

Anonymous said...

Suzanne said...
Remember if all else fails, there's always liposuction and ab implants.
Hey- it worked for Janet Jackson!

Hooray for surgical fabulousness! Just like everything else in life-- If you want it bad enough, pay for it!

Anonymous said...

I saw an interesting documentary (don't know if it's in distribution) called "Ideal Man: A Personal Look at Gay Male Body Image Obsession."

It's worth looking for.

Vic said...

Hubba, hubba, hubba.

I gnash my teeth. I slaver. I slobber.

Gay or not, I'm in total HOT love.

terri said...

I relate to this post- been there, had the abs, worn lots of cut-off shirts, lol. At a certain point, I just got tired of writing down everything I put in my mouth, and not eating rice or god forbid 2 pieces of whole wheat bread in one setting!

And about gym rat guys- they're great until they talk...

jackie said...

I personally like guys that a little out of shape. I don't know. It makes them more accessible/ human-like.

jinxy said...

I'm with Philly Boy. The dark is my friend where sex is concerned.

Seriously, I dated a guy who had like 2% body fat, and it's like having sex with a sweaty mannequin. Nothing to hold on to.

Now, 2 kids later, I am what you would describe (if you value your life) as "rubenesque", and honey, I'm proud of my booty.

But yeah, sex happens in the dark for me. Not only are my secrets kept safe, but especially when I'm pissed at my bf, I don't need to see your face. Just give me sex so I can start ignoring you again...

jacoffoalltrades said...

"I don't need to see your face. Just give me sex so I can start ignoring you again."

i like to see the face....the eyes, a smile, some drooling.......

if i get all those infomercials correct, if i get me a set of killer abs, i will always be running on the beach glistening in the sun causing a huge sensation. or slipping into a sparkling aqua pool with some baribie-wanna-be looking at me like i was a piece of tenderloin.

hmmmmmm things to think about.......

Anonymous said...

Listen, guys. As a 25-year-old, very athletic, good-looking guy, can I tell you how much I PREFER a masculine guy with a solid build--arms, chest, legs--to one of those starved twinks with 8-pack abs and a bony ass? I am not the only one, either.

So if you want to go back to chatting with bubbleheads at the coffeeshop, go ahead and starve yourself. But if you want to continue to enthrall a smart, adventurous, former college wrestler (and perhaps more when I next visit Philly), then keep hitting the gym and enjoying the Ben & Jerry's.

A good kisser is SO much hotter than a six-pack.....

Anonymous said...

I'm a size queen, so what's below the abs is more important..

madelineanne said...

I have concluded that life is too short to spend so much time and energy on a specific body part.
Personally, I would kill to have the legs and tush of Melissa (PR Season 1 model) but she was also 16 and I... am not.
I'm so torn between the belief that loving oneself as you were made is so important, since anorexia and bulemia are so dangerous, and yet also thinking there has to be a point at which people realize that loving oneself also means not getting so obese as to be in a health crisis.
Our world, where we have the media encouraging some to starve to death and others to eat to death and so little health in between. *headdesk*

Anonymous said...

Ick!

I go for the naturally skinny hipster nerd types, myself.

-- desertwind

BG said...

Abs - never had, probably never will.

I get it - they're sort of the currency of hotness for some men, like big boobs for women or high cheekbones on anyone. But I think they look weird and kind of scary!

I've been with some pretty lean guys before and it's kind of nice - they sort of feel the same firm-ish texture almost all over. But ripped up, anatomy-diagram-style abs look insect-like, as you said.

No thanks. If a guy can't eat pizza and drink beer with me, it's a no-go. If he can and still has abs, I'll probably hate him too much to date him!

Anonymous said...

random thoughts.
Are you sure O is not for Oprah?
MVP=Shaun Alexander.
$$ on Seahawks to be Superbowl Champ. The stadium is the loudest in the country. So, there I said it. Lots of practice.
Why does my mind work so differently. I just get multiple images from all angels? angles?

See why typos and speaking different languages are good for your health? ever wonder?

Anonymous said...

errh, T&L
I heard that VPs are supposed to think on their feet, or as the case may be, on their tush?

Ouch, I sense another spanking coming.lol

Ninjarina said...

I guess this is one of those occasions when it doesn't suck to be a straight woman; a sixpack on a woman just looks strange.

Personally, I've dated guys with many different body types but I have never had the remote desire to date a guy that is overly built mostly due to the intense and irrational fear of physical abuse. Don't ask me why, but I actually cringe when I have to walk by the giant b/w Abercrombie and Fitch photos of model aryan males.

Besides, I love my bf - we have post coital Chinese food in bed while watching TV (I feel fat just typing that out).

Vic said...

"I go for the naturally skinny hipster nerd types, myself."


Been with one myself. Tall skinny papas are not half bad.

Anonymous said...

My dear(s): Those abs are so gross, and excessive, and do nothing but make me feel repulsed. They remind me of Pamela Anderson or Nicole Smith except on a male form; what is it with our society that we have been brainwashed to think that is desirable.
What is it with straight men and their obsessive facination for breasts. And now, i guess the corollary is what is it with gay men and their adoration of abs.
This all seems a somewhat new fetish, as 20 years ago, I don't remember that the word, "abs", was even in common parlance. Was it?
That excessiveness is so, well, unnecessary and UNATTRACTIVE. Perfection(if thats what you see it as ) is such an illusion, and clothing, furniture, paintings, and people can show SOME of their chips, their scratches and dings and be much more appealing. (like Tim with his white feet with Uli in Fla; didn't that make you like him all the more?) Let's divorce ourselves from this hype.

blanche said...

LOL You guys hit this one beautifully. Went thru the same stuff back when I was a youngster around your ages!! Know what, gave that crap up and got me a nice fur covered bear to warm my winter nights and stimulate my imagination! Write on guys, you brighten up my days.