The "Muscle" Culture

[BeautifulBlue]

I think I put this in the right forum.

Anyhow, since I've lived in Austin for two years and have run the rambit of dating, hooking up with guys and being in clubs with them, I've come to notice that Austin has a very prevalent 'muscle culture.' Now... I've tried to explain this to some people in certain areas and they scratch their heads going, 'Huh?'

In short, the 'muscle culture,' as I like to describe it, is when (quote unquote): gay guys fixate on nothing more than working out and looking their best.

Now, this would not be such a big deal to me (and a few others I know) IF the muscle culture DID NOT come with the narcissism it does. Here in Austin, if you are one of these 'buff guys,' you are basically in your own 'tier' or 'league.' This means that you only: date guys who have muscles, date guys who go to the gym X times a week, and date guys who you feel are 'fit' enough for you. Any guys who fall under this pre-defined notion (different for all guys) is basically ignored, usually in varying shades of degrees (I've heard this to mostly run the league from a guy basically flat-out ignoring you, to others laughing at you, to some getting horribly humiliated.)

I don't know how prevalent this is elsewhere, so I thought I'd start a thread and ask about the different types of 'muscle cultures' around the States AND in the world. I think it'd be an interesting sort of discussion.

[monk]

I'd leave them to date each other and go find someone with a brain.

[BeautifulBlue]

I'd leave them to date each other and go find someone with a brain.

That's what I usually do! LOL. I've only ever dated one of these muscle guys (he was stripping at the club for cash and won, wahoo!) and I decided not to pursue it further becuase I found out he was an illegal immigrant. :/

[Bowyn Aerrow]

In my 20's my first 4 lovers were muscle-guys.

Three were body-builders - meaning they spend hours at the gym working out each day before and after work.

Understand I have never been a body builder, nor have I had major muscle mass. In my 20's standing 6'2" tall I weighed between 128 to 150 pounds (yes that is thin).

All three were attracted to slender 'weaker' partners.

For those three being 'large' (lots of muscle mass) was a way to lure in victims - namely slender, young 'weak' males into their sickness. They had a need to be worshiped, and if you refused things got nasty fast.

Maybe this is just my attraction to large egos and not just large muscles :biggrin:?

I do know of the rest of the crowd. The ones that are muscle that date only muscle are way into 'me' (self). The routine, the muscles, being with other muscles is all about stroking the ego.

Muscle building - body-building is narcissistic and its highly addictive. This is why a lot of builders move on to 'supplements' like steroids ('Roid rage is a real deal, I have personally been on the receiving end of that).

It is the ones who get addicted you have to watch out for and not get in their path.

There is a minority in that larger crowd. Usually the ones who are all into natural body-building are in it for fitness (mostly).

Bodybuilders who get addicted are often victims of 'bad stuff' where they have self esteem issues that they are trying to 'fix' by becoming more - more muscled, more of a man, more confident because they are bigger. They are already set up for more sickness because they are sick to begin with. Thus the ego, the self centeredness and all of that you describe.

From personal experience, if a muscled bound ape sets his sights on you (if you are slender/normal) think seriously about running away. DO watch for the signs of an abuser/potential abuser.

[mrk2010]

I'd leave them to date each other and go find someone with a brain.

See I think thisis where you have to be careful. I go to the gym 5-6 times a week and on top of that if I can be bothered run. I say if anyone wants to go to the gym a lot good on them, I'd rather be doing that than sit on my arse all day and be lazy lol and as for not having a brain, don't judge a book by its cover, you might find that these people are highly qualified or might be in a better field of work than yourself lol

[princealbertofb]

I'm sorry to say this, BeautifulBlue, and I hope it doesn't sound as xenophobic or anything, because that wouldn't be my stance, but I believe that American culture, as a whole (and we all know it can be very very diverse in that respect) is a bit extreme... even in the way it thinks "it's always the best" and strives to be the best... No wonder here, that Austin boys try to be the buffest, hunkiest, brawniest on earth.... But somewhere along the lines, aren't they forgetting about their own frailties?
Just the other day I posted about Erik Rhodes dying... It could well be a death attributed to such an exaggeration.
Because there is such a hate of what is fat, chubby, slightly overweight and plump, some go to other extremes to show their manliness and their desirability as men (sex objects?). It's scary sometimes, especially when there is obviously no purpose to this (llike building up muscle to be better in combat for instance, or to use that power for hard labour). As you said, it's all quite vain...
... and scary when it goes beyond the beautiful. Is it another form of compensation for low self worth?
I think that's why I prefer the musculatures of dancers and swimmers (all rounded buffness, :tongue

[princealbertofb]

Ok, on the other side of this coin... I'll admit that seeing a guy that is fit is... er, to say the least, nice? :biggrin::redface:

[BeautifulBlue]

See I think thisis where you have to be careful. I go to the gym 5-6 times a week and on top of that if I can be bothered run. I say if anyone wants to go to the gym a lot good on them, I'd rather be doing that than sit on my arse all day and be lazy lol and as for not having a brain, don't judge a book by its cover, you might find that these people are highly qualified or might be in a better field of work than yourself lol

See, this was where I thought I would end up being offensive. I don't mind if people GO to the gym a lot; I just don't like the behavior among a lot of guys who think that just because they go to the gym 5/6/7 times a day for X hours means they're better than people.

I'd like to get into running eventually, but considering I fucked up my ankle falling down (stupidly at that,) I have to wait to get back into the treadmill thing. -_- Maybe you could message me some tips or something. I'm naturally weaker on my left side do to a surgery I had when I was younger. Maybe you can recommend something for that too.

I'm sorry to say this, BeautifulBlue, and I hope it doesn't sound as xenophobic or anything, because that wouldn't be my stance, but I believe that American culture, as a whole (and we all know it can be very very diverse in that respect) is a bit extreme... even in the way it thinks "it's always the best" and strives to be the best... No wonder here, that Austin boys try to be the buffest, hunkiest, brawniest on earth....

I don't think you're being xenophobic so much as you're presenting an out-of-country view of the Untied States. You're quite right: there's a sort of perfection that America strives for in their pop culture that I don't see in many other places (at least, not so openly.)

[Sylph]

Almost all the guys here or "cool" guys go to the gym and develop muscles.

Not those nasty bulgy muscles, but the handsome and defined ones [so I took a peek? can you blame me? :tongue: ].

But I think they do it for a different reason. Majority of our population is Black, and usually the perception of black men is a guy with a big "friend" down below and a hard body, not necessarily overly ripped, so they feel like they have to match this perception, in my opinion.

Guys like me, although I'm half black, are looked on as being feminine or girly, just by appearance alone, because we're not pimped out with muscles galore like they are.

I'm basing this mostly on my experiences and culture, because I don't hangout with too many white people[or any other ethnic group], mostly because they either hangout with each other or I just haven't met any I "clicked" with yet.

A guy here has to be "hard" in some sense, whether it be physically, mentally or both. I think it's a perception issue, not just with Black guys alone, but with alot of cultures/societies that make an image of a man and how he's "supposed" to look, forcing them to live up to it.

Luckily, not everyone does though . Although, of all my guy friends, I'm probably the most slim one .

[Dean]

I think I put this in the right forum.

Anyhow, since I've lived in Austin for two years and have run the rambit of dating, hooking up with guys and being in clubs with them, I've come to notice that Austin has a very prevalent 'muscle culture.' Now... I've tried to explain this to some people in certain areas and they scratch their heads going, 'Huh?'

In short, the 'muscle culture,' as I like to describe it, is when (quote unquote): gay guys fixate on nothing more than working out and looking their best.

Now, this would not be such a big deal to me (and a few others I know) IF the muscle culture DID NOT come with the narcissism it does. Here in Austin, if you are one of these 'buff guys,' you are basically in your own 'tier' or 'league.' This means that you only: date guys who have muscles, date guys who go to the gym X times a week, and date guys who you feel are 'fit' enough for you. Any guys who fall under this pre-defined notion (different for all guys) is basically ignored, usually in varying shades of degrees (I've heard this to mostly run the league from a guy basically flat-out ignoring you, to others laughing at you, to some getting horribly humiliated.)

I don't know how prevalent this is elsewhere, so I thought I'd start a thread and ask about the different types of 'muscle cultures' around the States AND in the world. I think it'd be an interesting sort of discussion.

I had a boyfriend crazy about going to gym and wanted to have muscle. In the beginning i was fine with it but later i even found it was kinda annoying coz that was a fetish sort of thing and i did not like. have muscle is good but it does not mean anything. I value people's hearts a lot. but of course, it is nice to see something

btw, it is not so special to have muscle culture around where i live here in europe. i mean, i do not see often but something somewhere online sites. muscle guys are strickly stick to other muscle guys so....you know...but it is not so fun to see two muscular dudes doing....no offence...:biggrin: