Gay men tend to grapple with complex feelings about body image, influenced by societal ideals that often emphasize a lean and muscular physique. As a result, gay gym culture is often marked by a complex interplay of such body standards, which can both motivate and challenge individuals within the community to base their self-perception on chasing an idealized appearance.

In this episode, we're exploring the intersection of gay culture and gym culture, along with how societal conceptions of masculinity on gay men's self-image and relationships can lead to feelings of insecurity, inadequacy, and the pursuit of often unrealistic physical ideals.

Additional Resources:

• 32. Gay Men and Body Obsession (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/32-gay-men-and-body-obsession/id1619338054?i=1000587100192)
• Fitness Culture (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fitness_culture)
• The History of How the Modern Day Gym Came to Be (https://barbend.com/history-of-the-gym/)
• Wrestling and Weightlifting: The WWF and Fitness in the 1980s (https://physicalculturestudy.com/2019/09/13/wrestling-and-weightlifting-the-wwf-and-fitness-in-the-1980s/)
• The Evolution of San Francisco’s Gay Gym Culture (https://sfbaytimes.com/frontgym/)
• YMCA (http://www.glbtqarchive.com/ssh/ymca_S.pdf)
• Working, Out (https://www.bunkhistory.org/resources/working-out)
• 19. The Queer History of Disco (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/19-the-queer-history-of-disco/id1619338054?i=1000577073123)
• 24. Gay Villages: Won't You Be My Gaybor? (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/24-gay-villages-wont-you-be-my-gaybor/id1619338054?i=1000580773743)
• Reported Effects of Masculine Ideals on Gay Men (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2902177/)
• Eating Disorder Statistics (https://anad.org/eating-disorders-statistics/)
• Gay Men and Body Image: What You Need to Know (https://www.thegaytherapycenter.com/body-image-amp-the-gay-experience-what-you-need-to-know/)
• It’s Complicated: Exploring Why Gay Men Have Such a Unique Relationship with the Gym (https://www.gaytimes.co.uk/originals/its-complicated-exploring-why-gay-men-have-such-a-unique-relationship-with-the-gym/)
• The Sweaty Homophobia of the Gym (https://www.gq.com/story/the-sweaty-homophobia-of-the-gym)

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