Cro-Magnon Karma:
One Dude and His Body Image Issues
by Chris Godsey

Brad Pitt is a beautiful man. I’m male, I’m straight, and I don’t mind admitting that Brad’s body, especially in Fight Club, is an impressive sight. Same with D’Angelo in his powerful, sexual “Untitled” video; he’s a put-together dude, and there’s no reason to deny it.

But while I’m cool with thinking those guys are gorgeous, I’m bothered by my frequent inability to see them, Men’s Health magazine or any fitness machine commercial without believing that unless I have 3 percent body fat, a hairless torso and washboard abs, I’m an inferior man. I spent the week after watching Fight Club counting calories like Sarah Ferguson; back when “Untitled” was in heavy rotation on MTV Jams, I skipped a lot of meals and doubled up on many days’ workouts.

Body image issues aren’t historically typical masculine concerns, but I’m not the only guy who does this stuff. I’ve got buddies who are manly men—they would punch me for saying what I did about Brad Pitt—but who get real touchy about what their asses look like in a pair of jeans. I know dudes who go through serious streaks of food-induced guilt and worry that their bodies aren’t attractive.

Most men don’t openly discuss body image concerns—even crushing body insecurity among guys is hidden or expressed as humor or tongue-in-cheek bravado. But a book called The Adonis Complex: The Secret Crisis of Male Body Obsession, by Harrison Pope, Katharine Phillips and Roberto Olivardia, illustrates how a lot of men are abusing their bodies and minds while trying to achieve a bullshit version of the masculine ideal. According to the authors, men are becoming body-obsessed in unprecedented numbers; yet this phenomenon remains a secret because men aren’t “supposed” to have such concerns.

Chris Godsey lives in Duluth, Minnesota, where he hangs out with local rock stars, runs many miles on forest trails and teaches college writing classes. A version of his essay “Cro-Magnon Karma” first appeared online in the summer of 2000. He and his wife, Shannon, share space with a five-year-old pug diva named Jeep.