What is a perfect body? What should you have to feel attractive? Can anyone take off their shirt in a park, on the street or in a club? What type of body deserves a sensual shoot?
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These are some of the questions whose answers reveal beauty stereotypes. And that, in turn, causes various insecurities in ordinary men and the reality of their bodies.
It was with this in mind that the journalist Rebecca Adams and the photographer Damon Dahlen, from the international Huffington Post, decided to photograph men in their 20s and 60s and listen to their reports about feeling shirtless.
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She states that the stereotype of bodies affects the lives of many people. And studies show that men link fatness with "weakness of will" and "thinness and muscle" with feelings of "confidence and power." Therefore, we have many, many insecure men.
Check out the work and reports:
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“I don't like sitting with my torso bent towards my legs – I feel left out because of the way my belly extends past the belt. If I'm shirtless, I try to lie down or lean back to stretch my torso. I also flex my arms and abdominal muscles all the time. The soreness and tension of working out makes me feel better.”
"I feel much better about my body than I used to. Until the end of college I had a very fast metabolism, which I recognize many would view as a blessing. For me, this left me looking, as friends have sometimes described, from 'holocaust survivor'. Since then my metabolism has slowed down a lot. I go to the gym every now and then, and I think that has helped a little in terms of my self-confidence.”
“I feel really bad about letting go so much over the years. When I was younger, I lifted weights, and I know the cost of letting go, and the struggle I have now to make up for lost time. I would be embarrassed to mention this (to friends). I worry about what they think, not just because I'm really fat, but how weird would it be to mention something like that in a conversation between men? It’s not something that’s easily acceptable.”
“When I take off my shirt in public, I feel very embarrassed about my body. It doesn't feel natural to be shirtless. It's as if all eyes are glued to me, with no one liking what they see. I'm 1,90m on the outside, but I feel 1,60m on the inside."
“I feel good about my body in general, especially considering my age, 55. But now I've decided that after taking these photos I'm going to get back to my college 'fight' weight of 90k, if not for health reasons, then to feel better about myself too."
“I think I could be healthier in terms of exercise and diet, and the result would be a healthier body and mind. Being healthy is the main purpose, looking good is something extra, not essential. Sometimes I eat very poorly, and even then I don't gain much weight. People get angry if I say that, so I keep quiet.”
“I feel comfortable and free without a shirt. I view my body as some kind of art. There are some areas I would like to improve, but I definitely like my build.”
“Today I feel good about my body. I'm aware of things I can improve and personal 'imperfections', but overall, I'm OK with it. [My friends and I] mostly talk about how we need to get in shape and go to the gym.”
“I have always felt comfortable with my body. Because I'm so skinny, someone always comments something good or bad: most of them tell me to eat more hamburgers. When I was younger it bothered me. Now I just smile and say I would eat it if it wasn’t bad for my health!”
“I feel like I let my body down. In high school I was like, 'I'm so skinny, I need to get stronger,' but now it's more like, 'I'm so skinny, and I still have a belly.' In this sense, my insecurities doubled. Having skinny arms and a beer belly is a far cry from the masculine muscular archetype."
“As I'm 59 years old, things aren't as firm or symmetrical as they used to be, but I don't have a problem with my body, nor have I ever had. Sometimes I talk to friends about going back to the gym and doing more exercise, but only because it’s all downhill now.”
“Typically I think no one can tell if I have a belly when I'm wearing a shirt, so when I take my shirt off it feels like I'm exposing a big secret. I don't remember a time in my life when I felt completely comfortable with my body. After college it got worse, perhaps because of insecurity when making new friends, moving to another city and finding new lifestyles. But now in 2015 I started to become more secure and confident with my body."
