The Dad Bod Trend is Bullsh*t

By now, you've seen it. The dad bod discussions are everywhere! We, at BodyRock, jumped in the pool with our own look at the king of dad bods, Leonardo DiCaprio. Guys on my Facebook feed have been celebrating all week! Dad bods just look like your 'normal' slightly out of shape man. He likes his beer and his BBQ and only works out when and if he feels like it. He doesn't care enough about how he looks to change it much. He's not out of shape, but he's not in it either. And we women seem to love it. The phrase was started by sophomore Mackenzie Pearson at Clemson University when she wrote an article, “Why Girls Love The Dad Bod.” When interviewed for Slate, Pearson gave her definition of a Dad Bod:

"A dad bod is a guy who is not incredibly chiseled, but at the same time, is not unhealthy. He’s not overweight. He’s probably that guy who played football in high school and came to college and didn’t play football. Maybe he had a few too many slices of pizza, or a few to many ramens, and just ended up with a little bit of squish on top of his muscle. It’s a healthy body. It’s a boy-next-door look. He’s the kind of person you go on a hike with, and then at the end of the day, you eat pasta and lay in bed and watch a movie.”

This may seem like a new trend but it isn't really. Women have been accepting of less than perfect male bodies for a long time. Although guys feel media pressure to look a certain way and body shaming exists for them as well, all in all, our culture is fine with the dad bod. I'm fine with the dad bod. I'm attracted to the dad bod. But I think the celebration of it is a little bit unfair. I am a woman who used to be over 200 pounds. I'm not now. I am not thin nor am I fit. I'm somewhere in the middle. In some ways, I am the female equivalent of the dad bod. Where is my celebration? Right, I don't get one. Although no one is calling me fat, no one is celebrating me either (not that I need them to). This isn't a comment on my personal life, it is a comment on the media representations blasted everywhere I look. I'm still not 'right.' Body positive movements are happening, but my body type isn't overly included there either. My point is, if women are going to lose their minds over sexy dad bods, why aren't men lining up to celebrate mom bods? That cultural narrative still doesn't exist. Body positive movements are helpful. Big time. But when reading some of the comments on body positive posts, I'm sometimes left shaking my head. A woman shouldn't be called 'brave' for posting a pic of herself in a bikini. She's just out there doing her thing, which is exactly what the owner of a dad bod is doing. Did anyone all Leo DiCaprio brave for frolicking in the waves without a shirt on? I didn't think so. I think all people should have space to exist however they want. Dad bods, fit bods, plus size and other. We only get one go round so you might as well live it the way you want. But can we at least stop pretending that this dad bod movement is anything special. It has been around for ages and ages. Our culture has always given the male body more space and options. All this movement does is reinforce stereotypes and celebrate men for just being while women are shamed for the exact same thing. And the worst part of the whole thing, women are primarily responsible for continuing this narrative. Come on, ladies. Being attracted to dad bods is one thing, actively celebrating a 'class' you've been excluded from is another. Can we all just agree to let this celebration die? h/t: Thought Catalog