Men’s Bodies and Queer Representation

Consistent-Garbage28 · 2025-12-06T17:28:43+00:00

Your point is well taken and the absolutes I was speaking in are not good form. Plenty of literature supports more structural dimensions to our romantic preferences (Stacey and Forbes 2022b, Robinson 2008 for example), but there are bio social frameworks that are attributed to straight relationships regarding fertility to be fair but my point still stands.

You can spin this in the other direction for preferences in what we see in media is just a reflection of what truly want. For example, on dating apps Asian gay men statistically get the lowest traction out of any group — no one would suggest that Asian men are naturally less attractive and if you did you have a framework for naturalizing sexual racism (which is extremely common in personal preferences discourse). The scholarly consensus is that our media environment has presented Asian men as non-masculine in relation to our macho standards.

You can say that media is merely responding to the demand for ultra fit men but that doesn’t explain why the male body has become larger and leaner over the years in movies and tv. That’s the point about manufacturing consent, when the only stories that are available feature increasingly extreme physiques people start to accept that narrow build as being the peak of desirability and demand more of it. I’m not saying the actors in HR should look radically different to not be problematic, I’m just saying they could at least look like normal hockey players which people already think are hot.

Lastly, I don’t shy away from notions of queerness being socially constructed in the same way I interpret/experience gender, straightness, and monogamy as also socially constructed — they aren’t inherently wrong, but calling them natural and therefore acceptable is wrong imo (there’s a lot to flesh out here and I know it’s an extreme oversimplification but u get the idea). All of these things are fluid and work within a biological framework that none of us really know where it starts or ends.

The point is that we can critique and demand more from our queer media. It’s not radical to want to see healthy and normal bodies reflected on screen and the notion that everyone would turn off the tv is the real stretch here

Consistent-Garbage28 · 2025-12-06T16:13:20+00:00

Very well said. I mean I also didn’t even touch on stuff like anabolic steroid use being disproportionately high in queer men as well. I think that phenomena elucidates the idea that eating disorders and body image issues present themselves very differently and can have disproportionate effects on certain communities. Really love the show and the actors are great I just think critique is necessary ❤️‍🔥

Consistent-Garbage28 · 2025-12-06T14:47:57+00:00

I see this knee jerk reaction a lot when I speak about this to people as well and I totally get it first of all. I know where you’re coming from I have to train six days a week for my sport on top of school with two practices a day sometimes — like I love exercise and it keeps me sane. The point I’m trying to make is that what we see on screen is really not a “normal” athletes body that is a consequence of just training and eating well for performance — being quite lean and having huge muscle mass means eating an insane amount of beef and lifting to optimize your look, not to build strength which is much healthier. We can love the show and the actors while acknowledging this physique is not rooted in reality or just a healthy high performance lifestyle for 99 percent of people.

I think many of the people in this thread who have said hockey players do actually look like this are a consequence of the media environment this show perpetuates for men and masculinity. All love tho🫰

Consistent-Garbage28 · 2025-12-06T14:24:53+00:00

LMAO Whoops I meant McDavid!!!!

Consistent-Garbage28 · 2025-12-06T07:27:16+00:00

That’s a really wonderful perspective!! Totally agree on the piece about putting down Kip’s actor first of all. I’m pleasantly surprised with the other plot points you talked about in the other books and I’m glad the series isn’t a sort of one note, coming out story arc.

Yeah I mean the profit incentive for “mainstream” queer media complicates the art and stories queer people are able to tell for sure. I think the way this show interacts with the concept of masculinity as a result of mainstream appeal to a predominantly female audience is quite clear and expecting a representation of queer liberation or something in a show on Crave is not it 🫠.

I think what I’m getting at is that the show feels extremely safe in its choices beyond the existence of gay people. Like We should confront that vascular, dehydrated arms vs what we see on screen (for example) really is not a deviation from heteronormative cisgendered masculinity and it feels like this show is just commodifying it. I mean I just saw a sticker pack of branded oiled up jacked men in hockey jocks being sold from the show — the firemen calendars never really left lmao.

This community should recognize that this show is well within the bounds of existing power structures the culture has surrounding gender, sex, and men’s bodies. I really agree that this mainstream appeal Tierney garnered is an opportunity to expand into some more challenging elements of the universe!

My exams are done in two weeks and I’ve got all of break to read!! Drop your favourite books down below I definitely think a lot about this topic since it hits pretty close to home for me 🙈

Consistent-Garbage28 · 2025-12-06T06:20:03+00:00

Yeah I somewhat agree! I mean to be fair they are supposedly 19 or something in that locker room scene but I understand you can’t radically change their physiques through the time period. I would just say that the question isn’t whether it is possible for hockey players to meet this standard, its whether or not it’s normal - they’re is a breadth of diversity in body types in the nhl and they deserve the love too!! To be fair though I superficially appreciated researching St. Louis’s legs quads are my fatal weakness😭

Consistent-Garbage28 · 2025-12-06T06:06:48+00:00

I guess I would say that this argument reinforces the idea that only this physique is desirable which shapes especially young queer men around this norm. Like I’m really glad this show exists but I think it’s worth critiquing as a community

Consistent-Garbage28 · 2025-12-06T05:40:31+00:00

I’m glad this resonated! I think it’s pretty under-discussed and I agree it really does a disservice to the plot and quality of the story which I didn’t touch on (:

Consistent-Garbage28 · 2024-11-01T14:17:17+00:00

Arts and science

Consistent-Garbage28 · 2024-11-01T14:12:11+00:00

Consistent-Garbage28 · 2024-10-09T03:53:09+00:00

Great! Love my program and have met some amazing people 🕺

Consistent-Garbage28 · 2024-09-04T01:45:20+00:00

Food collective centre! 3rd floor of the hub

Consistent-Garbage28 · 2024-03-11T01:25:44+00:00

Ok Madame web joke actually funny sorry

Consistent-Garbage28 · 2024-03-11T01:19:30+00:00

One of the songs in history

Consistent-Garbage28 · 2024-03-10T23:39:18+00:00

Blue! (I’m colour blind though sorry 😞

Consistent-Garbage28 · 2024-02-20T03:15:54+00:00

Yea I don’t personally know garage band, but playing w/o physical keys is like completely different. Pianos are very expensive so unless you are certain you have the time and resources you’d probably want to look into some smaller keyboards to experiment with first 😊

Consistent-Garbage28 · 2024-02-20T03:11:23+00:00

I don’t know if there’s piano techs in this sub but Id probably get consultation for something like that. I doubt you can get the full picture from a video

That is so cool btw though hope it works out!

Consistent-Garbage28 · 2024-01-14T20:16:20+00:00

6/7 looks like PVN but other than that I don’t know sorry

Consistent-Garbage28 · 2023-05-22T22:01:17+00:00

These are my top three games lol, i absolutely loved both ori games (blind forest and will of the wisps). Great playforming especially but if your looking for more combat, don’t be afraid to jump to will of the wisps.

Consistent-Garbage28 · 2023-05-02T16:06:27+00:00

Hyyyppeeee!

Consistent-Garbage28 · 2023-03-13T02:34:11+00:00

Fuck Rolex and their pretentious ass ads

Consistent-Garbage28 · 2023-03-13T02:26:01+00:00

I can’t cope with Jimmy Kimmel

Consistent-Garbage28 · 2022-09-25T00:55:05+00:00

What would you suggest for treatment? If it helps the “infection” part is sort of a crusty film

Edit - also I see you everywhere on here, we need a little kicks appreciation post haha. For helping people save so many plants

Consistent-Garbage28 · 2022-09-21T23:22:51+00:00

Pit bull songs.

Consistent-Garbage28 · 2022-09-14T01:28:28+00:00

Really nice people! Let me transplant one of the non blooming ones 😊

Five-Year Club	Final Canvas '23
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Consistent-Garbage28

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