#DadBod.

Over the last few weeks we’ve been noticing a trend going on. A trend that in a way is both pretty enlightening and disturbing all at once. This new craze dubbed the “Dad Bod” is taking the internet by storm and at this point it’s becoming baffling. If you don’t know what a Dad Bod is, and why the hell would you, then allow us to break things down a bit. A Dad Bod is described as being a softly proportion man with little-to-no muscle mass on their bodies. Pretty much the opposite of a bodybuilder. The phrase has been showing up more and more lately and mostly with a positive kind of connotation. But the term and ideology has to go.

All this talk of Dad Bods started when a Clemson student, Mackenzie Pearson, wrote an article for her school’s online magazine The Clemson Odyssey titled “Why Girls Love The Dad Bod.” In the article Pearson opens up about the psyche of females who believe that a man whose nonathletic in appearance is more appealing to women than men who are in top physical condition. Really? Girls prefer beer bellies over shredded abs? The claim supports that women are more attracted to a man who’s out of shape because it allows her to be comfortable. Basically it says that guys who are in shape make women feel insecure about their own bodies. Now that’s pretty inferior logic. Besides, has no one told women that guys who are out of shape can still make you feel insecure despite their physical appearance?

Ugh.

We’re not denouncing the average joes out there, but you have to wonder if articles like these do more harm than good. Should a man not get in good shape to boost their confidence? Does it mean a man who is healthy and likes to take care of themselves should eat crappy food and get out of shape in the hopes of attracting women?

Insecurities are things that must be tackled not avoided. If a person has physical insecurities its a better bet to try and take care of the problem at the root rather than avoid it. Tackling situations are what bodybuilders do. It takes a certain level of brutal honesty to try and obtain a body you’ve dreamed of. The dedication and work ethic required can shape people both physically and mentally. While Dad Bods are being praised, bodybuilders are constantly ridiculed and denounced as meatheads. Really, bodybuilders and athletic men in general are people who saw something they want and are unafraid in doing what it takes to get to their goal. It’s that kind of confidence, that kind of honesty, that women should find attractive.

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What’s your thoughts on the Dad Bod? Let us know in the comments below and be sure to follow Generation Iron on Facebook and Twitter.