Would Michelangelo’s David pass a looksmaxxing audit?
In today’s looksmaxxing culture, young men pursue a supposedly ‘ancient’ ideal that’s actually modern and pharmacologically constructed.
The Greek sculptor Polyclitus’ 5th century BCE statue of the Doryphoros, or Spear-Bearer, is an example of the ideals of physical beauty that were admired by the Greeks and Romans. This figure is muscular but not enormous, with broad shoulders, a narrow waist, and carefully proportioned body. It balances strength and restraint, tension and relaxation, and is considered a timeless representation of ideal male beauty.
Michelangelo’s David, carved in the same tradition, features a lean and long-limbed physique that resembles an athletic young man. This is in stark contrast to the modern-day Mr Olympia physique, which emphasizes sheer size and mass. Eugen Sandow, the father of modern bodybuilding, would likely disapprove of today's bodybuilding standards.
He believed in developing the body in the Greek gymnasium tradition, emphasizing general development, symmetry, and proportion rather than focusing solely on size. Despite his disapproval, the modern physique has evolved to incorporate synthetic testosterone, anabolic steroids, and other performance-enhancing substances, leading to mass monsters that are unattainable for unassisted humans.
Sandow's legacy lives on through the Mr Olympia trophy, a statuette of the sculptor himself, which may not align with his original ideals.
Written by urgent.news from The Conversation AU's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
