It’s Hip to Be Round

[question everything]

The New York Times

August 13, 2009

It’s Hip to Be Round
By GUY TREBAY

THIS summer the unvarying male uniform in the precincts of Brooklyn cool has been a pair of shorts cut at knickers length, a V-neck Hanes T-shirt, a pair of generic slip-on sneakers and a straw fedora. Add a leather cuff bracelet if the coolster is gay. In truth this get-up was pretty much the unvarying male uniform last summer also, but this year an unexpected element has been added to the look, and that is a burgeoning potbelly one might term the Ralph Kramden.

Too pronounced to be blamed on the slouchy cut of a T-shirt, too modest in size to be termed a proper beer gut, developed too young to come under the heading of a paunch, the Ralph Kramden is everywhere to be seen lately, or at least it is in the vicinity of the Brooklyn Flea in Fort Greene, the McCarren Park Greenmarket and pretty much any place one is apt to encounter fans of Grizzly Bear. What the trucker cap and wallet chain were to hipsters of a moment ago, the Kramden is to what my colleague Mike Albo refers to as the “coolios” of now. Leading with a belly is a male privilege of long standing, of course, a symbol of prosperity in most cultures and of freedom from anxieties about body image that have plagued women since Eve.

Until recently, men were under no particular obligation to exhibit bulging deltoids and shredded abdominals; that all changed, said David Zinczenko, the editor of Men’s Health, when women moved into the work force in numbers. “The only ripples Ralph Kramden” and successors like Mike Brady of “The Brady Bunch” had to demonstrate were in their billfolds, said Mr. Zinczenko, himself a dogged crusader in the battle of the muffin top. “But that traditional male role has changed.”

(snip)

This makes sense, in a way, but how does one account for the new prevalence of Ralph Kramdens? Have men given in or given up? Are they finished with asserting the privileges that have always accrued to men. Or is the Ralph Kramden Barack Obama’s fault? Hipsters, by nature contrarian, according to Dan Peres, the editor of Details, may be reacting in opposition to a president who is not only, as the press relentlessly reminds us, So Darn Smart, but also hits the gym every morning, has a conspicuously flat belly and, when not rescuing the economy or sparring with Kim Jong-il, shoots hoops.

(snip)

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/13/fashion/13POTBELLY.html

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

1. Guess I'm just not hip. nt

[nadinbrzezinski]

2. trying hard NOT to be hip

but that is worrisome actually

[csziggy]

3. They all look pregnant!

[flvegan]

4. I don't know. I still seem to get more attention

than the "guy with the gut" standing next to me. But, whatever works for them.

[Mind_your_head]

5. I'm probably really 'bad' to post this one, but........

it's too funny, imho

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fqz1ojIQTBk&NR=1

(and, YES, for all of the fatties out there ~ who's phat? You're phat! Woo!)

[Missy Vixen]

6. FOR MEN

If women are seen in public with even ten extra pounds, they're shunned.

:mad:

[Strong Atheist]

7. Oh, it happens to men too. I have been there, though now I have lost

weight...

[lurky]

9. I gained a lot of weight a few years ago.

From quitting smoking and a bunch of other things. Since then I've lost most of it, and have gotten into pretty good shape from going to the gym. In the process of gaining and losing all that weight, I discovered that the world is a harsh place for a fat guy. I pretty much became invisible to women. And in general, people just treat you with a lot less respect. It was eye opening.

[Berry Cool]

10. Oh, don't worry. You need do only one thing to remedy that.

Become rich. :-)

I'm serious. I know, getting rich isn't easy, but do that and the women won't care how much you weigh. OTOH, you can be the richest woman on earth and if you're carrying extra baggage, you won't get a second look, except from scraggly guys with missing teeth.

[pipi_k]

13. I'm sure not all people are that shallow...

I've had my share of relationships over the years and I've been with skinny guys, medium guys, and some with a bit of extra weight.

OK, maybe I am a bit shallow...guys with lots of back/chest hair do not appeal to me at all.

But for the rest of it, who cares...It doesn't bother me if a guy has a bit of extra weight on him. I'm into stuff like intelligence...sense of humor...common interests.

I focus on his eyes, smile, general mannerisms and personality.

some "large size" guys are way more attractive to me than the thinner guys who think they can get away with shit just based on their looks.


Please don't despair...there are women out there who don't care about some extra poundage.

:)

[lurky]

19. Thanks! That's nice to hear.

Gaining then losing a lot of weight really gave me a negative attitude about how superficial so many people are. It's nice to hear from someone who looks a little deeper.

:hi:

[lurky]

8. The author's trying to invent a "trend".

And it just ain't happening. In fact, most of the stuff he says rings false. Whenever the Times writes about anything youth or "underground", I just feel kind of embarrassed and uncomfortable.

[TexasObserver]

11. Maybe at Golden Corral

[zinziber officinale]

12. Ralph Kramden? How anachronistic is that???!! I think The Homer

is a better description of that pear-shaped physique. And why are they omitting women from the equation? I have seen plenty of muffin tops this summer. It's unhealthy to carry weight in that region, man or woman. It seems related to insulin resistance issues, from what I understand.

The thing I don't get is when people (women, in particular, because they wear a variety of tops) accentuate it. Like, I want to lose some poundage around my middle, but I have found that when I wear those peasant or other tops which drape over rather than cling to my body, it looks very nice and covers body flaws. But tissue tees and muffin tops don't mix!

[Edweird]

14. Meh. Whatever works for them.

I could stand to work a few lbs of jiggle I've got going on over my belt, but I'm 6' 225 with a 36" waist and a 48" chest. I'm ok with that. I've never had a '6 pack' - at least not for very long. My job requires me to be as strong as possible so I consume lots of red meat. I can live with that trade off.

But a prominent gut like that? Hah. Never.

[question everything]

15. Must have hit a nerve on DU

since within a few seconds it earned a "U"

[Edweird]

18. Eh, I'm willing to bet it's just a freeper troll 'un-r'ing everything.

I've seen the most worthy of threads u'd right off the bat, with no other possible explanation.

[tj2001]

16. Well, if you can't see a pubic option, you're overweight

simple rule of thumb

[Retired AF Dem]

17. I'm one of the lucky ones

I have a few extra pounds and I dont give a shit what other people think. The only person that has to look out for me is me.