2024-06-13
23 分钟As Love Island returns, Chanté Joseph speaks to former contestant Nas Majeed and Guardian writer Simon Usborne, about the increasing pressure to achieve the perfect male body
This is the Guardian.
Summer is here and it's way too cold, as you can tell, because I have a cold.
And that means Love island is back.
I got text.
It's also the return of a certain buff physique that's plastered all over our screens and social media.
And I'm not talking about female contestants.
Men with muscly, perfect, hairless torsos.
They've all got those square jawlines, flawless skin.
I can't help but feel like it must take a lot of work to appear this way.
And it made me think about the pressure young men might be under.
Is that why a trend called looks Maxing is all over social media at the moment?
This is what all models do to look so much better than the average person.
That's trending all over TikTok right now and it's called Looks Maxing.
You're listening to Pop culture with me, Shantae Joseph for the Guardian.
So I'm thinking about male body image this week.
How have male beauty standards changed and what role has reality TV and social media played in creating these standards?
Later, I'm going to be talking to Guardian journalist Simon Osborne about look Smacking, what it is and who it's aimed at.
First, I wanted to chat to someone who knows what it is to have their appearance scrutinized on national TV and across social media.
I'm Naz.
I'm 23 years old, I'm from London.