sweatmachine
01-26-2004, 11:51 PM
Heres some insight into what non BB'ers think.....I found this article, I DID NOT WRITE IT, so please no smart ass comments!
Are Action Figures Harmful?
Muscle-bound action toys mislead boys, say experts
Since the 1960s, male action figures appear to have been on a steady diet of steroids, beefing up to inhuman proportions and giving boys a skewed definition of masculinity, a psychiatrist says.
In a study published this week in the International Journal of Eating Disorders, Harvard psychiatrist Dr. Harrison Pope says male action hunks are sending boys the wrong message, much as Barbie gives girls a twisted picture of perfection.
He said his studies have shown increased emphasis on muscular males over the years, and the latest analysis continues the trend.
"We chose to study toys because we could measure them and they were good examples of the trend," Mr. Pope said. "We talked to many kids and the toys they liked most were very muscular figures."
Martin Zelin, a psychology professor at Tufts University, said studies have shown that many eating disorders have been linked to false body images. "It seems perfectly reasonable that just as women who are anorexic have been influenced by images of thin models, boys could be influenced by muscular men."
Men have to realize that they shouldn't feel pressured to conform to standards set in the media, Mr. Pope said.
Researchers measured the circumference of GI Joe's waist, chest and biceps at different stages of development over the years.
The original GI Joe from the 1960s, scaled to human dimensions, had a biceps circumference that equated to about 30 centimeters, similar to an ordinary man. But a GI Joe Extreme from 1997 had a biceps circumference of more than 66 centimeters, almost the size of a small man's waist. In comparison, the biceps of home run slugger Mark McGwire measure about 50 centimeters.
"Before the 1960s, people weren't using anabolic steroids so men would life weights and stay within their natural body size," said Mr. Pope. "But now, the unnatural is possible."
Another reason to explain the trend is the emergence of women in traditionally male fields.
"Women can now fly F-16s and join what were male organizations," Mr. Pope said. "Men's bodies, particularly their muscles, are the only thing that can't be taken away from them by courts and other organizations."
I measured my own biceps at 12", which is exactly average. I then measured Duke's biceps (2.5"), assumed he'd be around 6'4'' in real life, and found that, were he human, his biceps would be a whopping 27.75". Wow.
Do you think unrealistically proportioned action figures send a bad message to children about their bodies?
Are Action Figures Harmful?
Muscle-bound action toys mislead boys, say experts
Since the 1960s, male action figures appear to have been on a steady diet of steroids, beefing up to inhuman proportions and giving boys a skewed definition of masculinity, a psychiatrist says.
In a study published this week in the International Journal of Eating Disorders, Harvard psychiatrist Dr. Harrison Pope says male action hunks are sending boys the wrong message, much as Barbie gives girls a twisted picture of perfection.
He said his studies have shown increased emphasis on muscular males over the years, and the latest analysis continues the trend.
"We chose to study toys because we could measure them and they were good examples of the trend," Mr. Pope said. "We talked to many kids and the toys they liked most were very muscular figures."
Martin Zelin, a psychology professor at Tufts University, said studies have shown that many eating disorders have been linked to false body images. "It seems perfectly reasonable that just as women who are anorexic have been influenced by images of thin models, boys could be influenced by muscular men."
Men have to realize that they shouldn't feel pressured to conform to standards set in the media, Mr. Pope said.
Researchers measured the circumference of GI Joe's waist, chest and biceps at different stages of development over the years.
The original GI Joe from the 1960s, scaled to human dimensions, had a biceps circumference that equated to about 30 centimeters, similar to an ordinary man. But a GI Joe Extreme from 1997 had a biceps circumference of more than 66 centimeters, almost the size of a small man's waist. In comparison, the biceps of home run slugger Mark McGwire measure about 50 centimeters.
"Before the 1960s, people weren't using anabolic steroids so men would life weights and stay within their natural body size," said Mr. Pope. "But now, the unnatural is possible."
Another reason to explain the trend is the emergence of women in traditionally male fields.
"Women can now fly F-16s and join what were male organizations," Mr. Pope said. "Men's bodies, particularly their muscles, are the only thing that can't be taken away from them by courts and other organizations."
I measured my own biceps at 12", which is exactly average. I then measured Duke's biceps (2.5"), assumed he'd be around 6'4'' in real life, and found that, were he human, his biceps would be a whopping 27.75". Wow.
Do you think unrealistically proportioned action figures send a bad message to children about their bodies?