Body-Builders vs. The General Public
It’s funny how the general public looks at us in terms of what kind of people they think that we are based on our appearances. I for one have had countless situations with people out in public because of being a bodybuilder, and though some experiences have been good, many of them unfortunately have been negative. The most common sterio- types based on feedback I’ve received is that all bodybuilders are on steroids, they are all dumb, they all either work as bouncers cause they enjoy beating people up or they’re strippers cause without brains they must rely on their boddies to make a living, that they all are narsasistic, and if they happen to be men then they’re on verge of roid rage and ready to snap at any moment, and that they are unathletic and slow because they are muscle bound. These prejudices can get very annoying to say the least. And being drug free, well educated, humble, and compasionate, I for one take offense to these view points. How do I know people feel this way? Hell, they’re not discrete or smart about it. People will just blurt these things right out so that you hear them, and sometimes right to your face! There was a day when I would get so mad that who ever made a rude comment like that to me would find themself getting a mud hole stomped in there ass. Over time I realized that by doing that I was just supporting their stupid view points and giving all bodybuilders a bad rap. So now I just bite my lip and ignore it or respond back with something witty to show them how dumb they sound. Still it can be testing to the most patient of us. I remember being in a bar one night and a girl approached me, came right up and said "your on steroids!" I looked at her and responded "Pardon?" Once again she said "your on steroids! I know because I’m a nurse and I know the signs." "Really?" I said. "And just what are the signs?" She said " your veins stick out and you have a square jaw." Funny, when she was in nursing school she must of missed the semester that they taught about DNA, all the men in my family have square jaws. Anyway, I said to her "oh yeh, well you have breast implants." She said "Oh my God! that was really rude! Why do you think that anyway?" I said " because your ear lobes are pointy and you have a blue purse." She responded " I’m so offended! you are such an a**hole! I cant believe anyone would say something so rude!" Now, do see the idiocy here? Another time my girlfriend and I were on our way into a restaurant and there were two well to do couples, probably in there mid 40’s, standing in the parking lot next to their brand new cadilac escalade’s chatting and the two men that were standing there were both very out of shape and their wives appeared to be in pretty good condition. Anyway , we walked passed them on our way to the front door then one of the men blurted out " so, we do a few steroids do we?" they all laughed and thought it was very funny till I reponded back "so, we eat a few krispy cremes do we?" At this point the men weren’t laughing but their wives sure were. Crazy stuff! I don’t have enough time to write all the stories about people in public that I’ve encountered, but I thought I’d just give a couple examples. If you find yourself in these situations I recommend just saying something back that will undermind them and made them realize how stupid they sound. For other bodybuilders out there I ask that you do your best to prove all these nieve people wrong. Be polite, be humble, be witty, have a sense of humor and be compassionate. We are after all our own subculture in society. We have an image to uphold. We stand out among others and will have more attention directed apon us as a result of that. Enjoy the good attention but don’t sweat the bad. Just understand that you are a much more complete human being than those who insult you. Sure, there will be a handful of us out there that do fit the common steriotype, however the bodybuilders I know are doctors, pastors, lawyers, policemen, firemen, personal trainers, dental hygienists, factory workers, business owners, ect..ect…And they are all great ambassadors for the sport of bodybuilding.
April 9, 2008 at 5:58 pm
Wonderfully written. I couldn’t agree more with the means of retaliation. Its not about being defensive or one-upping, but just a simple comment that puts things into perspective. So often people taunt with an expected response and I like to throw something back unexpected that has some intelligence backing it. Its unfortunate, none the less, but at least some of us have our heads on straight.
April 9, 2008 at 6:28 pm
well said. and clever and funny too (which just goes to show your point!), especially the bit about krispy cremes.
September 16, 2008 at 10:44 am
Bodybuilders are definitely a diverse group. Sure there are some rocks but many others are very intelligent and successful. I’ve seen interviews with Jay Cutler and I think I have taken craps that are smarter than him. On the other hand Frank Zane is very well educated and and extremely well spoken.
July 19, 2009 at 7:34 am
great post! It’s tough to accept that if you react the way that they expect you to…then in their eye you are exactly what they thought you were. If you want to change the world it’s got to start with you. Being able to think of a clever comment on the spot helps though…i would have loved to see the breast implant part in person.