Of Muscles and Men

More Asian men are hitting the gym, and they’re often chasing a chiselled look popularised by influencers and the increasingly diverse superheroes of the Marvel universe. Getting fit is a good thing, but when can it turn toxic? We spoke with guys about body image and the mental-physical health connection

- Kate Appleton

Cut, ripped, jacked or swole: where do celebrities fall on the continuum and what are you? This was the premise of a 2021 Men’s Health story outlining what each adjective requires (in terms of chest, abs, arms and lower body definition) and an ascending scale of mass: from Fight Club-era Brad Pitt to ripped footballer Cristiano Ronaldo to Hugh Jackman’s jacked Wolverine to The Rock.

It’s the kind of scrutiny that women have faced since forever and that men are increasingly up against when it comes to their own bodies and the pressure to conform to hard-to-attain standards. At the same time, the story is suggestive of a genuine desire among many men to understand how they can look and feel better well beyond their 30s.

While social media and pop culture have played their parts to get us here, so has the explosive growth of the wellness industry—a roughly US$4 trillion juggernaut that includes yoga retreats, athleisure and supplements—and greater awareness of the value of exercise and nutrition.

For William Han, the wake-up call came around Chinese New Year 2018. The Singapore native had recently relocated to Hong Kong with his wife and two young daughters and was working in a high-pressure environment as managing director at a bank. Han spied a little bulging in his stomach in a family photo. “I was getting a bit conscious about that, and I also noticed my energy levels were dropping; mentally I wasn’t as sharp as I wanted to feel,” says Han.