Real Bodies

Is this the new craze of the summer? Salon has a piece about the Nike campaign, which features luscious, plump, well-muscled butts, thighs, legs, and hips. This after the infamous Dove campaign. The thing that strikes me is that in both campaigns, the bodies are young. Yes, they may be larger than what society mandates, but they are firm and plump and obviously youthful. There are very few middle-aged bodies around, be they slim or plump. You don't see the sinewy legs and salt cellar necks of the middle-aged and over-aerobicized, or the wobbly stomach and saggy knees of the middle-aged and under-excercised. Most of us get either scrawny or flabby, or if we're really unlucky, both. And there is definitely truth in the dictum 'After forty, it's your face or your ass'.

Of course, it's good to take care of your body, and strive for healthiness, but let's face it; very few bodies are textbook sexy, especially past 40. At least the Nike campaign (on the surface) preaches body acceptance, but to a pretty limited audience. It would just be a refreshing change to see an ad campaign that was truly inclusive, of age as well as size.

This cracked me up. I especially like the way Tom is hiking up his skirt in the first picture. It's lucky he found a spiritual home to set him on the right path.

The results are in, and it's official. Men are smarter than women. Actually, maybe they're just better at taking IQ tests (designed by?...) My private, politically incorrect theory which seems to work pretty well in real life, is that dumb men are dumber than dumb women, and smart men are smarter than smart women. I think my theory holds water because men have societal reinforcement to have the courage of their convictions; so their dumb or smart ideas are not mitigated by the fear of appearing agressive. Discuss.