I made two observations during the recent Mardi Gras parade on the first weekend of March. Firstly, I was reminded of the wonderful diversity that exists within the gay community. Despite the prominence of certain stereotypes, there is truly great diversity amongst us - from preppy guys to S&M lovers, from gym bunnies to extra-large sizes, from mormons to raelian believers (yes, really!).

Secondly, the first observation notwithstanding, beauty is everything! EVERYTHING! It doesn’t matter how old you are or where your social status lies, if you are beautiful, you are everything in the gay world! You are the focus of attention, the belle of the ball - beauty gets you just about everything you could possibly want in the gay world, even love, or a shot at it at least…!

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I signed up to the uni gym earlier this year. It was one of my new year resolutions. The intention was not to build strength or muscles but to build a beautiful body. I decided after years of resistance that I was going to succumb to the gay stereotype - I would probably  be grateful for it when I am old and single (a beautiful body compensates for quite a lot in the gay world!). After all, I have everything else (intelligence, skills, talent, personality, charm etc.), why not throw in the kitchen sink as well?? The secondary goal was to increase my stamina, i.e. my overall fitness levels - for that I am spending some time on cardio-machines.

I paid for a consultation with a trainer and he designed a programme to meet my needs. It takes me anywhere between 90 minutes to two hours to complete, depending on how busy the gym is. I’ve been going dedicatedly three times a week for five weeks now. To speed things up, I’m taking protein supplements. I have two protein shakes on the days I go to the gym, and one on the other days of the week.

After five weeks, the results are starting to show - my body’s moving from lean to toned. Soon it will be considered “defined” if it’s not already - I think I am a third of the way to a cup “A”…! However, I am becoming thoroughly sick of drinking the protein shakes but it’s part of a regime and I’m determined to meet my goal. I try varying them with fresh fruits and juices but they are becoming a chore…

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Given the wave of gay men who signed up to the gym since the late 90s, there are a lot of scuplted bodies plying the streets these days, certainly in Sydney. With so many guys possessing the body beautiful, it’s become almost commoditised. We’re about at the point, if we’re not there already, where you’re expected to have a beautiful body if you want to “play”. Certainly many of us expect that to be the minimum “entry” requirement, and take it for granted. If that’s the case, what do we look for now to differentiate potential lovers? Personality and looks (facial and the other intangibles)!

Posted on March 23rd, 2006 by jl
Filed under: Life's gay!