Women have historically been the primary target of weight-loss advertising, whether it be through diet plans, exercise programs, or the influence of the fashion industry. The concept of being thin has long been viewed as an acceptable and desirable goal for generations of women. Given that women have been the main consumers of this kind of information, it is not surprising that marketers have sought different approaches to appeal to men, often using scientific and statistical framing, as Huberman does.
Petrzela discusses the various ways in which American political figures have attempted to promote a healthier culture. For example, Lady Bird Johnson, while Lyndon Johnson was in the Senate, made efforts to dissociate fitness from certain negative connotations. In a 1956 article in The Baltimore Sun, she revealed the “tricks” she employed to help her husband recover from a heart attack caused by his unhealthy lifestyle. This lifestyle was typical of accomplished and busy men, with long work hours, heavy smoking, and meals consisting of coffee and cold hamburgers. After convincing her husband that monitoring calories and fat grams was not emasculating, but rather comparable to following World Series scores, he embarked on a personal battle against excess weight.
Over time, this perspective gained traction, and charismatic fitness icons such as Arnold Schwarzenegger in the 1970s and ’80s played a key role in convincing more men that exercise and body consciousness were not “unmasculine.” While going to the gym became culturally acceptable for straight men over the years, concerns about diet were still perceived as feminine. Therefore, companies had to find ways to market “healthy” products to men.
Emily Contois, an associate professor of media studies at the University of Tulsa, and the author of “Diners, Dudes & Diets: How Gender and Power Collide in Food Media and Culture,” explains that science, particularly when capitalized as “Science,” has frequently been used to masculinize ideas about health, the body, and even food. While fitness and diet products marketed to women tend to use catchy names and simple language, those marketed to men may include depictions of molecules, sometimes even nonexistent and potentially dangerous ones.
During the pandemic, the personal health industry experienced a significant boom for both men and women. Social media, isolation, and the presence of a major health threat made traditional methods of staying healthy seem inadequate. While going to the gym became impossible for a while, people turned to alternative practices such as listening to podcasts like “Huberman Lab,” getting morning sunlight, or delaying their morning coffee for 90 minutes after waking up.
However, there is a darker side to the male fitness internet. As Amanda Hess explored in 2018, there are instances where men transition from engaging in discussions about self-improvement to expressing fringe political beliefs. Additionally, extreme diet and fitness practices can have detrimental psychological effects on men, as Virginia Sole-Smith has written about.
In conclusion, the landscape of weight-loss advertising and health promotion has evolved over time, with women traditionally being the primary target and men requiring alternative marketing approaches. While science has played a role in masculinizing health concepts, there are both positive and negative aspects to these developments.
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