9 July

Thanks to Adrian for the wonderful picture of Sean Connery from 1974. The reason this interests me is the development of the 'ripped' body. In Connery's day, a body like Hemsworth's was seen as slightly ridiculous, something only body builders would be interested in, and they were generally seen as a bit unhinged - posers. Now a ripped body is seen as fit and healthy. Which it actually isn't. It's a body shaped by an idea, a type of mental illness, body dysmorphia. We see it clearly in conditions like anorexia, but if a person gets ripped, it's seen as them getting fit. The fitness industry is as much about the mind as the body.