Understanding our fascination with muscular bodies

In The muscle factory, the author Guillaume Vallet, professor of economics at the University of Grenoble Alpes, tries to understand our fascination for muscular bodies. Himself a bodybuilding enthusiast, he explains that the body has become a way of controlling one’s existence in our society filled with uncertainties and vulnerabilities. Interview.

Where does our fascination for muscular bodies come from?

There are several historical factors. Since the Second World War, we pay particular attention to the body and we have a very present relationship with health. There is also concern for our appearance, self-image and the valuation of the individual. The state is disengaging, each individual must take responsibility, and that reinforces the idea that you have to stand out to exist, you want to give meaning to your life, so you’re going to invest in your body and strengthen it. It’s a way of positioning oneself in society, of claiming a difference. The idea of ​​building personal identity goes through self-realization. More recently with social networks, the image we convey, that of a very visible muscular body, reinforces this belief that it is through this body that we will have an identity, which will encourage us to create our body. The muscle fascinates us and it is for this reason that its manufacture is sought after.

What does muscle symbolize?

Historically, muscle has always been identified with men. When modern sports appeared [deuxième partie du XIX^e siècle], capitalism will reinforce the belief that muscle is the symbol of power and performance. In the imagination, the muscle is masculine, we see it in movies, comics, cartoons. Muscle also refers to a function of productivity and resistance in a world where we need to deal with problems and vulnerabilities. Over time, it has degenerated, muscle is also sought after by women as a measure of resistance in the face of the unexpected. The muscle is also aesthetic, women will generally focus on the lower body, thighs and glutes like Kim Kardashian, while in men, the priority muscles are the biceps and pectorals. The muscle also conveys the image of self-control, of a person who takes care of herself, who is concerned about a certain requirement vis-à-vis herself, qualities which are also valued in the world of work today.

Can you explain what you call vulnerability capitalism?

These vulnerabilities are produced by the economic system. They can be linked to work, financial crises, but also to feelings of insecurity, health, the environment or gender identity. These vulnerabilities come with different fears, such as being sick or dying. It is for this reason that the healthy body associated with muscle is seen as an indicator of economic and social performance. A muscular body is synonymous with economic productivity and refers to an image of performance, of mastery over the world when we sometimes have the impression of being dispossessed and no longer having a hold on it.

Building muscle is the will to have control over oneself?

A: Yes, it is the will to master a destiny. When you build muscle, you’re going to feel it in your emotions, you’re grounded, which is very important in an uncertain and troubled society. You have a project, a schedule, feelings, visible results, it is promising for the individual.

Muscle your body, it is not perceived as a hobby, but as a job?

Yes, we are in a logic of work. We are marked by this heritage of Protestant culture with work as a source of relief from anxiety and as a source of salvation in an uncertain world. We find it in the work of the muscle of individuals because it builds us and creates a framework. This activity gives us the sensation of existing, the work will produce a certain pain which is sought after, because it is through it that we are transformed.

Do we criticize the fact of wanting to be muscular?

For a long time in France, we had this opposition between the purity of the mind and this obsession with the body put forward, as if being intellectual and being muscular were not compatible! In North America, the culture is different, it’s seen as an indicator of someone who takes care of themselves and wants to be productive. There is a real complementarity. Bodybuilding is criticized when it is practiced to the extreme, in the bodybuilding (Arnold Schwarzenegger, Mr. Universe). THE bodybuilding is less fashionable, because it appears to be too static and unsuitable. There’s this criticism of being a useless sport because you focus on form and not muscle function. We say to ourselves: but what’s the point of having the biggest biceps in the world if we don’t do anything about it? A hockey, soccer or rugby player will be told that his muscular body is superb, because the muscle is in motion, it serves to achieve better performance and endurance in the sport.

The muscle factory

William Vallet

Editions L’Echappée

265 pages