Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce defended his post-season weight gain when critics body-shamed him after seeing his vacation photos in the Bahamas with his music superstar "Lover" Taylor Swift.
Many comments online described Kelce as having a "dad bod," which describes a slim male physique that isn't toned but might have a prominent belly, a.k.a. the "beer gut."
Depending on one's taste in men, the description typically ascribed to middle-aged men can either be an insult or a compliment.
But given the context of trolls trying to take down the 34-year-old NFL star, "dad bod" was likely used to demean Kelce after photos of the pair on the beach sporting swimwear surfaced online.
Kelce brushed off the trolling in an episode from his New Heights podcast, which he co-hosts with his older brother Jason.
Jason, who had just announced his retirement from the NFL after playing center for the Philadelphia Eagles for 13 seasons, squabbled with Travis over who could drink more.
He told Jason, who said he weighs about 280 lbs, that he could no longer justify his weight as a deciding factor.
Travis, who admitted to gaining a few pounds since he and his teammates crushed the Super Bowl, took it all in stride and joked to his brother:
"We're in the same weight class now! It's March!"
"We're in the same weight class right now."
You can watch a clip from the podcast here.
Travis Kelce jokes about gaining weight during NFL offseason: ‘It’s March!’youtu.be
Social media users had plenty of thoughts on the discussion.
Women are regularly subjected to negative comments regarding body image, but it doesn't mean men, even pro athletes and celebrities, aren't immune to similar shaming tactics either.
Dr. Joseph Thomas, Medical Director of Medlounges, expounded on the subject of male body shaming issues.
In an April 2022 discussion, the body-positive enthusiast told the Economic Times:
“We always believe that body-shaming is significantly associated with women and rarely with men."
"But for years, men have also been the silent victim of body shaming in society. From professional athletes to the commoner, body shaming can happen to anyone."
"Some celebrities were brutally fat-shamed while vacationing on a beach!"
"And teenage boys are being bullied for gynecomastia commonly known as man boobs leading to significant mental health issues."
According to a 2020 body image survey run by the U.K.'s Parliament, a clear majority—61%—of adults "feel negative or very negative about their body image most of the time.
The results have likely stemmed from the fact that we've become socialized to view what we consider the "normal" body type based on the almost impossible standards seen on social media.
In response to a question asking if people thought there was a specific "body type," one participant surveyed commented:
“I don’t think there IS an ideal body image but I think in society there is an ideal body image."
"I think commenting on appearance at all in any way fuels body image problems because a) you don’t know where the person is mentally and how they’ll take your comment even if it is meant positively b) it reinforces the idea that how you look matters.”
You never know how a person, male or female, feels about their appearance.
So, the kind thing to do is to keep your judgy comments to yourself.
