Who would have thought that the masculine ideal could change so dramatically over the course of the last ten years?
I remember when the professional athlete, that uberman of yore, was the epitome of masculine might. Muscles glistening under sweat and tattoos, the professional athlete was never so much a role model but a bogey man, mounted on your wall in a full-sized poster against which you could see just how insignificantly puny you were. I'll never forget the feelings of paralyzing insecurity and existential worthlessness whenever I stood with my back to the
Grant Hill poster in my bedroom. The athletes of my youth were brutish, hulking men with wildly-moustachioed upper lips and the occasional mullet (Wade Boggs comes to mind). There were athletes who were so hideously ugly as to be less photogenic than their computed-generated monster opponents in
Space Jam.
Alex Rodriguez,
Kobe Bryant,
David Beckham,
Roger Federer. These guys are more celebrities than anything else, more likely to appear on the front cover of a grocery store tabloid than a Wheaties box or a kid's bedroom wall. Who will step up to fill this vacuum of masculinity preying on the developing minds and libidos of America's children?
That's right, these guys:
Celebrity chefs like
Anthony Bourdain and
Gordon Ramsay are the world's new badasses, cussing and cooking as they rise to unbelievably high status in the entertainment world.
They've worked hard to teach us dudes that being able to cook up a perfect souffle is compatible with being able to cook up a perfect asswhooping. Their cool, unlike the styles of David Beckham or A-Rod, comes from equal parts confidence and straight-up not-giving-a-shit: it's effortless.
See for yourself: tune in to Anthony Bourdain on the Travel Channel's
No Reservations and Gordon Ramsay on BBC America's
Kitchen Nightmares and
F Word or Fox's
Hell's Kitchen. Not only will watching these two guys make you crave gourmet food, it will fill you with that kind of deep envy that only comes from one dude watching a cooler dude doing something badass.
What do you think? Who else would you propose are the new badboy role models of today's youth?
Comments (18)
o_o
HE HAS A BETTER BOD THAN MOST GUYS THESE DAYS
uh... Gordon Ramsay is just a bit of a dick.
That's a big bone...
Anthony Bourdain's the man. But I feel kinda violated seeing him stroke his meat.
Violated or turned on...I can't decide.
Wait, he's old. Violated.
I HATE Anthony Bourdain. I'll stick with sports figures like Ryan Howard and Matt Diaz, (it's baseball season, sorry, it's on the brain) not the ones that want to be models like Tom Brady.
do you really think that those dudes are the new ''badboy role models of today's youth''? professional athletes will always be role models to young kids because being a pro athlete is almost every kids dream. i don't know too many kids who say ''i wanna grow up to be an asshole chef on tv!!"
yeah... not seeing it.
I'd have to say I'm not seeing it either... hah
There are two main types of bad boys that I believe young people are
looking up to these days.
1. The Jock - this includes sports such as football, baseball, soccer, and especially cage fighters.
2. The Gangster - this would be rappers and drug dealers. (It's usually a two for one deal)
(I understand gangster and jock are cheesy but hopefully everyone gets my drift ha)
Not sure, but I think other people would agree with me.
I am a traditionalist... Glistening muscles are what I am all about!!!!!
i never thought of the chef dudes as masculinity's new epitome. and i'm pretty sure kids are still hanging up sports posters.
Ah, guys don't really strive to be like either of those two men.
I live Gordon so much...he is awesome!!!
I wouldn't consider either of those guys badasses. There's definitely a change occurring that I've noticed, and that's that there are a lot less bulging Bowflex-muscle guys being idolized and drooled over.
Athletes, actors, and musicians will always be the role models for this country because those are things that catch a lot of glory and media attention.
@immaairheadxl@xanga - you know thats not actually his penis right? if so that's one hellova botched circumcision. ahahha j/k -
But no really, Im mad ole boy is holding his meat like that. you're a chef... RESPECT the meat.
bourdain is f*ing annoying. He thinks he's soooo harfcore like he's the baddest mofo on the block. his misguided narcissism is proven yet again by the disgusting nude pic. noone wants to see that you're old.
No one will ever supplant the Michael Jordans and Joe Montanas and David Beckhams of the world as male role models. End of story.
Who will step up to fill this vacuum of masculinity preying on the developing minds and libidos of America's children?
That makes me want to laugh and laugh and dry my tears with the panties of dead hookers.
Interesting how the men most guys deem as "masculine" are usually kind of fug and/or gnarly looking while the "sissy-boys" are actually attractive. Very interesting.