A small fold of skin spills over his swimsuit. Tufts of fluffy hair frame a soft navel. And those big, beefy arms ask for a hug.
Forget six-packs: if a man doesn’t have at least one Michelin, I’m not interested. And countless women feel the same way. Trust me.
America went crazy this week with a juicy series of topless beach photos; The hirsute and very handsome Chiefs tight end, Travis Kelce, on vacation in the Bahamas with his singer girlfriend Taylor Swift.
The power couple seemed happy and comfortable in each other’s company. Travis was even so forward that he put his hand on Taylor’s butt, a PDA I greatly respected.
LOVE HANDLES: Kelce was mocked for his dad bod while vacationing in the Bahamas with Swift, but the truth is, us women love it.
Needless to say, I thoroughly enjoyed watching the various shots, as I imagine many women did.
I also found the images quite refreshing. Too often, celebrity beach photos are a stream of stick-thin bodies or ultra-defined abs, which can only be achieved through Los Angeles surgeons or starvation.
But here was a couple in fantastic shape who looked… well, healthy.
However, according to a lot of social media, Travis’ physique was nothing to marvel at.
Apparently, this back-to-back Superbowl champion has a ‘dad bod’: a slightly chubby frame that you might expect from a middle-aged man with a neglected workout routine and a beer habit.
The inference: he has let himself go. (Remember that Superbowl LVIII was last month).
Surprisingly, Travis, 34, felt compelled to defend himself against such ridiculous insults and took to his podcast to tell fans that he’s just carrying a little more weight because he’s on spring break and enjoying a well-deserved period away from work. season.
How ridiculous. Famous women have been criticized for their perfectly healthy bodies since the beginning of time. And now we’re applying the same toxic standards to men.
CHAMPIONSHIP WEIGHT: Having just won back-to-back Superbowls, he has the right to enjoy a well-deserved offseason.
First of all, as a science and health journalist, I can categorically tell you that Travis’s loss of abs tells us absolutely nothing about his actual health.
As we know from his performance on the field, Travis is built like a house. The fact that we can’t see every vein and muscle tendon is due to a slightly higher body fat level than a Dior runway model. That is not bad.
Studies have shown that men with less than 13 percent body fat (considered “athletic”) are at risk of having critically low levels of testosterone, which can wreak havoc on everything from mental health to the immune system.
Interestingly, other research even suggests that too much abdominal muscle mass increases the risk of heart disease.
Scientific conjecture aside, it goes without saying that Kelce, a man with over a decade of elite sport under his belt, couldn’t be further from “unhealthy” if he tried.
Sorry to break it to your weightlifting-obsessed gym buddies, but a lifetime of regular physical activity is a better predictor of a long, disease-free life than the amount of visible muscle on a body. Studies have long shown this.
As a science and health journalist, I can categorically tell you that Travis’ missing abs tell us absolutely nothing about his actual health.
For at least six months of the year, Kelce and the Chiefs are fed a meticulous, calorie-controlled diet consisting of plenty of fresh fruit, vegetables and lean meats, prepared by team chef Kumar Ferguson.
But more to the point, Kelce’s physique is pretty impressive even as it is now, in the ‘offseason.’
What man wouldn’t kill for his killer pecs, beefy thighs, and broad shoulders?
If this muscular, manly (and frankly incredibly attractive) build is considered “overweight” and lazy, what chance are there for the rest of us?
And, more importantly, what message does that send to a young generation of children with growing anxiety about their appearance and what constitutes “normal”?
Serious eating disorders are on the rise among young men. Some of the top US diet clinics have reported more than 100 percent increases in male consultations since 2022.
Particularly common is a type of exercise obsession known as “bigorexia.” Children become obsessed with gaining volume and “cutting” more. They spend hours a day at the gym and tracking their diet and ‘macros’, all at the expense of their mental health.
A slimmed-down Kelce is not so manly… nor so handsome!
Social media and the proliferation of “perfect” bodies are, of course, part of the problem. But so is a culture that dismisses one of the world’s greatest athletes as a bit chubby.
As it is, there is much more to life than our appearance.
All my friends would agree that a man with a perfectly groomed and sculpted torso signals a big red flag: he spends too much time at the gym (and looking in the mirror!).
Where would a girlfriend fit into that schedule? Will we be able to enjoy the best parts of dating: the lazy weekends with tubs of ice cream and big plates of spaghetti?
The truth is that women don’t care if you have a little belly. If anything, it takes the pressure off of having to look like a Victoria’s Secret model every night.
In the immortal words of Cindy Lauper, we just want to have fun. And Travis’ handsome figure tells me he does too.