Heads Down, July 6, 2012
I can’t always be pithy. But I can get down and dirty. I hear a lot of talk about six-pack abs with my RWA friends and see it in a huge number of romance novels. I never gave it much thought until I watched the U.S. Olympic trials in swimming this summer through the eyes of a male romance writer trying to make it in a predominantly female business. I used to be a champion butterflyer, so I had focused on stroke, dive, and turn mechanics rather than the way muscles looked unless they were the sleek bodies of the women competitors.
But the guys, Lochte, Phelps, etc. have smooth or nearly smooth, flat abdomens.
Most swimmers do as well. Lumpy doesn’t work well with the total body stretching
to produce speed (it’s not just arms, hands, feet, and legs that make a
champion (swimmer)).
My main point here is that far too many heroes are described
as having the ‘ideal’ six-pack abs which borders or stereotyping and cliché (although
not one female reader will mind). This, in a roundabout way, does get me back
to guys’ POV. We swimmers want to be recognized with our shirts off. The Arnold
Swartzeneggers of the world could be anchors on our teams, because they’d sink
to the bottom. Some guys, do read romances, and sometimes a fresh perspective
is appreciated by female readers.
“No muscle bound man, Could take my hand, From my guy.” Mary
Wells.
Some women like less muscle, some more, some lumpy, some not.
Mary Wells sings about qualities a lot of women want.
Maybe some women prefer swimmers, besides we can hold
our breath.
1964: Mary Wells Original recording of My Guy,
1964: Mary Wells Original recording of My Guy,
