Men also define themselves by their bodies. It starts with idolizing superheroes, and that follows us into locker rooms and onto the football field, the basketball court, the baseball diamond. If we don’t have muscles, we are seen as weak. Or maybe it’s not physical strength we lack but physical ability. We notice the attention boys get when they can skate, surf, throw, tackle. If we don’t have these abilities, we are the last one picked for teams. And we internalize a belief that our lack of physical ability makes us less than.
