There's a classic example, given in philosophy, of the difference between what is perceived and what is true. It's a fairly easy to understand thought experiment, so feel free to follow along at home:
If I was to take a completely straight stick in my hand and look at it, then my sense of sight would inform me of the even nature of the stick's geometry. But once half submerged in water, the refraction of the light creates the appearance of a bent stick.
All this example is highlighting is that our senses can be fooled, and because of this, we should weary of placing all our faith in our perceptions.
There's an obsession of the body in wrestling. It's only natural, considering that the matches are a form of physical expression, but there's this almost unnatural obsession of the ideal body in wrestling. I'm not the first to point this out, but the bodybuilder physique is often considered the ideal aesthetic, and has been for some years. I understand why - the development of the muscles to a comic book proportion is an achievement, and, if nothing else, fascinating - but there's no variation in qualification of what is a good body for wrestling. Bigger is always better.
This isn't a disaffirmation of the bodybuilder as a wrestler, nor as an athlete. Big muscles are an accessory, like a fancy robe to walk to the ring in, or a mask - they're interesting to look at. But if you want to see the best bodies for wrestling, google some images of Cael Sanderson, Aleksandr Karelin, or Marcelo Garcia. All of these men compete in different weight classes, in different sports - freestyle wrestling, greco-roman wrestling, and submission grappling, respectively - yet none conform to the ideal body aesthetic.
The idea that bigger is better is preserved by society, and does not actually originate from the wrestling community. Take the masculine symbols of cinema: violence, phallic imagery, and muscles. The more violence, the bigger the guns, the bigger the muscles, the better. Which is why I'm not here to condemn or even ponder the continuing worship of muscle-bound wrestlers. I actually want to talk about the other form of physique driven obsession - self-obsession.
I think that if you took a cross section of wrestlers, and ran them through some psychiatric tests, then you'd discover alot of them would be suffering from body dysmorphia. Yes, there is a steroid problem in wrestling, but there are also anorexics, and bulemics, and people who simply believe there is a defect in their image and don't know what to do. They all just want to build muscle and loose the fat.
I've sat in changing rooms and seen people spend their entire night flexing in the mirror, doing some exercise, and then returning to the mirror for more flexing. People like this are the ones who become obsessed with getting bigger, put all manner of things I can't spell into their body, and will fervently deny chemical based accusations; others who "just can't get in shape", will go for a day or two, at a time, without a meal; there are people who throw up immediately after eating, because they want abs; and I know someone who came close to killing themselves with diuretics.
Wrestlers believe in the ideal body. It's a necessity to them, not an accessory.
I'm not in the habit of naming and shaming, so I won't begin here. But, I will share with you a story of a not so sympathetic encounter with an image obsessed wrestler:
I have blogged previously that I am a former chubby lad and this story takes place at a time when I was a couple stone heavier than I am now. So, imagine a short, ginger boy, with a little more to love than the average person [massive arse].
It's yet another show, on just another weekend, arriving with a few of the usual suspects of North West English wrestling, and we "do the rounds" i.e. shaking hands and saying hi to everyone who's already there.
A short while later, I've changed into my trunks and boots. I'm awaiting the start of the show, when a wrestler, who've I yet to say introduce myself to, walks up, takes a quick glace at me, and announces "Jesus, you need a tan!" And when I say announces, I mean he deliberately says it loud enough to catch everyone's attention - he even looks around to see if he got a good laugh out of anyone. I'll be honest, I was expecting a handshake and a "pleased to meet you". But I'm used to this type of person, so I respond, simply "why?" He looks a little taken aback, gives it some thought, and - again - announces "cause you're supposed to have one, aren't ya?"
That is the kind of reasoning that reverberates through wrestling. There is a right way and there is a wrong way for people to look. And the pressure to conform is not always implicit.
No comments:
Post a Comment