Читать книгу Introducing Anthropology - Laura Pountney - Страница 126

The ethnographic record concerning body preferences in males is weak, yet preliminary research suggests a universal desire for a muscular physique and for a tall or moderately tall stature. Men tend to aspire to a muscular shape characterized by well-developed upper-body muscles and a slim waist and hips. Efforts to achieve this ideal body generally centre around exercise rather than diet. Large body size may serve as an attribute of attractiveness in men because it symbolizes health, economic success, political power and social status. ‘Big-Men’, political leaders in Highland New Guinea, are described by their constituents in terms of their size and physical wellbeing: a leader is a man ‘whose skin swells with “grease” (or fat) underneath’ (Strathern 1971). The spiritual power (mana) and noble breeding of a Polynesian chief are also expected to be reflected in his large physical size.