Discussion Topic
Analysis of Kevin Fanning's experiences with body image, benefits, and decision to purchase Spanx in "One Man Explains Why He Swears by Wearing Spanx."
Summary:
Kevin Fanning's experiences with body image reveal his struggle with self-esteem and desire for confidence. He highlights the benefits of Spanx, such as improved appearance and comfort, which led to his decision to purchase them. Fanning's choice underscores the broader societal pressures on body image and the lengths individuals go to feel better about themselves.
Why does Kevin Fanning delay buying Spanx in "One Man Explains Why He Swears by Wearing Spanx"?
According to Fanning in his article for "Racked," he first realized he was "fat" in fifth grade when he overheard other students talking about him critically. Despite this, "Spanx," or control underwear, has traditionally been the preserve of women. As such, it would not occur to most men that they could acquire control underwear for themselves. This is where the answer to your question comes in—Fanning discusses the gendered connotations shapewear has and why this prevented him from buying them at first.
Fanning notes that he often heard women talking about their control underwear, which was, for them, simply a fact of life, part of the uniform. However, even thought he coveted Spanx for himself as a means of counteracting his habit of sucking in his stomach at all times, he never heard other men talking about such things. Therefore, even though Spanx did make underwear for men, Fanning felt...
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that because men do not talk about these things, there was "shame" in wanting them.
Also, Spanx are "not cheap," which compounded Fanning's feelings of shame—because he hates spending money on himself anyway, the idea of spending money on something generally not thought of as being "for men" was even more shameful. As such, he put off buying Spanx until he was given an Amazon gift card.
What benefits does Fanning get from wearing Spanx all day in "One Man Explains Why He Swears by Wearing Spanx"?
Kevin Fanning explains the results of wearing Spanx for a man, which is a foreign seeming thing but also one that is becoming more common. Being a man approaching middle age, Fanning has some fat and ripples of which he is self-conscious. The Spanx, however, help him drastically.
As he explains, there is no magic in the clothing—it can’t make him skinny or remove his fat. However, it keeps it shaped and in place so that it allows his clothes to fit and makes him feel more proud of his appearance. At lunchtime, he describes the best benefits—his stomach doesn’t distend after eating but remains tight and controlled, keeping his clothes from getting too tight.
He describes the mental benefit as just as important as the physical one. Mentally, he feels much more proud of himself and comfortable in his body. This gives him courage and self-confidence, and he finds that he is much happier in general.
How does Fanning's body image change before and during wearing Spanx in "One Man Explains Why He Swears by Wearing Spanx"?
Fanning definitely has a negative view of his appearance before wearing Spanx—he describes himself as ‘fat,’ and he says he never really accepted the way he looks (second paragraph in the article, link below). He then goes on to talk about how Spanx is technically available for men, but it hasn’t fallen into common use among men the way it has for women—no men he knows of actually wear Spanx. When he finally buys a Spanx t-shirt, he describes himself as feeling ‘wild and wanton.’
After he actually gets the shirt and tries it on, his attitude toward his body improves significantly. The Spanx doesn’t give him the ‘ideal’ male body, but it makes enough of a difference that he describes it as feeling ‘transformed’ and gaining confidence in himself because of his appearance (toward the end of the article). The second-to-last paragraph in particular gives a good description of the positive effect his appearance has on his attitude.
References