Alex Buscemi
Do women prefer “dad bods” to ripped gym bros? I suppose that depends on who you ask, but it would seem, after a recent Twitter debate, the former is the more popular answer.
Here’s what happened: Olly Murs got jacked—and the internet had thoughts.
The singer, age 40 and apparently now sponsored by protein powder and pain, showed off a very magazine-cover torso that could cut glass.
But instead of universal praise, Olly’s gym-honed glow-up sparked the ultimate gender divide.
Men online? Cheering. Women? Wondering out loud “where’s the squish?”
A viral poll showed most men preferred Post-Gym Olly™️. Meanwhile, women were overwhelmingly nostalgic for Pre-Gym Olly, aka Dad Bod Olly, aka “the one who looked like he’d split fries with you at 2am.”
Some argued that too many muscles scream “high-maintenance.” Others just wanted someone who looks like he’d go to a BBQ, not track macros at one.
Even science chimed in, saying women tend to prefer softer, more natural bodies, while men think they need to look like they’re auditioning for 300.
A 2020 study from The British Journal of Medicine found that men significantly overestimate how muscular women want them to be. In turn, women significantly overestimate how thin men want them to be.
Keep going for reactions from all sides of the discourse.
1. British singer Olly Murs, 40, showed off his recent body transformation, which sparked a debate about the differences between what women like and what men think women like
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4. A poll with nearly 5,000 votes found most women prefer the “before” pic
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6. And of course men are breaking down over the idea that women could possibly prefer the guy on the left.
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