When I was a kid, there was virtually nothing. An occasional Tarzan movie, an occasional teen idol with an open shirt in a Tiger Beat centerfold. And that was it.
Seeing a man or boy on tv with his shirt off was so rare -- vanishingly rare -- that every instance is indelibly imprinted in my brain, as unforgettable as my first airplane trip or my first date with a guy.
Greg strips down to go surfing on The Brady Bunch .
Stephen Parr shows off his washboard abs on Mystery Island.
Steve Elliot shaves while wearing only pajama bottoms on Petticoat Junction.
Shirtless.
Hard delts, thick biceps, beautiful interplay of muscles as he rises and falls, rises and falls. His face becomes red. He is smiling.
The narrator tells us that with every pushup, he's "a little bit stronger, a little bit healthier, a little bit happier than before."
Amazing.
By the way, pushups are still widely recognized as a good way to maintain core strength. The recommended number in a minute differs by age and sex. 50-60 year olds are supposed to be able to do at least 25. I can do 50, which makes me "excellent" for my age group but only "above average" for a 20-year old.
That psa with the young guy doing push-ups is on youtube. He is a hottie!
ReplyDeleteThere was a Wonder Bread commercial showing a shirtless boy on the beach growing to a hunky teenage surfer. "The Wonder years… where a child grows to 90% of his adult height."
ReplyDeleteYou can see the PSA you mentioned on you tube and there is another great PSA about about high school fitness from 1962
ReplyDeleteI couldn't find it when I searched on "push-ups," "PSA," and "1960s"
DeleteIs this it? https://youtu.be/mNxWP6CY9-8
DeleteI think that's it! Thanks for the link. I remember Eddie being more muscular, and the "a little bit healthier, little bit happier," etc. refrain during the push-up. But my memory is probably faulty.
DeleteI think they picked Eddie because he has friendly face-if they wanted to encourage boys to work out I think he was less intimidating than some muscle jock- he was like your best bud who you wanted to get closer too- well at least some boys did ; )
DeleteI can see why that PSA with Eddie caught your attention- the director really shows off his body and at the end the narrator makes it sounds as if push ups are as sexual act
ReplyDeleteI remember as a boy thinking push-ups were part of the sex act. I mean, the positioning is similar.
DeleteI will maintain the best thing (maybe only good thing) about PE class in the summer was the frequent shirts and skins games we got to play. After the annoying, seemingly endless laps of the basketball court we were made to run, it felt like a just reward to see your classmates shirtless, muscles on display and dripping with sweat. I personally wasn't too keen on taking my own shirt off in front of the girls, being skinny and pretty bad at sports. But, small price to pay for potentially getting to watch my crush strip his shirt off right in front of me. Like, WOW
ReplyDeleteIn the 90s, I remember the Bowflex guy. It was also really awesome if you could find a show that balanced the fanservice; that way, even if a friend was over, you could say it was about the boobies when you were really looking at the muscles.
ReplyDeleteThose Bowflex adds were very erotic
Delete