Dad Bod – good thing or not?

Of all the things I've learned this week, by far the least surprising is that I have a Dad Bod.

 

This isn't surprising because a) I'm a dad and b) I occupy physical space (and therefore have a 'bod'.) But apparently Dad Bod is now a thing and it has its own Twitter hashtag and everything (#dadbod0– I just can't figure out if it's a good thing or not.

 

For those of you not yet familiar with the term, Dad Bod is now a catchall term for the sort of physique we get spending more time at the playground than the gym. The Dad Bod is slightly squishy with a rounder than average belly, but hasn’t totally gone to seed in the arms and legs, apparently due to pushing buggies and lifting toddlers.

 

A look around the internet isn't all that enlightening. There are hints and tips for getting the perfect Dad Bod (unfortunately it's not a steady diet of beer and Haribo) and backlash fitness articles about reversing the effects of your Dad Bod (spoiler alert – eat salads and go to the gym).

 

There’s also the frankly shocking revelation that Kylie Minogue thinks it's sexy – though I'm waiting to see if she starts dating your man from The King Of Queens before I believe that one.

 

Now that the weather is improving and the baby is settled into a routine, Mrs. M has announced her intention to shift her Mum Bod (her choice of words, honestly) and is starting to use ominous phrases like 'fitbit' and 'sports bra'.

 

The Spotify account suddenly has playlists with titles like 'Running Rock' and 'Power Songs' in it. Occasionally a magazine article will show up about how comedy dreamboat Chris Pratt transformed himself from chubby Parks & Recreation doofus Andy Dwyer into Marvel hunk Peter 'Star Lord' Quill. I think that means I'm going with her.

 

At 37, I'm old enough that I can be honest with myself. I'm soft around the edges, hairy in increasingly odd places and photos of the back of my head are a lot shinier than they used to be. (Sorry ladies, I'm spoken for.)  

 

I'm still trying to shift sympathy baby weight from seven years ago. The human body in all its forms its a beautiful thing and I'm glad it's possible to be attractive without looking like Thor, but I don't want misplaced affection for the Dad Bod trend to mean I can't catch my two-year-old when he decides to make a break for it from Starbucks.

 

And maybe – just maybe – my Dad Bod will be a little less Andy Dwyer, and a little more Star Lord.

 

Hey, a guy (and his wife) can dream.

John Madden is a freelance designer, writer and dad from Dublin. You can find him on Twitter as @johnmadden78.

 

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