Why Skinny Guys Don’t Get Any Respect

I’ve always found it strange when I had different body types…

The reaction I’d get from the public would be radically different.

When I was bulking, there was a baseline amount of respect I’d get.

I’d be filling up my shirts and others would look at me and comment:

‘Working out hard I see.’

I’d proudly nod my head.

What they didn’t know was that during my bulk cycles, I would have a big belly.

If I took off my shirt, I didn’t look appealing.

I looked like a dough boy.

When I was cutting, things changed.

I looked aesthetically pleasing with my shirt off.

Despite looking aesthetically pleasing with my shirt off, I didn’t get the same respect with my shirt on.

I’d constantly hear:

‘Looking small, Armani.’

Guilty Till Proven Innocent?

When you’re bulking, you get the innocent till proven guilty treatment.

When you’re cutting, you get the guilty till proven innocent treatment.

There was one time I was getting mad respect for my bulky physique.

One day, I was playing basketball in hot weather.

It was so hot that I took my shirt off.

When I took my shirt off, the other players said:

‘Wait a minute…Armani’s not jacked, he’s fat!!’

I was embarrassed.

They initially viewed me as strong and bulked up.

Innocent.

Now they viewed me as a Teletubby.

Guilty.

On the other hand, there were times when I was getting ridiculed left and right for my cut-up physique.

I didn’t fill up my shirts like I once did.

Guilty.

Until there was a day we all went to the beach, and I took my shirt off.

Suddenly, I was the star of the show.

‘Wow, Armani has a 6 pack! Asif, why can’t you work on getting a 6 pack like Armani?’

Innocent.

How the public treats you based on your body type is so different.

I’ve experienced this firsthand.

Skinny Shaming

Fat shaming is a well-known concept.

It’s hit the mainstream at this point.

What people don’t know is that skinny people get shamed a ton too.

They constantly hear questions and comments like:

• Don’t you eat?
• What happened to you?
• You look like a stick!

Everything will be going well in the interaction, and suddenly, the other person begins shredding you to pieces.

Depending on our location, you can get it 10x worse.

In the Desi culture, skinny people are mocked and ridiculed.

They are seen as malnourished.

Skinny people also don’t get much respect because they don’t look strong.

They don’t look like they could hold their own if there was a fight.

Heck, they don’t look like they could hold their own if they were asked to move some boxes.

A lot of times, these preconceived notions are ridiculous.

A slim ripped person is way stronger than they look.

They have more control over all their muscles while a lot of bulky guys just look big but are not strong.

It doesn’t matter though.

Humans are perception-based creatures.

They process tons of data with their eyes.

They don’t care about what is, they care about what it looks like.

Unless you’re filling up that shirt, they will always judge you.

Experimentation

Throughout the past couple of years, I’ve been experimenting with body types.

Here’s what I noticed…

There are times I love to bulk.

I want to feel like the biggest person in the room.

It feels amazing to fill up any shirt that I wear.

The great feeling wears off when I see my face looking fatter.

I run a YouTube channel where I mainly do talking head videos.

So, when my face looks chubby, I feel it ruins my appearance.

This is when I run back to cutting.

When I begin a cut cycle, it feels like a breath of fresh air.

The face slowly goes back to being more chiseled.

The only problem is that I don’t feel like the biggest person in the room anymore.

And I get more slick comments too:

‘Looking small bro!

Both cycles come with their ups & downs.

My Strategy Nowadays

My strategy nowadays is:

• Bulk up a lot.
• Then do a slow cut.

Avoid doing anything in a radical way.

The radical approach may work if you are a full-time fitness creator.

Where your livelihood depends on your physique.

But if you’re just a regular guy who works out, then view your fitness as a marathon rather than a sprint.

Calculate your daily maintenance calories on a nutrition calculator.

A guy like me who is in his 30s, 6 foot, and roughly 190 pounds, burns 2500 calories by default.

Even if I don’t do much activity those days, I will still burn 2500 calories.

If I want to bulk, I will add a few hundred calories to the maintenance.

Go up to 2700-2800 ish.

If I want to cut, then I will subtract a few hundred calories.

End the day with 2300 ish calories.

Avoid suddenly adding 1000 calories if you’re trying to bulk.

Or stripping away 1000 calories if you’re trying to lose weight.

That’s what I mean by radical.

I recommend you bulk for a long time.

Get big and strong looking.

Once you are satisfied, do a slow cut.

This will allow you to trim your face without looking tiny in the process.

Finding your Look

It’s a headache to look good.

I’ve been realizing this more as I’ve been growing up.

That’s why a lot of these stars have:

• A hairstylist
• A nutritionist.
• Gym trainer etc.

Don’t judge yourself if you miscalculated.

It happens to the best of us.

Humans process tons of data with their eyes.

Their stinging criticism will help you get better at your craft.

Since we see ourselves all the time, it’s hard to tell when we miscalculated.

We think we are cutting well, to only notice later that we are looking emaciated.

Absorb their feedback.

Skinny guys don’t get respect.

So, avoid letting yourself get too small.

For more insights into mindset and perception, check out the ArmaniTalks Free Daily Newsletter

– ArmaniTalks