Explain SMBC — the wiki for Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal

look-3

2024-07-29 View on smbc-comics.com → 1 revision
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look-3
Votey panel for look-3
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Explanation

The comic is structured as a series of exchanges exploring insecure masculinity. In the first panel, a man is shown a picture of a muscular male model and asked why he keeps looking at it. He defensively says, "If I looked at his pecs and said 'gorgeous,' it'd be gay." A woman responds, "Fact: among primates, the human male is relatively hairless, small-tusked, and much more nurturing. Dad, why do you like the gorilla exhibit so much?" The father answers: "Self-esteem" -- implying he likes gorillas because they embody a more traditionally "masculine" physique.

The comic then pivots to examining this insecurity through media: "Fact: the most-purchased male dolls/figures are absurdly proportioned. In Broadway, 11 of the top 13 highest-grossing shows prominently feature men in costume." The final panel notes, "I know game, film, and toy-song conventions are evolving, but the focus on male appearance has always been there. The focus is just the only one people complain about now."

The humor and commentary work together to point out a double standard in how society discusses appearance-based pressures. While there is significant discourse about unrealistic beauty standards for women, the comic argues that men face similar pressures -- action figures with impossible physiques, male performers expected to be physically impressive -- but that these pressures are rarely acknowledged or discussed with the same seriousness. The comedy comes from the specific examples (a dad finding self-esteem at the gorilla exhibit, the defensive reaction to finding a male model attractive) that illustrate male insecurity about body image in relatable, funny ways.

View History (1) Original Comic