2015: The year of the Dad Bod

As Attitude magazine presents its annual reader’s Hot 100, we take a look at the Dad Bod craze that swept the internet this summer. In the year that women rallied against the ‘Beach Body Ready’ ad campaigns, under the tag ‘Dad Bods’, regular guys found comfort in the knowledge that you don’t need to be ball and chained to a workout routine to be considered sexy.

There’s certainly something attractive about radiating confidence, charm and charisma and not feeling like you have to be pressured into following the crew to the gym five times a week. And while, yes, most of us love to gawp at a finely toned physique – just take a look at the ones you voted for in our Hot 100 – let’s face it, those are fantasy images and most men don’t look like that.

In celebration of those everyday blokes that aren’t full-on gym bunnies, instead radiating sexiness from inside-out, we invited a few regular guys to complement the celebs in the Hot 100, and talk about the new trend for, well, just being you. Amongst them is straight guy Dan, who found himself gathering a considerable gay following when his girlfriend posted a topless pic of him on Instagram… and international digital fandom followed.

DAN, 30

I took a selfie on holiday and put it on Instagram. I started gaining loads of new followers, most of them were gay guys. I didn’t really think anything of it… I was like ‘Well they must’ve just clicked on the hashtag #dadbod and seen me, and then just liked it.’ Then I messaged one of them asking what was going on; turns out I’d been picked up by Queerty as the ‘hottest dadbod streaming on social networking’!

I’d wake up in the morning and my phone would be buzzing constantly with new followers… I didn’t understand, but obviously there were American and Asian people following me, so it was going on at different times of the night… My girlfriend was crying with laughter when she found out.

It was picked up by the Lad Bible as well and got 6,942 shares, from here to Australia to America and back.

I’m not mad about selfies. I’ve got a few on my Instagram, but I don’t do it for attention.

I don’t worry about my body. I’m not bothered by it. I’m quite happy. I’m not being big-headed, but all my girlfriends have been really attractive women, so it doesn’t really bother me that I’m out of shape.

ASHLEY, 32

If bodies in general are getting bigger, then it’s partly convenience, but maybe people are just being more open about the kinds of body types they like.

I’m really in two minds about Dad Bod. I don’t like it because I think it’s a privilege thing; we’re largely talking about rich white men who let themselves go a bit.

In bear culture, people physically like that size, it’s attractive. Whereas with dadbods, people aren’t explicitly saying ‘I find bigger bodies attractive’ necessarily.

You’ve got armies of twinks, armies of bears, armies of muscle queens: there’s almost a kind of socialising around a body type, as well as the physical appearance or the attraction. There’s an aspect of community attached to it.

I’ve had a slimmer body, a bigger body and a slightly more muscular body. I suppose I’ve always really liked my body. I do like a hairy, bigger body. I like muscles and a big belly; I find that really attractive. I think all bodies have the potential to be attractive… But if someone gives me a belly rub I’m totally theirs.

It’s almost a kind of second coming out… You come out as gay, then you have an even more difficult conversation about saying ‘I like a different kind of body type than the one that I’m supposed to like’.

If you want to see the rest of the Dad Bods in our six-page feature, you’ll need to grab the latest Hot 100 issue of Attitude, out in shops now. You can download a digital version from Pocketmags.com/Attitude or a print version from newsstand.co.uk/Attitude.