Let’s Talk About The Dad Bod

By Jackie Pilossoph, Creator and Editor-in-chief, Divorced Girl Smiling site, podcast and app, Love Essentially columnist and author

Come on…you didn’t expect a divorce site not to post a blog on The Dad Bod, did you?! In this week’s Love Essentially column, published today in Chicago Tribune Pioneer Press, I write about why I like the dad bod, along with some issues I have with it.

 

Conflicted Feelings on The Dad Bod  by Jackie Pilossoph

Have you heard of the “dad bod” craze? It’s the phenomenon that resulted from an article written several weeks ago in a local newspaper by Clemson University student, Mackenzie Pearson.
“In case you haven’t noticed lately, girls are all about the dad bod,” Pearson wrote in her piece for The Odyssey. “The dad bod is a nice balance between a beer gut and working out. The dad bod says, ‘I go to the gym occasionally, but I also drink heavily on the weekends and enjoy eating eight slices of pizza at a time.’ It’s not an overweight guy, but it isn’t one with washboard abs, either.”

When I think of the dad bod, I think of Seth Rogan, Jason Segal, Adam Sandler or Paul Rudd: guys who are adorable, who like to have fun and who seem cuddly, sweet and non-intimidating, which are all great qualities.

That said, I’m a bit conflicted about the dad bod because with more muscles and less fat comes good health. So, while the dad bod seems endearing and comfortable, is it really a healthy body? Maybe, maybe not. I’m thinking Ryan Gosling, Brad Pitt and Bradley Cooper might have better cholesterol and blood pressure numbers. Just sayin’.

My big concern is 20- and 30-something guys who have the dad bod even though they aren’t dads. In my opinion, it’s too early in life for them not to be healthy and fit. Shouldn’t the dad bod be reserved for guys of an older age, say 40 or 50?

Speaking of 40 or 50, let’s talk about the countless dad bods walking around on the North Shore. What do I think of them? I have to be honest, I’m a fan for the following reasons:

1. They are less intimidating

2. They help me accept my own body

3. They aren’t obsessed with fitness and food

4. There is a certain endearing, sweet, humbleness to them

All that said, there is something the dad bod really needs to make him truly attractive: a certain amount of discipline and motivation. In other words, women want to see that their guy makes an effort to work out and eat healthy most of the time. It shows he isn’t lazy and that he cares somewhat about his appearance.

Now, the million-dollar question: Do women want to sleep with dad bod guys? Here’s what I think: (Click here to read the rest of the article, published today in Chicago Tribune Pioneer Press.)

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    Jackie Pilossoph

    Editor-in-chief: Jackie Pilossoph

    Divorced Girl Smiling is here to empower, connect and inspire you. Jackie Pilossoph is the creator and Editor-In-Chief of Divorced Girl Smiling, the site, the podcast and the app. A former television journalist and newspaper features reporter, Pilossoph is also the author of four novels and the writer of her weekly relationship column, Love Essentially. Pilossoph holds a Masters degree in journalism and lives in Chicago with her two teenagers. The author of the novels, Divorced Girl Smiling and Free Gift With Purchase, Pilossoph also writes the weekly dating and relationships advice column, “Love Essentially”, published in the Chicago Tribune Pioneer Press and the Chicago Tribune online. Additionally, she is a Huffington Post contributor. Pilossoph holds a Masters degree in journalism from Boston University.

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