Dadbod and The Death of Pretty: A Commentary On Social Change

            Dadbod, a word coined for men with a doughy body. In The Atlantic article, “Dadbod: A New Word for a Timeless Physique,” Spencer Kornhaber examines the term dadbod and poses the question, is the dadbod a new trend, or are the dynamics or modern conversation shifting? The essay covers the history of the dadbod physique before diving into the deeper meaning behind the new terminology for a body type that has been around for centuries. Women are using the word dadbod publicly to describe men in terms of appearance and nothing else, a practice that has normally been reserved for men. The rise of the term dadbod marks a turn in the way our society is conversing, bringing some equality to the playing field. Kornhaber sums up the main point of his article perfectly when he writes, “The rise of dadbod probably marks not shifting tastes but rather shifting ways of talking about tastes, where straight women get to use the same taxonomies straight men and queer people already employ, for better and worse.”

            The Death of Pretty by Pat Archbold is another article discussing a shift in the social scene. Archbold asserts that pretty is dying, and being shoved out by “hotness.” He relates this contention when he states, “Most girls don’t want to be pretty anymore even if they understand what it is.” While Archbold has a sorrowful tone, the essay describes another change in social dynamics, a change letting women shed their projections of innocence, and allowing them to be honest to themselves. The point of the article was meant to mourn the loss of pretty, but the change Pat despises is a balancing of the social dictates that govern our interations.

By Jacob Edmonson