Canadians Are Apparently Falling Head Over Heels For 'Dad Bods' These Days

Yes, someone actually made a dad bod survey.

Staff Writer

Thousands of Canadian gyms have been closed for a lot of the past year due to various lockdowns, but it doesn't look like that's a bad thing for Canadian men.

Planet Fitness Canada recently conducted its first-ever "dad bod" survey — yes, it's true — in order to find out what Canadians think of the body type, which is loosely described as somewhere between a beer gut and toned abs.

Planet Fitness Canada

it found that 65% of Canadian women think dad bods are attractive, while 61% actually prefer them to six-packs or muscular stomachs.

Not only that, but all Canadians think a dad bod reflects well on the man wearing it. According to the survey, 71% of people think that rocking a dad bod is a "sign of a man who is confident in his own skin."

The Dad Bod Trend

The "dad bod" trend became huge back in the mid-2010s. People everywhere celebrated the body-positive term after it found popularity thanks to an article in The Odyssey.

"While we all love a sculpted guy, there is just something about the dad bod that makes boys seem more human, natural, and attractive," author Mackenzie Pearson wrote in March 2015.

Others have called the trend "a sexist atrocity" and pointed out that it could be considered a "double standard," as women are not often afforded the same flexibility with their beauty standards.

Plenty of people are in on the trend — celebs like Seth Rogen, Chris Pratt (once upon a time) and Adam Sandler are all champions of the cause.

Luckily for them, it seems like Canadians are pretty happy with it.

  • Cormac O'Brien was an Associate Editor at Narcity Canada, covering all things exciting and trending about Canada. He has a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Creative Writing and Journalism from the University of Victoria, where he served as the Editor-in-Chief of the campus newspaper and was awarded the BCYNA Community News Scholarship for his writing. He was also the producer and co-host of Now On Narcity, Narcity's flagship podcast.

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