One Man In His Pants Was Photoshopped Around The World To Reveal International 'Ideals'

The results were varied to say the least…

Photographer Richard Storm stripped down to his pants and allowed Superdrug’s online doctor’s surgery to send his image to designers around the world to be photoshopped to conform to their country’s body ideals. And we'd have to commend his bravery…

Nearly all designers made the New Yorker’s physique slimmer, but some dramatically trimmed his body down more than others. The Chinese designer chopped the most weight off Richard's figure, while Croatia, Macedonia, Philippines and the U.K, also gave him a significant slimming.

But while some countries see a slim man as the ideal, others immediately bulked him up. Notably, Egypt darkened his skin, gave him a six pack, larger arms and thickened his hair and beard. 

Countries such as Russia, America, Nigeria and Serbia, all prefer men with a more ‘powerful’ body. Some places think Richard is just fine the way he is, with Australia and Bangladesh, just shedding a few pounds form him and given a hint of tan.

So was Richard bothered about his body being scrutinised globally? Nope. 

'I took all the image manipulations with a grain of salt and honestly most of them are pretty hysterical,’ he said. ‘I've always been comfortable in my body and was super curious to see what my body type would look like modified for different country's ideals.

'My personal favourites are Nigeria because he looks jolly, Serbia because he looks like a cage fighter, and Venezuela - because they didn't modify my head at all. So maybe that's where I'll retire.' 

The Superdrug Doctors Online said: 'Fuelled in part by the media and popular culture, men around the world may feel even more body image–related pressure than women do – pressure to be stronger or slimmer or more muscular.'

'Their revisions ranged from subtle to jaw-dropping – in some cases, it’s hard to believe every image represents the same person. His physique, skin colour, and hair transform noticeably in virtually every submission.'

It’s not just women who feel the pressure to have the ‘perfect’ body. According to the Be Real campaign for body confidence, 40% of men in the UK are negatively affected by the pressure they feel from TV and magazines. 

Take a look at the images and see if you agree with each country’s standard of male body perfection.

For more information, visit online doctor.superdrug.com