Received 3 June 2015; accepted 4 July 2015; published 7 July 2015

ABSTRACT

This study investigated the nature of spornosexuality, as it existed in Davao City, and to understand what experiences spornosexual individuals go through, day-in, day-out. The study was anchored on an understanding of the challenges and triumphs the spornosexual faced, as he gears toward his lifestyle revamp. A case study, facilitated at the University of Mindanao, was planned and executed to better understand the nature of the subject. In September, 2014, the researchers scouted and identified an individual who would qualify as spornosexual. Subsequent interviews were facilitated to comply with case study requirements. The entire interview proceedings were documented using a digital audio recorder and transcribed for future reference. The interview sessions were conducted by the entire research team to ensure compliance and check and balance with the questionnaire designed for the study. It was clear that the spornosexual individual strove to create an image for himself, either to build or rebuild it. Individual experiences affected their individual motives; thus, they strove to adapt and make drastic changes in their lives. The study showed how the spornosexual individual is no different from the common individual, being driven by individual motivations to achieve and be triumphant with personal goals.

Keywords:

Spornosexual, Lifestyle, Case Study, Adaptation and Change, Goal Achievement

1. Introduction

With the emergent figure of neologism to classify human behavior, the upsurge of the spornosexual is a conquest for the evolution and divergence of men. Derived from the words sports, pornography and metrosexuals ( Simpson, 2014 ), this newly coined term describes beefier men who are concerned about their physical image, spend lots of hours in the gym and treat their body as masturbatory aids.

Ten years ago, Mark Simpson coined the term Metrosexual to describe high profile men in society who are vain, concerned about the clothes they wear and have a very high sense of fashion. They are concerned about their physical image and ways on how they can be highly recognized in the society as elites and they show this through the clothes and wardrobes that they have ( Simpson, 2014 ). Presently, he conceptualized a new term that already exists in the Urban Dictionary as a neology to describe the new face of men in the present society―the Spornosexual. A lot of contradictions are arising because of this new term. Many people say that this advent― the Spornosexual is nothing but a new approach to establish stereotyping in our new age of technology and that this is a form of discrimination. However, those individuals who identify themselves as such are proud and privileged to be called as one. This is because the description is somewhat affirmative. Just imagine that you will be labeled as a “masturbatory aid”; this will entail that you are physically attractive, built and desirable ( Simpson, 2014 ).

In a documentary featured in News TV which Jessica Sojo anchored last June 2014, the term Spornosexual was brought to the consciousness of the Filipinos. Some Filipino celebrities in show business industry are identified to be as such. However, no one dares to come out as Spornosexual since individuals are still critical about this; due to the fact that you will be identified with porn since you often if not always want to display your body and take heinous selfies.

At the present time, nothing has been documented on the spornosexual here in the Davao City―this topic has not reached the consciousness of most Davaoeños since this is still new and entails more critical inquiry and exposure for everyone to know that this classification for modern men exists and that they (the spornosexuals) deserve to be respected and accepted wholeheartedly by the individuals around them and the society as a whole.

Through this study the researchers aim to describe what a spornosexual individual is and if this type of classification for modern men does exist in the Philippines, specifically Davao City. Furthermore, the researchers would like to know the experiences (specifically the triumphs and challenges) of individuals classified as spornosexuals by the general public. In addition, the researchers try to advocate for the empowerment of these individuals towards social acceptance and to promote awareness for them. In sum this study aims to discern the struggles and triumphs of the spornosexual.

Human diversity and consciousness enable us to do greater things with greater values. This also permits us to make things that make daily life easier and more convenient. However, together with this advancement, our society has created biases that serve as termites to daily human interaction. We do things that only serve our interest and feed our self-centeredness, contributing to the destruction of human interaction. We live in a world with a lot of prejudices―in the beginning; humans have set the limit of sexual orientation into the biological and innate sex of an individual: males and females. Nowadays, this has evolved into and with a more intricate definition and classification of sexual orientation―lesbian, gay, bisexual, transsexual, intersex and asexual. This proves that no matter what preconceived notion humans has had, it would not delimit the ability of the society to evolve and make changes that would become an acceptable norm in the long run ( Myers, 2010 ; Feist, Feist, & Roberts, 2010 ).

The evolution and progress of these undermined communities are proofs of the divergence and development of our society: lesbians and gays are a normality today compared to centuries ago when they were taboo and considered a disorder by the American Psychological Association (DSM II); then came bisexuals and trans genders which have become a norm in society and are often praised by the general public today―Super Sireyna and Pogay are too many proofs of this (two Filipino TV Shows enabling the empowerment of the individuals from these sectors respectively); and today, the rise of Spornosexual men are proof that this evolution and divergence continues―there might be a lot of challenges but at the end of the line, triumph and success awaits them―the Spornosexuals.

It is through this study that the researchers try to describe what a spornosexual is and if this type of classification for modern men does exist in the Philippines, specifically Davao City. Furthermore, the researchers would like to know the experiences of individuals classified as spornosexuals by the general public.

One can actually think as to how the concept “spornosexual” came to be and the driving factors that contributed to its emergence. Since the term “spornosexual” has never been publicized, very few literature offer better understanding as to this emerging divergence of the modern men. On the other hand, such behavioral evolution had been a subject of interest for several decades and had shown how such changes come into being.

As the foreword of this study illustrates, spornosexual individuals are described as being beefier or well-built, concerned about their physical appearance, spend enormous time working out in the gym and consider their body as masturbatory aids. Similar to metrosexuals, spornosexuals have very high regard for their physical image. One may ask though: What drives an average man to go beyond the current norms?

Norms are often described as a collection of habits and customs common to almost every individual. This usually is associated with how an individual observes a certain behavior that is not unique to an individual, rather common to a group. These norms drive an individual to change his behaviors to be aligned or associated with other individuals to avoid conflict. Often, changes in behaviors are related to achieving ulterior goals, i.e. to social approval. Conformsity or changing one self’s behaviors to be aligned with a group is one way for an individual to foster and augment relationships which on the other hand boosts self-esteem and general acceptance ( Fabrigar & Norris, 2012 ). Such changes could be unique to an individual or copied from another individual who possesses a favorable image. Usually called as “Chameleon Effect”, one individual unconsciously copies or mimics another individual’s mannerisms, habits or even physical appearance to gain affinity, build rapport and foster relationship ( Hattie & Yates, 2013 ).

Another factor that would make a man spornosexual is the image that has to be presented to and perceived by oneself and others. Changes in an individual’s way of presenting himself to the public allow the person to socialize and create interaction that most of the time is governed by the rubrics of one’s role. As doctors act politely and intelligently, upholding the “Rubrics” of a common doctor’s characteristics, spornosexuals also exhibit changes to gain the right to uphold the usual connotation of being masculine, athletic and sporty: from which Spornosexual was coined ( Leary & Tangney, 2012 ). Aside from gaining social interaction, another reason for such changes could be to gain material and social rewards. Gaining material rewards can be defined as how an individual gains advantage towards favorable circumstances that entail better financial magnets driven by physical attraction. Similarly, such change in physical appearance may create a halo effect and emphasize positive or attractive characteristics attracting attention from others ( Whitmore, 2011 ). Another reason for such change is the genuine reason of either constructing or reconstructing oneself. Creation of one’s identity or recovering from a ruined one often motivates an individual to uphold the expectations that either one self or others expect him to be. Also, usually associated with repairing one’s identity is the need of an individual to gain or regain self-esteem and self-worth ( Alicke, 2011 ). After an individual successfully creates his own identity, self-promotion is the next step he takes. Self-promotion aims to get other people’s impression of him as strong, capable and dependable. One example is when a male shows how masculine he is, or how many abdominal packs he has only to show how strong he is (where beefed-up muscle connotes to someone who goes to the gym and lifts heavy weights).

The connotation of “big guy” is associated with being famous in sports and a center of attention for girls. This creates a driving factor for the man to want to bulk up and have better physique. Such desires eminent among spornosexual individuals are usually associated with the term “Adonis effect” or Bigorexia, which is commonly referred to as a collection of attitudes and behaviors of individuals who have great desire to gain a perfect body. This may include actions that may lead to a strict adherence to gym regimen, consumption of muscle augmenting drugs (or steroids), and most commonly, strictly following diets. Another behavior that can be observed among spornosexuals is the frequent and over checking of body in the mirror ( Raven, Wasserman, Squires, & Murray, 2012 ). Such inspirations are also commonly developed by prolonged exposure to pornography. As metrosexual individuals compare their image through men’s fashion magazine, spornosexual individuals are driven by personal exposure with porn stars with which they compare themselves. Often men may think that women are sexually attracted to men with large, muscular chest and arms partnered with rock-hard 6 pack abs ( Nickel, 2012 ). In contrast, bigorexia often leads to social anxiety in an individual, which results in his hindering himself being seen, feeling that he is not perfect at all and is ashamed to have his physique exposed, while on the note of spornosexuals, there is “openness” and willingness to share a manly image to the public, contrary to bigorexia. In a visual culture that we currently are living in, attention and desirability is often achieved by means of “showing off” what seems to be good to look at. This can be proven by how social media exalts spornosexual individuals taking pictures of themselves showcasing physical appearance, masculinity and sharp looks (also called “Selfie”) and posting it on platforms such as Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, creating an image which pulls people to provide affinity and desire ( Rutledge, 2014 ; Chambers, 2013 ).

One aspect greatly affected by spornosexual behavior is sex. One can expect that changes in physical appearance especially masculinity creates an image of sexual attractiveness. Sexual fantasy, often called as the mental sketchpads of sex, allows an individual to create or recreate an experience to one’s satisfaction. But this usually affects how an individual performs the actual sexual act. The top 2 known sexual fantasies for both women and men are having sex with a different partner or reliving a sexual encounter with a loved one. This poses a threat and a dilemma to a partner, who could have an impression that his/her better half is not sexually satisfied, thus unhappy, which usually is the contrary ( Carroll, 2012 ). Such scenario often leads to a self-provoked idea of infidelity, for both men and women. One factor that a woman identifies a man to become a mate is his success of being preferred over competition and one criterion is sexual attraction. To resolve such dilemma, similar to how a person would prefer eating steak than eating vegetables, a spornosexual individual creates changes to make himself sexually attractive, thus making him a preferable mate ( Shackelford & Goetz, 2012 ). Such preference once achieved allows a spornosexual person a better selection of mates who are sexually available. Through the evolution of human sexuality, it is evident how men invest more time and energy in courting, and efforts are often made not only to gain favor over women, but also to ace and gain dominance in sexual competition ( Miller, 2011 ).

2. Method

2.1 Participant

The primary participant of this study was an individual who spends lots of hours working in a fitness gym, vain, fond of taking selfies and thinks of himself as a masturbatory aid; an individual who always find time building up muscles in order to obtain the desired outward appearance. The proponents visited every fitness gym they knew of in Davao City and asked someone in the gym who among them is really working hard to obtain such muscled body and more likely to expose their body in or out in the gym or posts pictures in social media like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and etc. Most importantly, the researchers left their contact number so that someone in the gym could refer them to anyone fitting such description and so that his consent to be participate in the study be obtained.

The qualitative case study was used as it is the most prominent among other ways because it deals with intensive analysis of the person who has great knowledge of the specific event studied, who could share that knowledge exclusively to trusted individuals, by way of his opinions, direct exposure and feelings on the experience ( Hancock, 2002 ).

2.1.1. Describing the Respondent

Hot is the perfect word to describe Adonis (respondent’s pseudonym). He is an attractive, appealing and muscular young man with a stable job at a renowned hotel here in Davao City. With the respondent’s sun-kissed skin and built body, he is a head turner―clean hair cut, flawless skin and face and an impressive way of carrying himself and dressing. He is your Derek Ramsay (a local movie star) look-a-like. He presents himself confidently yet you would not feel that he is cocky. He’s got the attitude and the appeal that would make your jaw drop.

Before the researchers got to understand him better, they had a series of casual discussions with Adonis explaining to him what the research was all about and how they would want to proceed with the interview. The researchers would like to determine if Adonis seemed fit to the neology “Spornosexual” and most importantly, if he, for himself would gracefully admit that he was such; thus, making him a perfect respondent for the study. The researchers had to give the definition and description of a spornosexual to the respondent since the term is not familiar to Davawenyos.

At first, he was unbelieving whether the term “spornosexual” really exists. He even thought that the research ers just made it up. But after explaining how the said term was “born” as a new era of manhood, Adonis eventually responded positively, and expressed that he will not back out from the interview.

After hearing the entirety of the meaning behind this new word, the researchers then asked if he could consider calling himself a “spornosexual”. Adonis admitted that he goes to gym and loves to post his half-naked pictures over Instagram as if it was an “obramaestra” skilfully crafted by a seasoned painter and gets a feeling of happiness when netizens click on the “like” button. Adonis acknowledged that if being hot, muscular and visually arousing is what it takes to be one, then he considers himself as one. As the conversation went deeper, little by little, his story kept unfolding, revealing what he used to be and how he became the person he didn’t think he would be.

2.1.2. Source of Information

This qualitative research used primary key informant interview as a number one source of information. It involved interviewing a selected group of individuals who are likely to provide needed information, ideas and insights on a particular topic ( Kumar, 1989 ). Interview guide questions were used as a guide to the flow of the conversation which had to collect precise data. Gadgets like voice recorder were a big help for the researchers to record the statement of the informant without a single parcel of information left out and for easy review of the information through playback.

2.2. Conduct of the Interview

Interview guide questions were subjected to validation by a panel of experts and used in interviewing the target participant. Searching for an exact venue conducive for an effective interview was done. After the venue was set up, the researchers contacted the participant and asked permission for his convenient time to conduct the interview. The letter of approval from the participant has been presented before the commencement of the face-to- face interview. During the interview, all the statements that have been divulged by the participants were recorded with the use of voice recorder so that no information will be missed out.

2.3. Analysis of Information

The information from the participant underwent transcription and translation and was encoded in MS word for easy revising and direct saving of the information. After careful transcription and exact translation of words, this was given to the research data analyst for formal and further analysis of the data.

3. Results and Discussion

For convenience and ease of tracking, the responses of the respondent are coded as (R_#) and the questions asked by the researchers/interviewers are coded as (Q_#). The real name of the respondent is not used in presenting the results to keep the identity of the respondent and preserve his privacy. However, throughout the discussions made in this chapter, the pseudonym “Adonis” is used in accordance to the request of the respondent.

Just like others, Adonis also has struggles as a spornosexual. It was indeed never always a moment of glory, rather a collective endeavour to achieve what he wanted. When asked what his struggles are, the researchers never thought that they will be hearing it from a man with such physique, even with a high confidence level.

One of the things that he identified is that if he can’t go to the gym and if he misses his work-out day, it makes him feel completely unfit and unhealthy, since these have became a part of his daily routine, It may sound exaggerated, but the respondent expressed that such difficulty is something that he cannot escape from.

Whenever I can’t go to the gym and if ever I miss an intended work-out, it’s a struggle for me since it’s already a part of my routine. (R₃₁)

Such drive can be associated with bigorexia, also called “Adonis Effect”. Bigorexia is an excessive obsession of an individual to follow or adhere to a strict gym regimen, such that the person feels terrible or guilty after missing agym session. Such feeling expressed by Adonis could be a direct indication of his psychological state, as far as obsession with physical appearance is concerned ( Raven, Wasserman, Squires, & Murray, 2012 ).

Another reason for such drive is the genuine reason to either construct or reconstruct oneself. In the case of Adonis, he himself had shared to the researchers how he wanted to personally achieve an image that any person would like. On the contrary though, he also expressed that he wanted to change his image for the benefit of remaking himself, not as different, but as someone better ( Alicke, 2011 ).

Aside from keeping his schedule going to a health club or a gym, Adonis also said that as a spornosexual, he also found it difficult to deal with food cravings. During the researchers’ interview with Adonis, he identified the food in the restaurant to be “guilty pleasures” because whenever he would have some, he feels culpable since he spends one and a half hour in the gym, four to five times a week and it would all be wasted whenever he indulges in an unhealthy meal. As what he said, there are a lot of delicious and tempting foods and such temptation is really difficult to resist. That’s why it is just seldom for him eat much to continuously maintain his shape. With that mentioned, he elaborately explained that he knows what he eats and he ensures that he doesn’t eat anything that will cause him trouble.

Struggle, like these [pertaining to the food at the restaurant], every time that I eat like these, I feel guilt since you work-out one and a half hour just to have an unhealthy dinner after. You’re so conscious with what you eat. (R₃₁) Let’s focus with food since I struggle there most. There are a lot of delicious foods, tempting. I just seldom eat these (pertaining to the food at the restaurant) though it’s really tempting. (R₃₂)

Being in a group of friends with active social lives, Adonis also identified night outs as an adversity. He does not want to drink alcoholic beverages and when he goes out, drinking liquor and possibly getting wasted is inevitable. To be able to maintain his physique, he is aware that drinking alcohol will slow down his progress and will put his strenuous efforts to waste by gulping, even just a shot of “agua de pataranta”. Moreover, he also stated that whenever he does sinful things (like drinking alcoholic beverage), he feels guilty, and end up either drinking less, or not drinking at all.

That’s it. It’s also a struggle. Night out. Of course you do not want to drink (alcoholic beverages) because if you would go for a night out, you would have to drink, so you would rather not go for a night out to avoid drinking (alcoholic beverages) because every time you do sinful things (like drinking liquor), you would feel guilt. (R₃₇)

Such challenge has been a hurdle to Adonis as he lives with this new health mentality. As how the person makes his best effort to be sociable and mingle with others, contradiction between his personal drive to maintain his physique at the same time going out and drinking with friends posed a challenge. Nonetheless, seeing people with better consciousness towards health will definitely be an image worth mimicking ( Hattie & Yates, 2013 ). Which in this case, Adonis has copied the behaviours of the people he sees everyday in the gym―living a healthy life and avoiding stuffs that would slow his progress or that would keep him from being in shape.

Adonis also considered being in a romantic relationship or having a girlfriend a struggle since he cannot flirt. During one of the casual conversations Adonis had with one of the researchers, he blatantly admitted the vastness of the temptations that he has, not just to flirt but to also engage in sexual relationship, with no strings attached.

Struggle, if you have a girlfriend, you cannot flirt. (R₃₁)

He admitted that prior to his current girlfriend, he had an unusual encounter with one of her co-workers, one of those who got attracted and sexually hooked with him. Unfortunately, their workplace forbids relationships among workmates and eventually, their relationship didn’t prosper to something more serious. However, Adonis admitted that his current physical state gives him a double-edge as far as relationships are concerned: being torn between having the luxury of collecting those who are sexually available and being nailed to a serious relationship.

As to how spornosexual individuals see themselves as masters of sports and pornographic body quality, in like manner, Adonis also has always seen himself as a contender towards physical excellence. Often men may think that woman are sexually attracted to men with large, muscular chests and arms partnered with rock-hard 6 pack abs ( Nickel, 2012 ). Adonis believes that this is really the reality.

On the other hand, having an outstanding physical appearance is not just all advantage. He told us one of his unforgettable moments when he used a urinal in an establishment at Torres St. in Davao City. As he described, the establishment has only a single urinal and the comfort room itself is quite small and can only accommodate few individuals. He was waiting for a person to finish peeing so he decided to wash his hands first. He then used the urinal when the person before him finished. He was quite suspicious at first with that person because the latter was taking too long in washing his hands and was still lingering in the comfort room. Adonis became more vigilant. After peeing, he aimed for the door to leave the place but to his surprise, the person lingering in the comfort room grabbed his private part. Adonis then pushed the person back asking him what has gone into him. Adonis then left the comfort room and he heard the person said “ay sorry, sorry”.

I think it was just once at “Kasagingan”. Not the literal “Kasagingan”. That one before (a place at Torres St., Davao City). The establishment has only a single urinal and the comfort room itself is quite small and can only accommodate few individuals. I was waiting for him to finish peeing so I decided to wash my hands first. I then used the urinal after the person before me finished. I was quite suspicious at first with that person because it was taking him too long in washing his hands and he is still lingering in the comfort room. With that at hand, I became more vigilant. After peeing, I aimed for the door to exit the place but to my surprise, the person lingering in the comfort room grabbed my private part. I then pushed that person back asking him what has gone into him. I then exited the comfort room. He thought I was into what he was thinking. I heard the person said “ay sorry, sorry”. (R₉₅)

When asked how his struggles affect his self-perception (Q₂₉), Adonis confidently expressed that it does not affect him that much especially with the level of confidence that he now has. It has an effect to him in a manner that he acknowledges the challenges and in return, doubles his effort for himself. He cited an example specifically with his struggle on food―whenever he eats food that would hinder him from maintaining his form, he doubles his efforts in working-out the following day to compensate for what he did.

It is not literal that my self-confidence would go down because I have the highest self-confidence. (R₄₂) So it is not that my confidence would go down but it has an effect in a way that I would double my effort for myself. (R₄₂) For example the struggle that I have with the food that I eat; in those cases, I double my effort in working- out. Of course, I would compensate for it. For example tomorrow instead of one and a half hour, I would go for two hours (work-out). (R₄₂)

When confronted with the question of how his struggles affect his self worth (Q₃₄), Adonis said that it does not affect him. It does not create a dissonance or value confusion as described by Bloom and Egan (2007) .

None. I would not be affected. (R₄₃)

Adonis also has achievements and triumphs in life as a spornosexual. However no two things are exactly alike; thus, his achievements are quite dissimilar in comparison with others. One achievement that he has identified, though it was in a form of a candid joke, was that his market value among homosexuals has increased and he was able to use it to his advantage. To most individuals, being able to get a better advantage over sexual preference would mean having better options ( Miller, 2011 ).

It is an achievement to me when my selling price increases for gay people. Before I was just in the Php250 range but now I’m in Php270 (laughs). I feel it’s an achievement. (R₄₉)

Another achievement that Adonis has identified is the compliment people express about his physique, saying he is sexually appetizing, and he feels they are aroused with his physical wonders. As often seen, sexual preference had been a major driver to people changing their personality ( Shackelford & Goetz, 2012 ).

People get aroused and would say that I am yummy. (R₆₃)

During sexual intercourse, Adonis also considers the confidence that he has an achievement because of his physical features and that his partner would have more pleasure because of that.

One aspect greatly affected by a spornosexual’s behavior is sex. One can expect that changes in physical appearance especially masculinity creates an image of sexual attractiveness. In his case, Adonis considers his body to have dictated the favours towards sexual experience.

In sexual aspect, you would be more confident right? You like it when you are naked and it is more appealing. It adds more. That is how I feel. (R₈₅) A factor that they (the partners) would like it more, I guess. (R₈₇)

Adonis was able to use his “hard-earned physique” when he was still a student. Truly, good-looks can bring wonders. Because of his “A to Z factor”, Adonis used this advantage to seek help from one of the faculty, which in return “spoon-fed” them with the things they need to do for their research work. He mentioned that their thesis became the best among their batch, which he’s very proud of because it will imply that he is more than just a combination of a beautiful face and body.

This indeed shows how his physical appearance elevated his status in his academic endeavors, which in essence can be considered as a halo effect that one may get from having that physical asset ( Whitmore, 2011 ).

We were really spoon-fed that time because he was the one who almost made our thesis. He was our adviser, when we ask him for advices, he would do everything. There is no work left for me and “Nestor”. (R₇₆) Our thesis turned out to be the best. (R₇₈)

Aside from gaining favors in school, Adonis also gained an important advantage in his career. As one of the renowned hotels in Davao, the hotel where Adonis is employed is very critical of how their employees look. When it comes to his professional career, Adonis considered it an achievement when he earned his job not just with his looks but with his wit and all other qualities that he has. However according to him, his physical appearance was very significant in getting his job since in his line of work, being presentable is very essential and looking good is an edge.

But achievement, like in my job or career, I got it (the job) because of my looks, my height and my wit and everything. Of course in my work, if I’m chubby, I would not be able to get my work. (R₅₀)

With Adonis’ nature of work as a hotel receptionist and the physical appearance that he has, he always gets indecent proposals from hotel guests to work in the latter’s company in Manila which he also consider as an achievement.

Yes like gay hotel guests, they offer jobs to work in their company in Manila; they give calling cards. (R₉₂)

When asked how his achievements affect his self-perception (Q₄₂), he said that it affirmed things because before he was still hesitant to admit to himself that he is really handsome and it also gave him other positive effects like he can walk heads up feeling more confident and that he feels that he is at par with others.

Yup, before I have second thoughts like I ask myself am I really handsome? Then the moment that I got my job I proved that I really do have appeal and that I am handsome somehow. (R₅₃) The most positive effect is that you can walk heads up, you feel super confident about yourself and you feel that you are ahead with others that do not work-out. (R₅₄)

When asked how his achievements affect his self-worth (Q₄₄), Adonis responded that he gives himself more importance and he does things like working-out for himself before pleasing others. He wants to take care of himself to be presentable and healthy at the same time. This in turn shows how Adonis understands that such motive to change himself would lead not only to people showing favor towards his appearance but also boost his confidence to get general acceptance ( Fabrigar & Norris, 2012 ).

You work out not for others but for yourself. I do not know about others but I work out for myself to take care of myself to be presentable and to be healthy. Though secondarily it is for others―to show them. (R₅₅)

Hearing the respondent’s story, the researchers were able to understand and unravel the story behind his efforts towards his physical status. With such frank questions it was obvious what it takes and what it would feel to be someone who can be considered a visual arouser, a modern man, a spornosexual.

Shown in Table 1 are the major themes which emerged from the interviews the researchers had with the spornosexual Adonis. Among his struggles is the feeling of incompleteness when he can’t go to the gym, being unable to flirt since he has a steady girlfriend, and being sexually harassed. For his triumphs, paramount are the increased confidence and popularity, increased sexual appeal, and better career opportunities.

One of the challenges that the respondent identified a spornosexual faces is when he can’t go to the gym and if he misses his work-out day, it makes him feel completely unfit and unhealthy. Aside from keeping his schedule going to a health club or a gym, Adonis also said that as a spornosexual, he also finds it difficult to deal with food, especially with his cravings. Adonis also identified night outs to be an adversity. He does not want to

drink alcoholic beverages and when he goes out, drinking liquor and possibly getting wasted is inevitable. Adonis also considered being in a romantic relationship or having a girlfriend a struggle since he cannot flirt with other girls. Being harassed in a public toilet is one of the struggles that Adonis identified―what happened specifically is that someone grabbed his private part while he was about to exit a particular public toilet here in Davao City. When asked how his struggles affect his self-perception, Adonis confidently expressed that it does not affect him that much especially with his level of confidence. If any, he acknowledges the challenges and in return, doubles his effort for himself. When questioned on how his struggles affect his self worth Adonis said that it does not affect him.

Adonis also has achievements and triumphs in life as a spornosexual. One achievement that he has identified, though it was in a form of a candid joke, was that his market value among homosexual has increased and was able to use it to his advantage. Another achievement that Adonis has identified is the compliment of having people express about his physique, saying that he is sexually appetizing, and feel that they are aroused with his physical wonders.

During sexual intercourse, Adonis also considers the confidence that he has as an achievement because of his physical features and his partner would have more pleasure. Adonis was able to use his “hard-earned physique” when he was still a student. Adonis uses this advantage and was able to seek help from one of the faculty, which in return “spoon-feed” them with the things they need to do for their research work. He mentioned that their thesis became the best among their batch. When it comes to his professional career, Adonis identified as an achievement when he earned his job not just with his looks but with his wit and all other qualities that he has. With Adonis’ nature of work as a hotel receptionist and the physical appearance that he has, he always gets indecent proposals from hotel guests to work in the latter’s company in Manila also an achievement for him. When asked how his achievements affect his self-perception, he said that it affirmed things because before he was still hesitant to admit to himself that he is really handsome and it also gave him other positive effects like he can walk heads up feeling more confident and that he feels that he is at par with others. For the inquiry of asking how his achievements affect his self-worth, Adonis responded that he gives himself more importance and he does things (like working-out) for himself first before pleasing others. He wants to take care of himself to be presentable and healthy at the same time.

4. Conclusion

Every individual aims to make a mark, perhaps with the strongest possible. As an individual the spornosexual strives to obtain the most attractive and appealing physique, the desire to show off and let people see them as a superior individual. The obsession itself in obtaining the Adonis index marks the person’s desire not only to obtain a perfect body, cuts and edges, but also to have their hard chiseled figure to be uniaue. As physique usually gets associated with sexuality, spornosexual individuals also strive to obtain the perfect image by making their bodies to have the biggest advantage in sexual preference. As studies show how physical attractiveness affects the sexual appetite of an individual, spornosexuals obtain the advantage by increasing their physical appeal, as well as gaining confidence by augmenting popularity by creating a public image of “hotness” and gaining praise for being visually arousing. Such actions can allow the individual to have a stronger reliance his popularity, resulting to potentially better selection as far as choosing a temporal or long term partner is concerned, whether it involves sex or not. Despite the superiority they are human beings who experience shortcomings and even discrimination. As people would see how the physique of such individuals marks their individuality and promiscuity over social attachments, people may not see the rationale behind their motivations and the driving factors why these individuals chose to go beyond the norms and make drastic changes in their lives. As scientists argue on one of the most intriguing nature of man which is sex, it could be that spornosexual individuals may show superiority in physical appearance, but their struggles in finding a sexual mate can definitely make a person do such drastic changes to achieve their desires. On the other hand, one may also understand that people who do not have the social status or better yet, popularity could also be a motivation. A person who had been bullied, someone who had been a wallflower amongst peers or social group, or perhaps a nerd among the athletes, such situations could lead an individual to make such drastic actions, to be acknowledged, to be noticed, and to be socially affiliated. Such motivations show how spornosexuals are no different from common individual, being driven by their individual motivations to achieve and be triumphant with their personal goals.

The knowledge and understanding that the researchers gained by interviewing and examining the responses of their respondent can enlighten the society. With the information gathered during the research activities, the audience of this research will be able to understand better the origins and motives of the individual to emerge as a different persona by embracing the changes in their physical appearance as well as the mindset that they have towards their physicality and obsession in improving oneself. As presented in the most elicit manner during the activities, motivation of the respondent clearly dictates the reasons and rationale of the transformation and changes that had to be embraced to achieve a certain goal. In practice, this study can be used as an elating introduction to several studies, especially with understanding the dynamics of human motivation.

Included in this research are the actual triumphs and struggles of the respondent. Part of the findings of the researchers involves several areas which can further be used for future research. One mentioned is the impact of successive and continuous exposure to health clubs or gyms. Based on several clinical researches, one motivation of the gym goers is their confidence and the self dictated urge to work out and break the sweat. One hidden driver for continuing is a medical condition called “Bigorexia” (clinically called as Muscle Dismorphia) or commonly known as “Adonis Effect”.

Future researchers may look into the possibilities of correlation between the Adonis effect and the emergence of one person being a spornosexual. Future researchers may also identify whether Adonis effect is common among spornosexuals by means of measuring the frequency and exposure to health clubs and gym. On the other hand, future researchers can also elevate the study by exploring towards individual motivations and stimulus towards sexual attractiveness. The relationship between a person’s past and his current personality and behavior is also worth relating, as mentioned by Corey (2009) .

References