Normally, I wouldn’t care too much about a magazine choosing the “Ultimate” anything. Media hype-imposing health and beauty standards-feeding the status quo-blah-blah. But Men’s Health Magazine (or rather, their readers) may be on the verge of getting something right for a change. Fitness pro, Aydian Ethan Dowling, is ahead in the online vote for Men’s Health’s Ultimate Guy contest—with a grand prize of being on the cover of the magazine. This is all the more awesome, because Dowling is a trans man.
Men’s Health considers the Ultimate Guy to be “fit and fearless, a doer who gives back and leads by example.” Let’s start with fit:
Ummm….yeah, he’s got that covered. *drools*
As far as being a doer who gives back, Dowling has this to say:
Giving back is a large part of my life. I started the first YouTube Collaboration BeefHeads Fitness, a channel geared towards Transgender Individuals looking to get fit and healthy. Also, I run multiple groups, Instagram accounts, and other social media platforms encouraging mental and physical health reaching over 45K combined. On a more local platform I did start training other Transgender Males here in my new town of Eugene, OR. They have greatly progressed and I feel very proud to see their self confidence grow. I do nothing but support them and show technique, but drive is contagious!
Dowling gives back and leads by example, making the world better for other trans folks in the process. That’s pretty rad! (That fur thing around his neck is questionable) Like I said, Dowling is already ahead in the online vote, but if you want to ensure his victory—and strike a blow in favor of stronger representation for trans people in media, you can check out his Ultimate Guy entry here!
(via Pajiba)
–Please make note of The Mary Sue’s general comment policy.–
Do you follow The Mary Sue on Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, Pinterest, & Google +?
