Leonardo DiCaprio Criticized For 'Dad Bod' At Age 46

Nov 15, 2020

Body shaming has always been a sad reality for celebrities living under the scrutiny of the public eye. The media criticism spares nothing when it comes to gender or body size.

The latest to be body-shamed in the public eye is 46-year-old Leonardo DiCaprio, who, earlier this month, was spotted strolling topless along the beach in Malibu, California, with his friend Emile Hirsh. It didn't take long for the comments to be unleashed about his "dad bod."

DiCaprio had his breakthrough in the 1997 film "Titanic," and has since gone on to receive critical acclaim for his parts in films such as "The Revenant," "The Wolf of Wall Street," and the 2019 Quentin Tarantino film, "Once upon a time in Hollywood," which he starred in alongside 35-year-old Hirsch. He's been on-screen for a large amount of his life, having snatched Hollywood roles since his teenage years and now well into adulthood. 

Despite his success in the industry, he hasn't been immune to criticism. According to Vox, a "dad bod" is "a male body type that is best described as 'softly round.' It's built upon the theory that once a man has found a mate and fathered a child, he doesn't need to worry about maintaining a sculpted physique."

After the beach image did the rounds, a number of unkind comments began to circulate, referring to him as "pudgy," "flabby," and saying it could be time for him to buy some bigger clothes.

In the past, it was considered more common for women to suffer from body shaming—from dramatic weight losses to post-pregnancy bounce-backs. But the response to DiCaprio’s beach body is confirmation that body-shaming is a reality for male celebrities as well. DiCaprio is just one of many male celebrities to have been on the receiving end of negative weight comments. Ben Affleck, Vin Diesel, Jonah Hill, and Jason Momoa have all been subject to it too, reports The Wrap.

The age of social media has made it even easier to publicly comment on the size and shape of celebrities. It is often easy to forget that celebrities are people just like us, and want to go about their day to day lives not having to worry about what will be published about them the next day.

According to ANAD, "Body shaming is known as the action or practice of expressing humiliation about another individual’s body shape or size; a form of bullying that can result in severe emotional trauma."

Melissa J. Pereau, MD, a medical director and psychiatrist at Loma Linda University Behavioral Medicine Center has spoken about the mental health traumas that come from body shaming.

"The reality is that this: anybody could be affected by an consuming dysfunction—any gender, race or socioeconomic background. Teasing somebody for his or her weight isn’t acceptable. If folks knew the long-term impression bullying has, I hope they might assume twice about their phrases," Pereau stated.

Such emotional trauma can often be particularly damaging for men, who commonly don't feel comfortable talking openly about their vulnerabilities or insecurities. This is especially true when it comes to talking about weight and body image.

According to the National Center for Biotechnology Information, "Men and boys are sometimes reluctant to disclose their signs [for body dysmorphia or eating disorders] due to embarrassment and disgrace, they usually don’t acknowledge that their beliefs about their look are inaccurate and because of a psychiatric dysfunction."

While it may seem that women are constantly getting criticized for their weight, this is just another reminder that men are not safe from the cultural pressure either. 

It is a good reminder for us all to be aware of the comments we make about celebrities, or even friends and family, and to always try to be kind, because you may never know the full extent of the damage a negative weight comment can make.

Leonardo DiCaprio seems to take the negative press in his stride and continues with his life and acting career, ignoring the tabloid comments. His reaction to always being in the limelight is surely one to admire.

Men's Health writes about Leo:

"A large part of DiCaprio's appeal is his unforgiving ownership and self-confidence whilst bucking the Hollywood 6-pack stereotype."

His fans will continue to adore him, and the important thing to remember is as long as you're in good health and feel happy, you should be free to be whatever size or shape you want.

What are your thoughts on the 'body shaming' trend? Be sure to pass this on to other Leonardo DiCaprio friends you know! Use this story as a reminder to respect other human beings and spread kindness and positivity today.