According to the New York Observer, fat's in. At least for guys. A couple extra pounds are this Summer's washboard stomach, an estimation I'd have more confidence in if I saw some data backing it up. Heartthrobs mentioned are Vince Vaughn, thew Wilson bros, Bernie Mack, and Jack Black. Since Black is a pratfaller rather than a heart throb, Mack is a comedian (Drew Carey wasn't that hot either) and the Wilson boys could plausibly sport six packs, color me unconvinced. A better example would be Paul Rudd, whose "unassuming charisma" could plausibly translate into some pretty powerful mojo.
What we're dealing with here is a silly trend piece that gets yesterday right. What's in fashion is unimportant, and I'm not convinced paunch will be "in" anytime soon. Nevertheless, dudes with an extra 15 or 20 have never had much of a problem, it's been a poisonous attempt at faux-equivalence to pretend that scrutiny and standards are as high for male bodies as for female. Guys are harshly judged on other problematic metrics (job being an obvious one), but that's a different issue. This also reminds me of the constant studies that show dudes prefer a body type 15 or 20 pounds heavier than the average pin-up model or covergirl, but the media, for girls as well as guys, exerts a thinning influence beyond what their consumers would actually prefer.
