Multimedia solo performance ‘MuscleBound’ comes to Texas State

Posted by Jayme Blaschke
University News Service
February 17, 2011

Michael Feldman, body-image specialist and documentary filmmaker, brings his one-man show MuscleBound to Texas State University-San Marcos Feb. 21.

The performance will be 7 p.m. in the LBJ Student Center Ballroom on campus. Admission is free and open to the general public.

Written and directed by Feldman, MuscleBound is a multimedia solo performance blended with an original film documentary that delves into the topic of male body image issues including eating disorders, steroid-abuse and gym culture. MuscleBound follows the lives of three men who decide to alter their bodies in different and destructive ways over the course of one year. The show has toured over 40 schools and conferences in the past several months alone.

“A lot of what drives the unrealistic goals/images of men is highly influenced by the media," said Danny Galvan, a personal trainer at the Texas State Student Recreation Center. "Training the body for aesthetic pleasures not only damages the joints and tendons from muscle isolation, but it sets you up for failure. Instead, the body should be trained for functionality and body awareness."

MuscleBound also addresses the stereotypes and double standards between men and women concerning physical appearance. Feldman recognizes the societal pressures placed on males to exercise excessively and resort to steroid-use to combat body-image problems.

Michael Feldman offers a heartfelt performance that will stir audiences and make them think. MuscleBound is a catalyst for a deeper discussion on men, body image, and the pressures they face.

For additional information, please visit www.healthcenter.txstate.edu or contact (512) 245-9289.