The pursuit of the “perfect” body has a high price.
Michael Feldman will bring his mixed-media, one-man show MuscleBound to Illinois State University at 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 27, in the Circus Room at the Bone Student Center. The evening is sponsored by the University Program Board, Student Health Services, Student Counseling Services, Health Promotion & Wellness, and Campus Recreation.
With a blend of documentary film and performance, Feldman will explore the lives of three men and their journey to achieve a perfect body through the use of steroids, eating disorders and compulsive exercise.
A negative body image is often associated with young women, yet the National Eating Disorders Association estimates that 10 million men in the United States will suffer from an eating disorder sometime in their lives. The National Institutes of Health reports that men are significantly less likely to pursue treatment for eating disorders, and that they are usually combined with muscle dysmorphia, a type of disorder that is characterized by an extreme concern with becoming more muscular.
Feldman takes on the obsession with body image, and how it connects with steroids, eating disorders and gym culture.
Feldman received his BFA from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, where he created and performed numerous solo pieces including Diagnosis: Jew Pain, which was accepted into the 2003 New York and San Francisco Fringe Festivals, and named by Show Business Weekly as one of the top 25 NYC fringe shows out of more than 200. Feldman also worked behind the scenes on the award-winning television show The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, and is also a member of the sketch comedy troupe Fresh Meat.
