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This is just earned media for the promotion company, somewhat surprised Ars would get suckered into such an obvious PR strategy
Like existing surgery techniques and Conde Nast publications don't already promote unrealistic beauty standards?
Ars Technica is indeed a Condé Nast publication.
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"Someone brought a youth to a wise man, and said, 'See, this is one who is being corrupted by women!'

The wise man shook his head and smiled.

'It is men,' he called out, 'who corrupt women; and everything that women lack should be atoned for and improved in men - for man creates for himself the ideal of woman, and woman moulds herself according to this ideal.'

'You are too tenderhearted towards women,' said one of the bystanders, 'you do not know them.'

The wise man answered: 'Man's attribute is will, woman's attribute is willingness - such is the law of the sexes, verily! A hard law for woman! All human beings are innocent of their existence, women, however, are doubly innocent; who could have enough salve and gentleness for them!'

'What about salve! What about gentleness!' called out another person in the crowd, 'we must educate women better!'

'We must educate men better,' said the wise man, and made a sign to the youth to follow him.

The youth, however, did not follow him."

- Fredrich Nietzsche, "The Gay Science", 68. Will and Willingness

I don’t see what’s wrong with celebrating beautiful things. Or people. How you manage yourself in a world where others have some advantages or are better in some way, is a personal problem. We don’t need to pretend that what people prefer is “unrealistic” as a way to salvage ego, or worse, use charged labels like “objectification”.

That said, this contest is cringey and just a PR stunt.

> unrealistic beauty standards

Hollywood does that for men, too. 6 foot, ripped abs, improbably large muscles, chiseled features, hair. A shirtless scene is inevitable, and the lead actors need to deliver.

To compare, watch an old Paul Newman movie with a shirtless scene. How standards have changed!

Brad Pitt was once excoriated for showing off doing pushups between takes. What he was actually doing was getting his muscles pumped for the next shot.

For the volleyball scene for both Top Gun movies, the men spent months in the gym.

How do we know that the judges in that contest weren't generated using AI?
I think two out of 4 definitely are.