Women have been fawning and pining over Omarion during his B2K days—and even more after. But as the Millennium Tour treks from city to city, it seems his newly revealed physique has stirred some controversy, causing a kerfuffle online.
The reality star’s sex appeal is amplified by his age, attitude, poise, and desirability. But as of late, his strong and silent persona has been taking blow after blow, and his once-sculpted body is now the target of online body shaming, sparking conversations about the double standards surrounding body positivity.
Aside from the jokes, most men on social media who have come to Omarion’s defense are more focused on discussing the double standard, calling women hypocrites. The women who’ve come to his defense have expressed their love for his dad bod.
For those who aren’t in the know, a dad bod refers to the average-looking body of a man that isn’t particularly muscular or athletic. It lacks tone or definition and tends to stray from a lean or slender build.
In recent years, many men have embraced their dad bods with open arms, and that’s only because women view it as part of a man’s journey. Sadly, men have yet to reciprocate that form of love.
Discussions involving fatphobia rarely include men, nor do conversations about body shaming. I’d venture to guess it has more to do with how weight gain for men isn’t scrutinized by society in the same way it is for women. Men aren’t held to the same beauty standards as women. A man’s desirability is often tied to his financial status rather than his physical physique—a point that is consistently reinforced by online spectators.
Amid the body shaming Omarion has faced, there’s also been talk of gynecomastia (which has not been confirmed). Many have speculated that he may suffer from a hormone imbalance between testosterone and estrogen. Gynecomastia—a common and non-serious condition in which breast gland tissue increases in boys and men—often goes unnoticed or is suffered in silence.
@concertsontapp @Omarion – I'm Tryna The Millennium Tour #omarion #millenniumtour #millenniumtour2025 #rnbmusic ♬ original sound – Trav 📸
Regardless, the real conversation is about body shaming and how it differs between men and women, if at all.
Some will belabor that what Omarion is experiencing isn’t body shaming but merely the aftermath of what he’s flaunted throughout his career. Others attribute it to aging. While two things can be true at once, it starts the conversation about how society pressures both sexes to uphold unrealistic beauty standards. Yet, it forces us to see how men are rarely under the same scrutiny as women and are seldom offered the grace that men are given.
Double standards are part of a status quo we’ve been conditioned to accept but must continue to challenge, especially in a world where equality is not just symbolic but an intricate aspect of the human experience.
It’s also fair to acknowledge that women are largely responsible for creating safe places of acceptance for male bodies, although men refuse to do the same. That’s the nature of double standards: Respect for women’s bodies is constantly demanded, yet the favor is rarely returned, and few men even think to ask for it.
Men have been conditioned to accept being objectified by women. If you’re without a muscular body, then your wallet would suffice. A man “letting himself go” is typically excused—and women often contribute to this chatter—further exempting some men from the societal conditioning around beauty.
The truth is, all kinds of people make the world go round and it’s time we remember that beauty isn’t restricted solely to physique. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and it’s time we bask in that adage fully. Although there’s constant jeering towards Omarion’s weight gain, he seems to be comfortable in his skin, otherwise, he’d be trying to hide it.
That, too, is another double standard: when a man will tell you he’s comfortable in his skin (whether he is or not), it’s believed. But when a woman proclaims to be happy in her skin, it’s presumed to be a façade to shield her shame or insecurity.
If this moment has taught us anything, it’s the importance of being kinder to one another and rejecting narrow ideals of beauty. Attractiveness is not one-size-fits-all. And at the end of the day, the public seems more bothered by Omarion’s new appearance than Omarion himself, who continues to remain unbothered.
Photo Credit: Instagram – Omarion
