Rep. Aaron Schock Flaunts His Abs in Men's Health Cover Story
Republican Congressman Aaron Schock (R-IL) is baring his abs on the cover of Men's Health.
The full "Ripped Representative", as MH refers to him, AFTER THE JUMP...
Schock, 29, a freshman congressman from Peoria, Ill., is teaming up with the magazine for the Fit For Life Summer Challenge, and says you have to practice what you preach when it comes to proper diet and exercise.
"If you want to start talking about healthy lifestyles and staying in shape, then you yourself should do your best to try to be a model, an example to people you're trying to convince to do the same," he says.
Schock, who is single and a conservative Baptist, says he was headed down the wrong path himself at one point. "In college I could feel my body changing, and I knew that if I didn't make some changes, I was going to go in the wrong direction," he says.
It's not the first time the public has seen Schock's abs. TMZ posted a much-discussed poolside beefcake photo (right) back in 2009.
Our last visit with Schock (R-IL) was in February when he polished his anti-gay credentials and spoke out against Obama's announcement regarding DOMA.
Schock is a 'confirmed bachelor' who is "not" gay though he does occasionally express shame at his flamboyant wardrobe choices and has said that he hopes his chiseled abs will cause people to pause and listen to what he has to say on CNN.
The full "Ripped Representative", as MH refers to him, AFTER THE JUMP...
Previously...
Rep. Aaron Schock 'Burned the Belt' That Made Him Look Gay [tr]
Congressman Aaron Schock Not Gay, Details Reconfirms... [tr]
CNN Turns the Focus to GOP Congressman Aaron Schock's Abs [tr]
This makes it painfully obvious that politicians are simply actors. Even his supporters admit they haven't a clue as to his mental status. Once upon a time, politicians got elected based on their minds and what they thought about.
And, I'll let him get away with saying he's not "gay" if he'll admit that Clinton never had "sex" with that woman.
Posted by: Go Galt. Please. | May 9, 2011 2:46:16 PM
@Go Galt - I take your point, but I'd argue that "once upon a time" politicians got elected because of the machine they belonged to or the votes they bought or the public's ill-informed opinion about who they were. Much like today.
What I liked best about the article, however, was the quote "In college I could feel my body changing, and I knew that if I didn't make some changes, I was going to go in the wrong direction." To me that sounds remarkably like the language I imagine that a "cured" homosexual might use about that time.
Ultimately, however, it doesn't matter if he's buff, or in a magazine. Don't get distracted by the ephemera -- if he's a Republican, he is likely working against our interests and THAT is why he should be criticised.
Posted by: Buster | May 9, 2011 2:55:43 PM
He must be pretty big since he's only 5 foot 8. I think his chest is a little overdeveloped, but other than that he's in amazing shape.
I have no comment on his politics because that seems to go without saying. He's a social conservative with a nice body. End of story.
Not every man who has a nice body and has spoken out against homosexuality is gay. In fact it seems derisive if we use it as an attack about him being 'in the closet' to insult him. Isn't that technically demeaning us as well, since... I'm guessing most of us 'came out' at some point? Kill them with kindness, or don't kill them at all, right?
This article is mostly about the MOVE campaign, and lowering obesity in this country is something I can fully get behind, whether or not he's a Republican.
Posted by: Drew | May 9, 2011 3:33:03 PM
I hope he gets caught having a hot and heavy affair with Scott Brown :-)
Posted by: mrbill | May 9, 2011 3:51:23 PM
Why are these photos being published on a gay rights blog? He is a republican who votes with the rest of his party to not only deny all of you your rights as tax-paying citizens but to demonize you as well. He is appearing in a magazine that totally censors and erases any sort of gay influence in the culture of bodybuilding and health. It sickens me that gay men would drool over such a repulsive display.
Posted by: Phil | May 9, 2011 4:43:58 PM
This behavior really reads as narcissism, as some other posters have remarked on. We don't know anything about him politically, all we know is that he's socially conservative and has an awesome six-pack. But it's not as if narcissism is unusual for an American politician. You would have to either be an extreme narcissist or a glutton for punishment in order to want to be a politician in the good ole U.S. of A.
Posted by: Ioann | May 9, 2011 5:00:29 PM
He looks like Ted Haggard!
Posted by: Virginian | May 9, 2011 5:32:21 PM
"confirmed bachelor"... "conservative Baptist"... "healthy lifestyles"... "headed down the wrong path"... "my body changing"... "go in the wrong direction."
These stories always seem to write themselves.
Posted by: lodenmuse | May 9, 2011 5:32:54 PM
So another representative posted a shirtless pic of himself on Craigslist (not showing his face) and had to resign, and this moron poses shirtless on a magazine cover and that's dandy?
I realize the CL post reflected on the guy's poor "values" because he lied about his age and was soliciting sex outside his marriage, but who cares? Elected officials should try to retain some dignity and decorum. A faceless pic on CL seems to me in better taste than a magazine cover whose audience is 90% closeted gays and 10% gays who are too lazy or cheap to get real porn.
Oh wait, these are Republicans.
As for the question about his politics, few Republicans espouse a shred of their personal views these days. Most important votes in the House are unanimous, strictly along party lines. Sadly, we no longer have free-thinking members of Congress. Just talking heads with bullet points and hypocrisy by the boatload!
Posted by: Paul R | May 9, 2011 6:39:04 PM
Is it possible he doesn't know who subscribes to Men's Health?
Posted by: ProfessorVP | May 10, 2011 1:35:30 AM
Not hot... Please - this queen is as gay as a picnic basket and on a personal note, I prefer MEN (i.e. non narcissistic males with body hair).
Posted by: Tre | May 10, 2011 2:15:12 AM
honestly he does ping. While it is not really a true indicator of being gay, but being 29, hot, conservative, Baptist (at least to his voters) AND single does strike me as odd. You think he would be married or at least be seeing someone, but so far no one has come to claim him publicly. Personally, he is a bit to built for my tastes, although i would hit him if there was the right atmosphere.
We would have to work out a no talking about politics rule, but I'm all for bipartisanship. Before everyone starts screaming at me for wanting to bed a conservative who is against our rights,
Please folks take a chill pill, you are just going to seem like yet another angry old person for conforming to the old ways and sleeping with someone is not the same as giving them the reigns to the country.
Plus I would never vote for him because I'm practically Scandinavian in my politics.
Posted by: steven | May 10, 2011 5:37:22 AM
It's a slippery slope to hot nazi brownshirts, isn't it, boys? With the GOP in charge we'll be "first against the wall".
Posted by: greg | May 10, 2011 4:42:23 PM
@Phil:
"He is appearing in a magazine that totally censors and erases any sort of gay influence in the culture of bodybuilding and health."
A bit harsh, don't you think? Sorry, but the fluffy gay-focused mags that try to cover fitness in between tips for looking hot at the club never had much credibility for me. Won't say I haven't tried them. And frankly they are more FUN to read. But then I feel like I've wasted my energy. (Same reason I follow this blawg over some others actually.) I value credibility.
Also, the mag DOES cover gay-related (but not gay-focused) topics occasionally.
And the mag ALSO truly DOES erase the STEROID culture so inherent in some other fitness mags. As I learned in MH, steroids do not even produce results which are statistically physically attractive (prolly survey data of women, but still--I concur on this point).
Not sure which part of gay culture you think OUGHT to be all-visible in a mag like MH?? (You might have a point, depending what ur thinking of.)
Posted by: just_a_guy | May 11, 2011 1:14:00 AM
this guy def needs to work on his lats...
Posted by: James | Aug 15, 2011 1:40:12 PM
Just came across this article from back in May (it's almost Halloween now) and I'm here to tell you that ANY guy who manscrapes is gay. No exceptions. They might only get into it behind closed doors with another dude on the DL but the manscraping evidence is as solid as singing show tunes in the shower while bending over to pick up the soap your str8 buddy just dropped.
Posted by: SteveXS | Oct 27, 2011 8:48:00 PM
I'm as gay as the next guy (hopefully I'n next to him) but the media trying to out a man because he is avid about maintaining a hot body, and beacause he wore an aqua belt, and purple shirt, is to border on the ridiculous. Can't a strait guy want a fit and hot body--which appeals to women, as well as gays obsessed with their own bodies? To tar every straight guy who departs even slightly from the so-called "acceptable" look--a business suit, colorless leisure clothing, makes gays look ridiculous and over eager to find gay under every rock Have you noticed the gay men, the big husky bears who dress like lumberjacks? Do straits have to look like that to avoid being branded as gay?Long live honosexuality and may I run into either a gay or strait guy who looks like Schock who'll give me a tumble.
Posted by: Mikey | Sep 4, 2012 2:29:53 PM
The pecs look like they've been enlarged with photoshop -- they look disproportionate.
Posted by: Lauren | Sep 4, 2012 11:23:13 PM