Channing Tatum Knows It's Not Realistic For Most People To Have His Body

Channing Tatum knows how hard working out can be when you have a job, kids, and other responsibilities

Hollywood has long created unrealistic standards for people’s bodies. The truth is that the average person cannot look like a celebrity, because having a body like that of the average A-lister requires personal training, a dedicated nutritionist and chef, and the buckets of money and free time it takes to maintain the right eating and exercise schedule. In a new interview with Kelly Clarkson, Channing Tatum became the latest celeb to admit that that’s the case.

Talking about his physique, which has certainly helped make him famous with roles in movies like Magic Mike and Step Up, Tatum acknowledged the amount of work it takes to maintain his body — and that that standard is unrealistic for most people who aren’t famous actors.

“I literally get to work out as a job and it’s still hard,” he said. “I can’t imagine people who have a 9-5 job, who have kids at home, and where do they get the energy and the time to actually focus on themselves?”

That’s what it really comes down to. If you don’t have the time and resources to eat just the right food and do just the right workouts, well, it’s going to be virtually impossible to look like that. But that’s not the story that diet culture tells us. That’s why it’s so refreshing to hear celebrities acknowledging this truth. We need to hear that it’s OK to not have bulging muscles, flat stomachs, and six-pack abs — just doing your best to take care of your body in a way that makes you feel good is the best you can do.

Tatum also joked that his body has pigeon-holed him a little bit during his career.

“As someone who works out for a job, I promise you I would not look like this unless I had to be naked in most of my movies mostly,” he joked to Clarkson. “At some point I have to get better at acting so I don’t have to be naked in all of them.”

Speaking as someone who regularly turns on Magic Mike when I need a pick-me-up, let me just say, it’s OK if you don’t, Channing.

Tatum is just the latest celebrity to speak out about his role in setting unrealistic expectations for human bodies. Kumail Nanjiani has also recently made headlines for his own body transformation for a film role, and he’s also spoken out about the unrealistic amount of time, money, and dedication it took.