about
the men
in the film
about the filmmaker
purchase
the film
links & resources
ABOUT THE FILMMAKER
Travis Mathews holds a Masters in Counseling Psychology from the California Institute of Integral Studies in San Francisco, CA. With his complimentary interests in psychology and film he plans to continue working on projects that reflect this intersection of ideas. Travis currently lives in San Francisco and Do I Look Fat? is his first feature movie.
View Travis' Vita (PDF).
If you are interested in inviting Travis to speak at your campus or agency please contact him at travisdmathews@gmail.com
June 2007
After a couple of successful years with Do I Look Fat? I've decided to continue this story. My interest to delve deeper into the material of fat is largely to do with a position David, who is featured in Do I Look Fat?, took in regard to the influence of gender on body politics: "fat equals weak equals female and thin equals strong equals man" This stuck with me.
I'm currently researching material and meeting with people who have a personal interest or expertise in the many interdisciplinary areas this new project connects with.
Once things have been ironed out I expect to start filming in late summer 2007. If you're interested in contributing to or learning more about this movie contact me at my email below. A brief and developing synopsis of what I'm tentatively calling The Cult of Health and Beauty follows:
The Cult of Health and Beauty
A two part documentary as resistance and rebuttal to the cult of health and beauty myths.Part one
introduces a thriving fat activist movement born from feminist and gay activist advancements. It's a mostly female movement that parallels the less overtly political subgroups in the gay male community that celebrate bigger bodies. With diverse individuals from both communities alongside renegade experts in the fields of obesity research, and media and gender studies our public hysteria over obesity is deconstructed to unsuspecting results.Part two
demonstrates how men have grown increasingly vulnerable to the same beauty myths that have plagued women for decades. The so-called 'crisis in masculinity' portends that men are bulking up toward hypermasculine effect at the risk of developing body image and eating disorders that have so long been couched as women's issues. The reasons for this crisis are explained as are the barriers to men forming a common language and interest in combating the cult of health and beauty.
travisdmathews@gmail.com