Arts: A Brief History of Pec Popping

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Brow Beat A Brief History of Pec Popping By L.V. Anderson Posted Wednesday, Feb 08, 2012, at 09:32 PM ET In a scene from the upcoming kid-friendly adventure-fantasy movie Journey 2: The Mysterious Island, pro-wrestler-turned-comic-actor Dwayne Johnson gives Josh Hutcherson a lesson in attracting women. Johnson puts his hand on Hutcherson's shoulder, gives him a stern look, and says, "You have got to do this." Then he begins undulating his sizable pectoral muscles underneath his tight gray t-shirt. "What is that?" asks Hutcherson, repulsed and intrigued by his mentor's advice. "The pec pop of love," Johnson says. Two obvious questions arise from this exchange. The first is whether Dwayne Johnson needs a new agent. The second is when pec popping became a thing—and how it has turned into a Hollywood punch line. The pec pop is a form of muscle control, the practice of flexing individual muscles independently of their surrounding muscles. Muscle control has likely existed for as long as men have tried to increase their strength through physical exercise, but it wasn't until the rise of vaudeville in the late 19th century that it became a form of entertainment we would more or less recognize today. Many vaudeville shows included so-called strongmen, who would perform feats of strength and display their considerable musculature. According to David Chapman, the author of American Hunks: The Muscular Male Body in Popular Culture, 1860-1970 (among other books on the subject), "It was said … that professional strongman Eugene Sandow could make his muscles twitch and flutter in time to music—and this was in the  mid-1890s." Below is ... To continue reading, click here. Join the Fray: our reader discussion forum What did you think of this article? POST A MESSAGE | READ MESSAGES Also In Slate Weigel: Stop Saying Santorum Won Three "Nominating Contests" Last Night Can Couples Therapy Make a Good Marriage an Awesome Marriage? Jake Ballard's Horrific Injury Is a Sad, Fitting End to the NFL Season	Advertisement
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