What The Fresh And Fit Scandal Can Teach Short Men

What The Fresh And Fit Scandal Can Teach Short Men

Masculinity

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I've told this story several times on this site and will again. When I was a younger man, I worked with a guy who was about 6'6 tall. So yes, extremely tall. At this time I was in my early 20s and many of my co-workers were in the same age bracket, so we were fresh out of college and at the very beginning of our careers. Now, this 6'6 fellow wasn't the sharpest knife in the drawer. He was quite insecure and lacked competence, but you'd never know it because he was likable and had impeccable soft skills. People, particularly women (and it should be pointed out that many of the executives at our firm were female) were drawn to him. A lot of his blunders were forgiven, even those which were intentional. Many of these missteps, if made by any other employee would've been followed by a pink slip; but not our 6'6 guy.

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Now if you read this far, especially if you are new to this site, you might say, "the author is hating", but I promise you that isn't the case. Keep reading. Mr. 6'6 was "that guy" on the surface. If you worked with him side by side however, you'd quickly discover that he was anything but. From a collaborative standpoint, he would often react to things quite emotionally, rejected constructive criticism and stepped on others wherever he could to look great next to his peers. If he felt you were competition, forget it. He would be nasty and vitriolic even, especially when superiors weren't around. He knew when to buddy up and charm his peers when he needed something. The moment that professional need was fulfilled however, he would discard them like yesterday's paper. From the outside, these bonds he'd form appeared as tight friendships, and from the point of view of the other party, they thought they were tight friendships too. When those "friendships" ended however, they often left the other party beyond bitter.

Now myself? I was likable, but not like our "gentle" giant. My peers trusted my experience, competence, professional demeanor and friendly personality. Mr. 6'6 resented this. It should not be surprising then that this man trash talked me behind my back at every opportunity to get others to dislike me. I could sense the moment any colleague heard this trash talk. Our relationships would feel a "bit different". Charisma can do this, and this guy had plenty of charisma. Often though, once relationships between this guy and colleagues would sour, they would spill the beans. It would always play out with the other party saying something along these lines - "6'6 is a complete [insert expletive]. I can't believe I didn't see that sooner... and by the way, he would talk so much trash about you. He was completely wrong about you and I'm sorry I played into it". Soon after, these colleagues and I would end up developing excellent professional relationships. 

Enter Myron Gaines

So what does this have to do with Fresh & Fit? If you didn't know, it was uncovered earlier in the week that Myron Gaines (Amrou Fudl), one half of the duo which hosts the globally popular Fresh & Fit podcast, was caught in a huge scandal where it was revealed via Instagram direct messages, that he declared to fitness guru Anna Quinn that dating and having sex with him was a condition to appear on the show. Add to that talking points about high value men (in this case him) being scarce, beautiful women being abundant and the fact that since she has supposedly slept around makes it perfectly acceptable to levy sex in exchange for a show appearance. When confronted with the impropriety and threatening of exposure, Myron brushed it off, netting the conversation being indicative of his honesty and that it would be a win for both him and his fans. 

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What's interesting is that the actual incident took place four months prior. It took a fiery interview with internet favorite Aba Atlas, one half of the duo Aba and Preach for Anna Quinn to come out with the bombshell. To briefly summarize, Myron called Aba "Blue Pilled" on a show months earlier. When Aba was finally invited on as a guest, he challenged Myron to explain why he referred to him as such. Myron stammered and stuttered his way through his explanation. A later conversation on the same episode exposed some differences in thought around sex work as a service. Finally, following the episode, Myron made some controversial remarks about Aba's character and shouted insults about Preach's wife's appearance and his country of origin. The series of events created a firestorm of controversy with a plethora of content creators weighing in. This prompted Anna Quinn to expose the aforementioned situation which was followed by a heavy rebuke from fellow content creators, a huge drop in subscribers from the Fresh and Fit platform and former collaborators grieving flaws in Myron's character, notably arrogance, dishonesty and duplicity. 

The Short Of It

You might be asking what the Fresh and Fit drama and my previous story about the 6'6 guy have do with us short kings. Myron Gaines is 6'3, previously worked a six figure job in federal law enforcement and had arguably what was on track to become the most successful podcasts in the world. He was regularly around attractive women, and both him and his colleague "Fresh Prince CEO" have said on numerous occasions that they were intimate with over 1000 women. At least on camera, for the most part he exuded confidence and command over his studio. Note that I said "for the most part". 

The subsequent backlash, exposed messages, leaked camera footage and "air-out" episodes are showing a completely different person - One who is insecure, emotionally reactive, attempts to use his newfound fame and its ability provide exposure as a vehicle to demand sex, and cowardice when confronted  (several other YouTubers and associates challenged both him and his co-host). That doesn't come off as very "alpha", which is what his podcasts professes to teach how to be to its male viewers. Now, I want to make this clear. I don't know Myron personally and this article is not meant to be a bash piece or a means to clout chase. I hope their podcast can rebound. Rather, this is just to remind that all is not what it seems. Height really isn't everything. We know its significance in the grand scheme of things, but it does not start or stop there. Here you have a 6'3 guy that from the outside "seems to have it all", but all of his checkmarks weren't enough to cover up his character, and his guests have pointed this out on many occasions, sometimes short of declaring he was undatable (they have done this openly with his colleague frequently which has always been entertaining to watch). 

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Height obviously matters in this social media dense era, but so does a person's looks, accolades, and without a doubt, their personality. This is why we consistently urge our viewers to develop their character. You know the trope -  dress well, get your finances in order, travel, step up your grooming routine, get in your best shape and be an overall great person. Yada, yada. Those are the attributes that will get you over the goal line, and when you finally do get to dating, those positives might make you someone's top choice, even if it's for the short term. But this is not just about dating. With all of the strategies we discuss here (some self-serving), Aba Atlas hit it on the nail with his episode about integrity following the fall out with the Fresh and Fit team. As it relates to this article, eventually, dirt and character flaws will catch up with you. As a short king who has been successful professionally, socially and romantically, know that while height can get your foot in the door at first and gift you with a "halo effect" in the short term (clout basically), your character, consistency and other items you bring to the table can and will net you wins in the long game. 

Standing at just 5'7, in my younger years, I have taken the interest of many women away from Myron and Fresh types much to their dismay. It's not that hard when you're the best version of yourself and bring more to the table. 

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