Washboard Dreams

The Strange, Sexy, and Serious Story of Abs in Art, Faith, Fitness, and Fantasy

De: Riley Ashcroft

Narrado por: Virtual Voice

A witty, wide-ranging, and surprisingly profound cultural history of the world’s most obsessed-over muscle group: the abs.

From the gleaming marble torsos of ancient Greece to the sweat-soaked montages of Hollywood action heroes and the endless scroll of Instagram #fitspo, the human midsection has always commanded attention. But why do abs matter so much? What do they really say about us? And how did a patch of muscle become the world’s favorite shorthand for sex, strength, discipline, and desire?

In Washboard Dreams: The Strange, Sexy, and Serious Story of Abs in Art, Faith, Fitness, and Fantasy, cultural critic Riley Ashcroft takes readers on a journey through thousands of years of ab obsession. With equal parts humor and insight, Ashcroft traces the six-pack’s unlikely rise from ancient battlefield armor and religious asceticism to bodybuilding stages, magazine covers, and viral memes. Along the way, the book uncovers how abs became tied to ideals of virtue, masculinity, femininity, power, and even spirituality.

Inside you’ll discover:

• How Greek sculptors and Roman generals used sculpted torsos as propaganda.
• Why monks, saints, and yogis also turned their midsections into symbols of holiness and discipline.
• The rise of 19th-century strongmen and mail-order bodybuilders like Charles Atlas, who promised transformation through the torso.
• How Hollywood—from Schwarzenegger to Stallone—sold the six-pack as the price of heroism.
• Why women’s abs became a battlefield of empowerment and critique in modern fitness culture.
• How social media has made abs into both an endless aspiration and an unattainable mirage.

Funny, fast-paced, and rooted in meticulous research, Washboard Dreams blends art history, religious studies, pop culture, fitness lore, and a dash of evolutionary psychology. It’s as comfortable talking about the Buddha’s fasting ribs as it is about Rambo’s montage or the dubious promises of “Six-Minute Abs.” More than a history of the stomach, it’s a history of how humans see themselves, their bodies, and their worth.

For fans of Mary Roach, Chuck Klosterman, or Bill Bryson, this book offers both entertainment and insight—a deep dive into a subject everyone recognizes but few truly understand. Whether you’ve ever flexed in the mirror, cursed your crunch routine, or laughed at the ridiculousness of ab infomercials, Washboard Dreams will change the way you look at your middle forever.