Gigachad: Who is he? Is he real?

Gigachad pictures surfaced on internet in 2017. Gigachad’s pictures blend with many memes and abstract graphics.

There has been no one else who has such an aesthetic body till date. Many people doubt if he is real or a product of photoshop. This also generated our marketing team’s curiosity. Hence, we decided to look on it.

Is Gigachad Real? Who is he?

Yes, Gigachad is real. He is a Russian man named Ernest Khalimov active on Instagram with the username @berlin.1969 .

He is associated with a modelling agency named Sleek N Tears (@sleekntears). Ernest’s fame bought fame to this agency as well. They came out with their NFT named ‘GigaChad’ which was very well received by the public. We also found the link to the founder. She is available at @kristasudmalis. Yet, our team found some explicit pictures on this modelling IG page. Hence, viewer discretion is advised.

To know more about this meme, you can read Know Your Meme’s article https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/gigachad .

Is it only about Ernest Khalimov?

Many people think so. But the truth is, it is not.

The Sleek N Tears portfolio themes around black and white bodybuilding pictures. Hence, with Ernest’s pictures, this picture was also circulated. But because this man looks quite like Ernest, Ernest got all the credit.

We found this man @therealbatyr.

Next Meme Popular Among Bodybuilders: Leonidas

There’s another meme trend of Leonidas, who led an army of 300 against the Persian army. His name is still alive in legends.

The character was well played by Scottish actor Gerard Butler in the movie 300. I appreciate Gerard’s performance. His images are common gifs and meme content.

He reportedly worked really hard to get that physique. The results we had in front of our eyes. Perhaps, this film got him famous.

Our team came across a website named Pop Workouts and there is an article that they posted in 2013. It elaborately discusses on the diet and workout regime of Gerard Butler. A must read. https://www.popworkouts.com/gerard-butler-300-workout/

In short, what makes Gerard popular even today is his physique and his brave role in the movie.

The Urban Slang Terminology

You must understand some basic terminology that teenage lads and young adults use.

Macho

According to Dictionary.com, Macho means having qualities considered manly.

Chad

A chad is a physically active and confident man. (slang)

Sigma

According to Dictionary.com, Sigma male is a slang term used for a popular, successful, but highly independent and self-reliant man. Another term for a sigma male is a lone wolf.

Alpha

As per Dictionary.com, Alpha refers to a dominant person . It is also the first letter of Greek alphabet.

Based

As per Dictionary.com, Based is a slang to show respect on social media to people who ‘have spine (confidence)’.

What drives Men’s interest in Gigachad Memes?

No one can run from his roots. That too when the past was way more aesthetic.

These days, bodybuilders target having a Greek god like body. Evident from the fact that we come across many memes having Italian, Roman and Greek statues. See Michelangelo’s paintings for example.

2021 and 2022 have been good years. There has been a rise in technical literacy among people. More people have found ambitions in these sectors. Further, there has been a greater awareness towards personal development.

The Traditional Conscience

Particularly Asian men have shown zeal towards getting back to their cultures. The last decade saw the exploitive practices of pornography. A segment of Gen Z is preparing itself towards traditionalism, responsibilities, and manliness. Many are moving towards family lives, leaving the degeneracy behind. It is certain that a man, whose father went to gym, will go to gym in the future.

Hence, you will come across various pages on social media sharing the aesthetic images of old kings and nobles, royal lives, landscapes, wars, and the physiques of royal men. Their audience feels enchanted and nostalgic about these lives. For instance, see the social handles of https://www.solbrah.com/.

The Psychology of a Man’s Subconscious Mind

We need to study the psychology of a man’s mind. Such characteristics start developing from the teenage. And it is evident everywhere. Deep inside, every man wants to be powerful. A man wants to explore his capacity and fantasies. Every man wants a family. Every man wants to be the epitome of his lineage. He wants to honour the valour of his ancestors.

Hence, by the Gigachad and based memes, men give a clue to the insides of their subconscious minds.

The Marketing of Seduction

There are two books by Robert Greene which you should avoid missing:

48 Laws of Power

and

Art of Seduction

Many marketing campaigns use the laws of seduction in their ads.

Would you ever buy clothes from a company the adverts of which do not feature handsome models. We might sound fatphobic. But yes, several companies are emerging to use fat models. But, pay attention, that is because their target audience lies in fat people. Relatability is also important in memes and marketing campaigns.

People have a tendency to pick a character in fiction that they relate to. They then run imaginations by putting themselves in the story.

An underwear company can just showcase the undergarments and that’s it. We all wear undergarments, right?

Can you guess why do they have half naked models with sculpted bodies wearing them to advertise?

Take another example. Ads of Deodorants. A half naked yet well sculpted male model starts spraying the deodorant above the recommended usage and many women start surrounding and holding him. Does it happen in real life?

Seduction is the abstract that many marketers use. When seduced or exposed to something explicit, brain produces artificial dopamine.

Hence, exposed to the memes of bodybuilders, men experience both power and seduction.

Who is India’s Version of Gigachad?

We wish we had. But at present, we did not figure out anyone we could equate.

No doubt, India has been the birthplace of the most powerful men of the world. There are many examples to that. Who has not heard of Gama Pehlwan?

There has been a famous book named ‘Barbell and Muscle Control Exercises’. Keshab Sen Gupta and Bishnu Charan Ghosh wrote it and published in Kolkata in 1930s. It features the photographs of many Bengali bodybuilders. Many of them were well educated and from posh backgrounds.

Our country has had a rich culture of akhadas and pehlwans. We’ll have to write another article to cover that in detail.

Who knows the future, if the next Gigachad is from India, preparing himself in some remote village?

We had mighty kings who ruled the entire Indian subcontinent. But Indian culture is different. Contrary to the West, who were barely, wildly, or rugged clothed; Indians were well covered. Decency and honour have been the axes of our lives. Men have the tendencies to have a fatherly figure.

Hence, we have always counted the brave men of this country with fatherly and godly concerns. Thus, we do not showcase them as chads.

Conclusion

In this article, we studied about two popular memes and the underlying psychology. Here’s what we figured out.

Men love their legacy. Men are dominant and strong in nature. Hence, they love action and aesthetics. History and bodybuilding are two niches that stand in testimony.

Men also love their families and traditions.