Travis Kelce issues perfect response to 'dad bod' criticism

Travis Kelce, tight end for the Kansas City Chiefs and Taylor Swift's boyfriend, is just the next celebrity to face body shaming from the internet, but he has the perfect response.

Kelce and Swift have been spotted on vacation in the Bahamas, with photos of the pair at a beach going viral. Unfortunately, many online were quick to leave their unnecessary comments on Kelce's body, often saying he had a "dad bod".

For those unfamiliar, "dad bod" typically refers to man with a slim physique that is not lean or toned, and often includes the appearance of a beer belly.

Clearly, harsh body shaming is still possible even when you're an elite athlete. It's currently off-season, but even when he's not training, Kelce is still far fitter than the average person.

But it seems the criticism isn't getting Kelce, who addressed the hate on a recent episode of his podcast New Heights, which he co-hosts with his brother Jason.

Kelce spoke about his post-season weight gain, as the pair joked about who could drink more, and Jason revealed that he weighs almost 130 kilograms. Travis usually sits around 110 kilograms during his playing season, however he revealed that he recently gained some weight.

Showing he was unbothered by the weight gain and the comments it was attracting, Travis then said, "We're I the same weight class now! It's March! We're in the same weight class right now."

Using the criticism to point out that he currently isn't training and so is happy to relax.

Speaking to news.com.au, psychologist Carly Sober said people were more comfortable directly commenting on men's bodies than women's.

“There is also a culture of joking about men’s weight to their faces in ways that are unacceptable in other spaces," she said.

“It can often be underestimated how hurtful and harmful this is for men, and this is why body shaming of men is perpetuated.”

But despite the fact that it may be more normalised to comment on men's bodies, it doesn't mean the harmful comments don't effect them.

“Men often have significant body image issues and poor relationships with their body,” she added.

Sign upto our free Indy100 weekly newsletter

Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

How to join the indy100's free WhatsApp channel