He Fa on the Giant-Shouldered Gymgoer

Three fluorescent-green claw marks cross the chest of the fitted pale gray top, while black cargo trousers, two studded belts and a silver chain assemble the body toward heaviness. The shoulders are made enormous, yet long hair and thick fringe still leave the eyes visible. This Giant-Shouldered Gymgoer carries a little of He Fa's slow expression, as though not yet decided how much force to use today.

The appearance of strength is effective. Much is influenced before a hand is actually lifted. Others may be more willing to entrust lifting to someone, or may keep their distance. But shoulder width says nothing about the fingers' delicacy or the knees' stability, and cannot prove that small things will be set down gently. Ability always has a use. Remove the use, and strength easily becomes an endless comparison.

I want this body to do something requiring care, such as return an imagined thin-walled cup to a table. If only ever-heavier tasks are worthy of giant shoulders, the body has no way to learn restraint. He Fa's ordinary expression can help here, so the fluorescent-green marks need not always await an eruption. Strength can coexist with awkwardness, patience and requests for instructions.

Conversely, making gentleness mandatory compensation for the strong adds another performance. Every large person need not volunteer proof of harmlessness. Shared rules should concern behavior and remain consistent across body types. Being able to lift more does not mean automatically taking all the heavy work; looking intimidating does not mean a threat has already been made. Responsibility still needs specific allocation.

Thick-soled combat boots can tread steadily without treading loudly. I am willing to let the shoulders remain extravagant and give today's strength to a defined task, rather than continually announce it to everyone passing. When the thin cup settles safely, the enormous outline has completed a use without a sound.