RFK Jr.’s ‘Shirtless’ Gym Workouts Had Experts Spot a ‘Dangerous Ideology’ Among Men

A 90-second workout video posted to X by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. quickly raised more than fitness questions. Featuring musician Kid Rock, patriotic animations, and Kennedy pedaling a stationary bike shirtless in blue jeans, scholars say the clip carries a message far weightier than a simple call to get moving. Sociologists and gender experts say these kinds of videos deserve serious attention.

The Workout Video Featured Patriotic Imagery, Kid Rock, and Raw Milk

The clip, set to Kid Rock’s “Bawitdaba,” opened with head-slamming rock music, animations of a shark, military aircraft, and the American flag. Inside what looked like a personal home gym, the two men rode a stationary bike in a sauna, did sit-ups, and lifted weights. Kid Rock also flipped off the camera. The video closed with Kennedy’s signature phrase, “Make America Healthy Again.”

Kennedy Said the Goal Was Simple: Get Active and Eat Real Food

In his caption for the video, Kennedy wrote that he teamed up with Kid Rock “to deliver two simple messages to the American people: GET ACTIVE + EAT REAL FOOD.” The two men also drank raw milk during the session. Gender scholars and sociologists, however, say the videos carried a message that went well beyond the gym.

Scholars Say the Real Message Was About What a Man Should Look Like

Kristen Barber, a professor of women’s and gender studies at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, told HuffPost the videos are saying something much bigger. “As ridiculous as these videos might seem, the messages about white nationalism and masculinity mean we should take them very seriously,” she said, noting the clips were produced and posted through official government channels, giving them added weight.

At 72, Kennedy’s Physique Became Part of the Message Itself

What struck experts was Kennedy’s age. At 72, men typically experience notable muscle loss, yet the video deliberately showcased his muscular chest and biceps during push-ups in a sauna. Barber drew a comparison to actor Jack Palance’s famous one-armed push-ups at the 1992 Academy Awards, when Palance was 73. In both cases, the excessiveness was intentional, with physical strength serving as a public declaration of vitality.

Being Ripped Seemed to Replace Other Forms of Authority

Barber noted that Kennedy’s display carries an implicit argument about credibility. “He might not have an M.D., he might not have a Ph.D, but man is he ripped, right?” she told HuffPost. “So he’s somebody that you can trust when it comes to conversations about health and wellness.” Physical strength, in this framing, becomes a substitute for professional or scientific expertise.

Sociologists Say the Tone Sets It Apart From Playful Bodybuilder Culture

Tristan Bridges, a sociologist at the University of California, Santa Barbara who studies masculinity and gender, said what’s distinctive is how seriously Kennedy plays it. Figures like Arnold Schwarzenegger or Isaiah Mustafa in Old Spice commercials satirized over-the-top masculinity with humor. Kennedy, Bridges told HuffPost, is trying to co-opt the energy of satirical masculinities and present them seriously. “And that’s what makes it feel conservative,” he said.

Hypermasculinity Has Historically Carried Ideological Weight Beyond the Gym

Barber noted that using muscular displays to advance ideology isn’t new. She pointed to President Theodore Roosevelt’s well-known image on horseback with a shotgun and to the Ku Klux Klan’s historical use of hypermasculinity to push white nationalist ideals. The HHS videos, she argued, tap into a long tradition of linking physical dominance to political identity, a connection scholars say is worth examining carefully.

Buff Bodies Aren’t Automatically Political, But the Climate Makes Them Feel That Way

Not every muscular physique carries a political message, experts stress. A 2025 New York Times headline even described progressive streamer Hasan Piker as a “progressive mind in a MAGA body,” a headline that captured just how blurred those lines have become. “When political polarization is as extreme as it has become,” Bridges told HuffPost, “basically everything becomes some kind of evidence of your politics.” Bodies, he said, are part of that larger pattern.

The Concern Isn’t the Workout. It’s the Ideology Experts Say Comes With It

Barber’s sharpest concern centers on younger audiences absorbing these images. “I look at it as sad and unfortunate,” she said, “but I think that there are a lot of people, including a lot of boys and young men, who see it as important.” The videos, she said, send a message that strength equals superiority, a narrow, limiting idea of manhood that scholars argue deserves honest scrutiny.