Frenzy over Richard Bruton's abs can't be compared to centuries of objectification of women

The Fine Gaeler caused a veritable online frenzy and Twitter - we were told - had 'lost its mind completely'.

Bruton's physique was compared to 007 himself, Daniel Craig, to legendary rock star Mick Jagger, to the cult 1980s wrestler 'Ravishing' Rick Rude and finally - and perhaps a little less complimentary - to that of Russian President Vladimir Putin riding bare-chested on horseback.

Leo Varadkar was among the first to praise his 'beach bod', and Bruton was quizzed on his diet tips (He credits the usual - eat well, move more).

No doubt, his “people" are already in talks about releasing his own fitness DVD (‘From TD to PT’), and a line of lycra cycling shorts just in time for the pre-Christmas rush.

After all the gawking and fussing, there was a pause.

And then, as sure as day follows night, the questions kicked off.

Perhaps it is inevitable in situations like this that some clever clogs (typically, but not always a man) will raise their hand and ask - with a mix of faux confusion and mild indignation - if people would dare talk about a woman's body in this way?

Wouldn't it be deemed sexist? Isn't this a blatant example of gender double standards? Why can men be objectified, but we all have to walk around on eggshells around d'wimmin?

This perceived 'double standard' has been covered at length. In 2015, it was dubbed 'Man-jectification' by Time Magazine after the release of Magic Mike XXL - a film that featured Channing Tatum dry-humping a range of household objects while traveling around America in an RV with a rag-tag bunch of male strippers.

It was, and continues to be, unfair in some people's eyes; that catcalling and 'playful' flirting directed at women is considered sexual harassment, but ogling men's shredded bodies remains fair game.

But, and this shouldn't be a revolutionary concept, it's not like for like, is it?

No matter what way you cut it, the objectification of men tends to be rather different from the objectification of women.

The reality is that men's bodies simply haven't been objectified for centuries in the way that women's have. And men haven't been judged by their bodies in the same way women have.

Men aren't told every summer that a previously unnoticed part of their body is now a 'trend' or an area they need to get in check before they step out onto the beach. (Recent nomenclatures include: Toblerone tunnel, thigh gap, orange peel, bingo wings, underboob, side boob, over boob, whatever-you're-having-yourself boob).

Men don't have to deal with the fact that in the year of our Lord 2020, the Advertising Authority of Ireland banned a Tampax ad informing women how to use the sanitary items because 84 people complained about it being 'vulgar’. (OK, it may not have been the most sophisticated ad campaign going but banning it is a bit much.)

The term 'resting bitch face' is never used to contextualise men, and they are rarely, if ever, told not 'to worry your pretty little head'.

They haven't missed out on jobs, nor do they receive less pay, because of their bodies.

Sometimes, I think we’ve all become so used to the daily objectification of women that we are now snowblind to it. And it’s only when a man - or in this case a surprisingly fit TD - experiences something similar that we start to question it.

As a result of all the above, men tend not to have inherited the same level of social stigma and shame attached to their physicality.

That's not to say they don't experience it at all - to suggest so would be reductive and just outright ridiculous. But it's apples and oranges here.

I think the sexism double standards argument grates on women for another reason too.

Because when men (not all men) raise these types of arguments it's often done simply 'to play devil's advocate' rather than genuinely opening up about being hurt, or feeling self-conscious.

And if you have felt ashamed and embarrassed about your body - or suffered from some form of dysmorphia or disorder - then someone bringing it up for the sake of 'bantery debate' gets tiresome after a while.

Look, let's not get too heavy here. The bottom line is if you were about to chastise women for sexual double standards, maybe just don't.

After all, we have a good deal more ammo when it comes to examples of objectification.