In the Bible’s Book of Samuel, David was a shepherd and harpist in his adolescence when he managed to kill the Philistine Goliath with a sling and a stone. “And when the Philistine looked about, and saw David, he disdained him: for he was but a youth, and ruddy, and of a fair countenance,” reads 1 Samuel 17:42 in the King James translation. Michelangelo, between 1501 and 1504, interpreted these descriptions through Renaissance ideals, giving the biblical hero a lean and muscular build and creating the first-ever colossal marble statue of the modern era.

In 2024, Michelangelo’s David became the literal face or inspiration behind several brands. There is, of course, the namesake protein bar (“Humans aren’t perfect, but David is”); Jawliner’s line of jawline-fitness chewing gums (featuring a version of David wearing hipster glasses, no less); and the “HercuLean” supplement line Vintage Muscle, clearly inspired by David’s iconic visage and muscular and lean build. He has become a signifier of “Chad” culture, which emphasizes and worships a so-called “alpha” (or simply sexually successful) male. Food and supplements serve as a gateway into this trend. 

“A Chad food is something that has a lot of protein,” Andrea Hernandez, who writes the Snaxshot newsletter, explained on the December 9 episode of the podcast Taste. “Even Gen A has been brought into the conversation: they have the Gigachad meme, and this whole thing about mewing and perfecting your body.” According to Hernandez, the Gigachad meme—which features a black-and-white photograph of a very muscular bodybuilder with a jaw that’s borderline polygonal and a neck that is trapezoidal—is the modern-day David. 

These products exist alongside the likes of Natty Ice Cream, a protein-rich ice cream that displays a swole Zeus drawn in the style of Marvel comics on its packaging; To My Ships, a personal-care line inspired by The Iliad where black-and-white digital artworks of sculptural torsos and backs by Lucas Babinet are an integral part of the branding; Coffee Mate’s Protein Creamer featuring six-pack airbrushed on the bottle (it’s satire but it comes from the official account); Flamingo Estate’s “Bathhouse” edit and their “For Your Pleasure” campaign; adaptogenic drink brand Human Desire’s “Come and Get It” campaign; fitness-center Equinox’s........

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