Well I noticed that the "strong" body builder type of pirate, has alot more 'meat' on his midsection. All those abs we worked on as pirates, and Disney just packed the pounds back on.
Personally, I see this as a fantasy game, in a fantasy world. And I prefer my pirate to be a fantasy superhero looking like strong man, not an average joe. OH well, "midwest" average Joe apparently wins out. Being in an area where physical fitness is a focus of the majority of the population, I actually saw these changes as being "less" realistic. Granted, I never used the super skinny pirate models.