You bring up an interesting thing I noticed in the film (released in 1999 btw). There's a scene where Brad Pitt is on a bus and pointing to an ad of a ripped Calvin Klein model and commenting to Edward Norton "As if that's what real men look like".

And yet, what do people remember most about the film? Brad Pitt's shirtless physique during fight scenes. Look up "Tyler Durden Fight Club fitness" on Youtube. Tons of hits. People may conceptually understand that Fight Club is satire, but their actions indicate otherwise. They want to have that kind of body, even though they know it's not going to make them a movie star or a rock god.