Can Men Have Body Image Issues?
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When we think of body image issues, many might think of women struggling to conform to impossible ideals of beauty and thinness. Much less often do people think or talk about how and why men could struggle with body image, according to the Body Project at Bradley University in Peoria, Illinois.
But that doesn’t mean that male body image issues don’t exist. In fact, they’re common — and the fact that they’re not discussed as often is a huge part of the problem.
There’s still very little information out there about how and why men struggle with body image, and very few resources are available for men seeking help for body image issues.
What Can Cause Body Image Issues for Men?
There isn’t one singular way in which men may struggle with body image. But generally speaking, male body image issues are shaped by our culture’s ideas of masculinity.
“Men are really acculturated to be strong, powerful leaders; to not be creative or emotional; and to suck it up and have it all together,” says Brian Pollack, LCSW, a therapist, eating disorder specialist, and the founder of Hilltop Behavioral Health in Summit, New Jersey.
Expectations like these are part of what’s known as “toxic masculinity,” a widespread societal and cultural view that asserts that “manliness” is achieved through toughness, power, aggressiveness, antifemininity, and little to no emotion — and that not meeting these ideals is weak or unmanly — according to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America.
Toxic masculinity is linked to increased pressures to physically embody the ideals of strength and power, which can contribute to male body image issues in men, Pollack says. “Unfortunately, success, power, and control are now entwined with having a six-pack, having muscles, and being fit,” he explains.
This increase has been consistent across many different forms of media, like movies and TV shows, adds Sarah Murnen, PhD, the Samuel B. Cummings II Professor of Psychology at Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio, who specializes in gender and body image.
Pollack points to Star Wars action figures as an example: Since their release in the 1970s, Luke Skywalker (and other male character) toys have been manufactured to look more and more muscular over time. A side-by-side comparison of Luke in 1977 and Luke in 1997 shows much broader shoulders and visible thigh muscles in the later model. A version available today presents Luke with well-defined muscular arms.
Frequent exposure to these kinds of portrayals — and the worries that can ensue among men about whether their body looks “masculine enough” — are two main drivers of male body image issues today, Dr. Murnen says.
Slowly, male celebrities are coming forward about their own struggles with body image. For example, the actor Matt McGorry — best known for his role in Orange Is the New Black — opened up about what happened after he pushed himself to “unhealthy extremes” with exercise, diet, and diet pills.
“I was admired for my discipline, work ethic, and willingness to sacrifice in many other areas of my life — prized attributes in our hyper-individualistic, bootstrap culture, especially for men,” McGorry wrote in a story published in May 2020 in Medium. “The social power afforded to me as I reached the ideal body type was undeniable.”
“[But] I’d set this nearly impossible bar for myself that I imagined I’d now always have to aspire to,” McGorry wrote. “And as a public figure, I was also setting the bar for other men and boys, who saw me on their televisions and absorbed what a ‘real man’ should look like from my example — even as I felt unable to meet this oppressive standard myself.”
Detailed public accounts like McGorry’s are rare, which highlights another huge problem in how toxic masculinity affects male body image: The principles of toxic masculinity often make men feel like it’s not culturally acceptable to talk about their struggles, which can be harmful for mental health.
“One of the biggest aspects of the masculinity complex is the belief that having emotions means you’re weak, vulnerable, and not good enough,” Pollack says. “Overall, the idea of males struggling with mental health, including body image, has always been avoided and suppressed in our culture.”
How Does Struggling With Body Image Affect Men’s Mental and Physical Health?
Unfortunately, there’s not much research that looks specifically at male body image issues and how they affect health, according to the Body Project at Bradley University.
In a chapter Murnen coauthored for The Psychology of Men and Masculinities, she explains that although there are several theories about why men develop body image issues, the exact causes are not yet known.
That said, research has shown that certain negative feelings and behaviors are linked to body image issues in men. For instance, she notes, body image concerns among men are associated with unhealthy eating patterns geared toward both weight loss and weight gain, as well as excessive weight training, steroid use, and muscle dysmorphia, a type of body dysmorphia that involves a preoccupation with the idea that one’s body is too small or not muscular enough.
In a study published in March 2020 in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, which included 1,850 Lithuanian male and female college students, the drive for muscularity was associated with a lower quality of life among the male students specifically.
In a study published in March 2015 in Body Image, researchers examined how body image affects both mental and physical health, using data from 284 American college students. “Positive body image has been found to be associated with various beneficial health-related indicators among women,” the authors wrote. “Less is known about its health-related correlates among men.”
Although small, the study showed that those with better body image reported less depression, higher self-esteem, fewer unhealthy diet-related behaviors, lower desire for muscularity, and stronger intentions to protect their skin from sun damage. The effects of body image on these measures were not significantly different between women and men.
In general, dissatisfaction with body image is associated with an increased risk of eating disorders, according to the National Eating Disorders Association. But, as a review published in May 2015 in the Journal of Eating Disorders noted, research on eating disorders among men is lacking. Diagnosing and treating eating disorders in men, the authors stated, is further complicated by the fact that current eating disorder diagnostic criteria are based primarily on evidence from female populations.
For decades, eating disorder treatment, diagnosis, and research have been influenced by what researchers call the “SWAG stereotype” (the misconception that eating disorders happen only to skinny, white, affluent girls), research shows. As a result of stereotypes like these, men are less likely to be screened for eating disorders, to recognize their need for treatment, and to be referred for treatment.
How Can Men Cope With Body Image Issues?
If you’re struggling with body image issues, you’re not alone, as research shows. Here are some ways to cope.
1. Talk to People You Trust
Try to find safe people and places to discuss what you’re going through, according to Newport Institute, a network of mental health treatment centers. Pollack recommends finding a trustworthy confidant to open up to who can validate what you’re going through. This might be a friend, partner, or family member. You can also consider joining a support group.
2. Reframe Your Eating and Exercise Goals Around Health Rather Than Appearance
If your body image issues involve unhealthy eating behaviors, like restrictive dieting or a heavy reliance on supplements like protein powder and creatine, Pollack says that normalizing your eating is a key part of healing your body image. “That means eating three meals and two snacks per day, or eating roughly every three hours,” Pollack says. Eliminating or cutting back on supplements can also help.
If you’re not sure how to get started, a registered dietitian who specializes in eating disorders and disordered eating can take some of the guesswork out of this.
The same goes for exercise: If you’re working out too much, it’s important to cut back so that you don’t injure yourself. Some signs that you may be overdoing it, according to MedlinePlus, include an inability to perform at the same level, needing longer periods of rest between workouts, sore muscles or feelings of heaviness in your limbs, loss of motivation, and overuse injuries, among other things.
3. Try to Work Toward Body Acceptance
Try to be kinder to yourself and accept yourself as you are. “Give yourself a break and recognize that perfection only creates difficulty,” Pollack says. “Nobody’s perfect.”
One way to do this is to try to work toward body positivity — the belief that everyone deserves to love and accept their body, regardless of cultural or societal ideals about shape, size, or appearance — by accepting your body as it is and thinking about what you like about it, per Newport Institute.
If body positivity doesn’t seem like a realistic goal for you right now, consider whether body neutrality — going through life without strong positive or negative feelings about how your body looks and focusing instead on appreciating all it does for you — could be more within reach for you.
4. Limit Social Media Use
Remember that depictions of muscular bodies on social media and in movies, TV shows, books, are often unrealistic and curated, per Newport Institute. If necessary, consider limiting how much social media or related media you look at each day to help you avoid comparing your body with these depictions. When you do consume these sources of media, take care to avoid things that you know will trigger a sense of inadequacy about your body.
5. Seek Professional Help if You Need It
The most difficult part of body image healing for men tends to be recognizing the problem and seeking help, says Pollack. As mentioned earlier, body image issues are linked to an increased risk of eating disorders. Potential signs and symptoms of eating disorders include:
- Preoccupation with thoughts about weight, food, calories, or fat
- Avoidance of foods you used to love
- Tendencies to eat alone rather than with others to avoid judgment for how much or little you’re eating
- Excessive exercise, which can include unrealistic goals or exercising despite injuries or fatigue
- Tendency to find fault with your body or perceive its appearance differently from the way others do
- Increased attention toward others’ bodies
- Use of laxatives, diuretics, appetite suppressants, or enemas
If your body image issues are negatively affecting your health or interfering with your ability to function, reach out to a qualified mental health professional for help. Tip: Try to look for a professional who specializes in eating disorders, indicated by the certified eating disorder specialist (CEDS) designation, and or body image concerns.
That said, even if you don’t feel your body image struggles are interfering too much with your life, a licensed mental health professional such as a therapist or counselor can still help you work toward more body peace. You don’t have to have an eating disorder or another mental health condition to benefit from therapy.
6. Look for Online Resources
Online resources and communities geared toward male body image can be very helpful. Pollack recommends checking out the following websites.
- The EveryMan Project, a website that celebrates body diversity and aims to broaden our view of what men can look like. The website showcases a wide range of bodies and body types, and highlights artists and creators who are working to break down male body ideals.
- Minding Men, a video series in which Pollack talks to other experts and researchers about issues related to male body image. Pollack and his guests also offer some insight into how to start overcoming these challenges.
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