Increasingly boys and men of all ages are inundated with images of the ‘perfect’ male body type they should be aspiring to or achieving. Whether it be social media, dating shows and apps, fitness influencers or even porn, they all tout a male aesthetic of chiselled features, perfect teeth, rippling muscles and a perfectly groomed persona that for many is almost impossible to achieve or maintain. This bombardment of the ‘male ideal’ is leading to an ever increasing presence of male body image issues that is damaging mental health, confidence, social interaction and even sexual performance.
Do Men Have Body Image Issues
The short answer is yes, and increasingly so.
According to research carried out by Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM):
- 35% of men are unhappy about the way they look.
- 45% of men struggle with their mental health because of how their body looks.
- 39% of men feel the pressure to have the ‘perfect’ body.
According to the research carried out by the Mental Health Foundation millions of men in the UK are affected by body image issues. They found:
- 21% of men dress in a way that hide parts of their body they do not like.
- 22% of men negatively compare themselves to others because of body image issues.
- 11% of men have experienced suicidal thoughts because of body image issues.
The Mental Health Foundation also reports:
- 25% of boys aged 13-19 are worried about their body image.
- 10% of secondary school boys would consider taking steroids to achieve their body goals.
- 24% of boys avoid taking part in physical education due to worries about their appearance.
Priory Group report that around 25% of those affected by an eating disorder are male, and The Independent reports over half of men with eating disorders never get any help for it.
The Healthline website describes bigorexia (also known as muscle dysphoria), a body dysmorphic disorder that triggers a preoccupation in males that their body is not big or muscular enough which can lead to risks around steroid misuse, depression and even thoughts of suicide. The Men’s Health website highlights that muscle dysmorphia is on the rise.
What Is Body Image
The Psychology Dictionary website defines body image as: “A mental picture which one forms of the body as a whole This covers both the physical characteristics and functional aspects of the body.”
The Psychology Dictionary website defines body concept as: “It is the sum of all thoughts, feelings, and opinions evoked when a person views his or her physique.”
Based on this, a simplistic distinction could be, your body image is the mental picture you hold on yourself, whereas your body concept will be your feelings and opinions that you hold in relation to our body image.
If you hold a positive and/or contented ‘picture’ in your mind about your physical attributes and features, it is likely you will have a positive a positive body concept. What happens though when that ‘picture’ you hold is not a positive one?
What Aspects of Body Image Do Men Worry About
Boys and men can worry about and be dissatisfied with their overall physical appearance, or can focus in and fixate on certain aspects of their physical self that they feel are unattractive, inferior or disfigured, including their:
- Height.
- Weight.
- Muscle density and distribution.
- Facial features.
- Hair growth and hair loss.
- Penis size.
What Can Influence Male Body Image
Culture: The Huffington Post website highlights that who is considered the ‘ideal’ male body can be different based on the cultural context a male grows up in. Each society or male grouping will have some concept of the ‘norm’ that boys and men often feel compelled to adhere to in order to fit In.
Celebrities: An article on the Healthline website examines how the portrayal of a certain type of male body aesthetic in Hollywood movies, whereby the ‘superhero’ is also ‘super buff’ can create pressure for men to use these male movie idols as a ‘blueprint’ of the body image they should aim to be achieving.
Social Media: An article on the Metro website highlights how the ever increasing presence and presentation of unattainable ideals of the male body on social media are driving more and more men to negatively compare themselves to the chiselled hunks they are seeing daily in their Socials feeds.
Dating Apps: One of the main ways to achieve romantic or sexual connections is via a dating app. Research on the Science Direct website shows that the ‘swipe culture’ of these applications is seriously damaging the mental health and body confidence of users.
Porn: The Psychology Today website highlights that porn promotes and perpetuates and unrealistic view of male bodies (and male sexual performance) that can trigger a sense of inferiority in male viewers.
Sexual Confidence and Experience: For males who are just starting out on their sexual experiencing journey, and who as yet do not have a lot of confidence in this area of life experiencing, worries about if others will find their body appealing and/or satisfying can trigger worries about their body image, as they do not possess ‘evidence’ yet that others will find them sexually appealing.
The Impacts of a Poor Body Image
Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD): The NHS website describes BDD as a mental health condition that sees someone hyper-focusing on ‘flaws’ in their appearance which cause distress and/or inhibit life functioning. The Body Dysmorphic Disorder Foundation website has some very useful information on the condition.
Mood Disruption: Males who are extremely dissatisfied or unhappy with an aspect of their body image are much more likely to be affected by intense and disruptive emotions such as anger, anxiety and low mood.
Behavioural Inhibition: Holding a negative view of appearance and appeal can cause males to be inhibited in their life functioning. This can include a reluctance to be social, to date, to speak up in work or even just to be out in public where the can be seen by other people.
Lack of Sexual Confidence: Feeling dissatisfied with aspects of body confidence that particularly relate to sexual appeal, such as say penis size, can cause many men to predetermine that others will not find them sexually attractive, and can also contribute to worries over sexual performance and the ability not only to attract, but also to satisfy a sexual partner.
Pursuit of Extreme Interventions: If males are strongly dissatisfied with body image, there is a risk that of pursuing more and more extreme actions to achieve ‘perfection. The WebMD website notes many young men are developing eating problems and/or using steroids to try to ‘sculpt’ their ideal body shape. The BBC News website highlights the rise of use of steroids among males, and the risks of using them.
Other extreme measures males can turn to in order to try to address a poor body image can include cosmetic surgery and weight loss medications, both of which can be very costly and come with potential adverse side effects.
Take Steps to Reframe Your Body Image
If you have a ‘poor’ body image and associated to that, negative feelings and opinions about yourself, maybe it is time to stop, do a fair and compassionate reappraisal of yourself, then focus on a realistic plan for changing what can be changed (and which you truly want to change for you), and coming to an acceptance of the aspects of your physical self that cannot be changed, or which do not need to be changed.
Step 1 – Carry Out a Full Body Appraisal: If you have become focused on parts of your body you do not like, try to step back a bit and look at the ‘whole picture’ of your physicality. Everyone has bits they do not like, but there may be bits of you that you do like. If you are not sure you can trust your own perspective, then rope in someone you trust to help you with this.
Step 2 – Decide For Yourself What a Physically Attractive Male is: Don’t buy into the hype on Socials, porn etc. about what a man is meant to look like, there are many different versions of attractive, work out for yourself what your values are around what makes for a healthy male body.
Step 3 – Know Your ‘Tribe’ and Your Limitations: If you are going to compare yourself to others, be fair in doing this, and be honest about your limitations. No point comparing yourself to someone who has a totally different physiology to you, or someone who is of a different age, or who belongs to a different ‘tribe’.
Step 4 – Make a Sensible Plan of Action: If there are aspects of your physical self you can change and want to, then by all means make a plan of action to strive towards being the best possible physical version of yourself. Focus on showing of your best attributes and being realistic in your efforts. Perfection is never possible, and be wary of extreme measures and actions.
Step 5 - Embrace Being You and Show Off: There truly is not one version of a male ‘ideal’ that will be universally regarded and praised by everyone. Don’t try to be appealing to everyone, focus on liking who you are first and foremost. Be proud of who you are and do not be afraid to own your body image, and show it off. The most attractive quality of all will always be self-confidence.
How MANN uP Can Help
If your body image is causing you distress and/or inhibiting your life functioning, then a personal programme can help you to reappraise and reframe your view of your physical self to a more affirming and empowering one.
The programme can help you to cope with disruptive emotions, and make internal and external changes (if needed), in a compassionate and supportive manner. If can also give you the encouragement and support through graded exposure, experimentation and desensitization to learn to be confident and proud when presenting your physical self to the world.