It seems there is an ever-growing list of reasons for ladies to feel insecure about their bodies, from TikTok’s chubby filter to AI that can transform women into doe-eyed bombshells.
But for every girl who we fret is comparing herself to Barbie, we need to be concerned about the boy idolising Ken.
Unable to Detect Dysmorphia
Millions of men in the UK struggle with body image issues. What struck me about the research on body confidence was men’s lack of awareness of having an unhealthy mindset.
Surveys quantifying levels of body dysmorphia in women reveal that female respondents acknowledge and admit being dissatisfied with their looks. However, in similar surveys aimed at men, researchers have to identify symptoms of body dysmorphia in male respondents. For example, a recent report from Better asked a thousand men if they ‘often’ thought about making themselves more muscular, felt anxious about missing a workout session or had ever forgone professional and social meetings to maintain a diet or extreme exercise routine. From the responses they received, Better were able to deduce that 54 per cent of men display signs of body dysmorphia.
The reasons why men are less able to identify their unhealthy behaviour vary, but many do seem to be under the impression that they are merely keeping fit. For example, Tom Usher says that he did not realise he was obsessively studying the nutritional value of food in the supermarket; he thought he was trying to eat healthily. Jacob Hawley, a columnist at Metro, writes about how his friends felt jealous when he got sick because he lost weight. And retired Olympic swimmer Tom Daley recently opened up about his battles with body dysmorphia, which he kept to himself.
With videos of outrageous fitness regimes rife on social media and jacked-up influencers crowding our phone screens, it is understandable why so many men go to extreme lengths to achieve the ‘perfect’ physique.
But where does the idea of the ‘perfect’ male body come from? In modern times, the answer can be found in the types of media men consume.
Hero to Zero Confidence
It is undeniable that superhero films are partly to blame for the prevalence of body dysmorphia among men. As one of the highest-grossing genres ever, with muscle-clad men in capes pummeling bad guys, the superhero franchise is a firm favourite among young and older men alike. Consider the industry’s most famous actors: Christian Bale, Dwayne (the ‘Rock) Johnson, Chris Hemsworth, Jason Mamoa, Henry Cavill and Chris Evans. These men share a common denominator: a formidable six-pack. Even actors like Kumail Nanjaini, Tom Hiddleston and Chris Pratt, who did not originally have the typical superhero physique when they joined the Avengers Universe, all felt the need to put on substantial muscle.
Why is this significant? Because the majority of DC and Marvel’s fanbase are young, impressionable men who internalise the idea that the superhero body type is desirable. Many aspire to look like their favourite heroes, without stopping to think about how unattainable this is for the average bloke. When we watch a superhero film, we only see the result: actors with chiselled abs strolling around with cool confidence. What we don’t see are the months of restrictive diets and punishing exercise regimes to get them looking superhuman. Many actors, such as Zac Efron and Channing Tatum, have shared their experience of ‘depression’ as a result of ‘unhealthy’ eating regimes when they had to beef up for a role, which included starvation and the use of diuretics to stay in shape.
Lean and Slender
Everywhere you look, gauntness seems to be trending on social media. Manga, for example — a Japanese-inspired genre of graphic novel — has gained worldwide popularity and a large male following. In not being confined by reality, illustrators’ imaginations know no bounds. And neither do the characters’ proportions. Male protagonists, such as those in renowned series like Tokyo Ghoul, Jujitsu Kaisen, Chainsaw Man and Fence, as well as the works of manga artists Junji Ito and Hayao Miyazaki, are unrealistically slim, with abnormally small waists and long limbs. They are the heroes who rely on their brains to outwit their opponents, or the handsome love interests.
But it is incredibly worrying that an entire genre has adopted skinniness as a way to connote attractiveness and intelligence. Just as men who watch superhero movies might aspire to put on muscle, those who read manga could feel pressured to lose weight. This is suggested by the fact that 55 per cent of eight- to 18-year-old boys said they’d be willing to go on a diet to ‘look better’.
Manga is not alone in making slender men its muse. Fashion giants such as Vivienne Westwood, Calvin Klein, Yves Saint Laurent, Emporio Armani and Prada have all come under fire for using disturbingly skinny models in their adverts. And, like their female counterparts, plus-size male models are chronically underrepresented on catwalks. Analysis of Fall/Winter 2024 menswear shows reveals that only 0.2 per cent of models were plus-size.
Dire Dichotomy
‘There’s no one body image ideal for men,’ explains Sam Thomas, author and founder of the charity Men Get Eating Disorders Too. ‘There’s been this very “alpha male” look with big muscles, but on the other hand, you’ve got this slender-but-defined look, and not much going on in between.’
Thomas believes that while there is growing pressure on companies to feature more plus-size women in their campaigns, ‘there isn’t really an equivalent for men,’ he says. On Instagram, just 10 per cent of posts under the hashtag ‘body positivity’ are made by or feature men. In the modelling industry, women have role models like Ashley Graham and Paloma Elsesser. But can you name a single plus-size male model? No, me neither. And despite there being a few famous plus-size actors, such as Jack Black, James Corden, Zach Galifianakis and the late John Candy, many of them rose to prominence playing roles that typecasted them as lazy and irresponsible. Characters such as Lemuel Gulliver or Uncle Buck hardly inspire positive representation of large men.
The dilemma facing today’s men is that they are having to navigate a society that demands they be simultaneously buff and bony, stacked and slim. Unrealistic proportions in films, graphic novels and adverts have fuelled the rising levels of male body dysmorphia. Until we acknowledge that men suffer social scrutiny just as much as women, this simmering epidemic will continue to fester.
Men Get Eating Disorders Too offers support and information for those in need, either over the phone or via email.
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