Body image - men

What is body image?

Your body image is how you perceive, think and feel about your body. This can include your body’s size, shape and weight, or individual body parts. Your body image may not be directly related to your actual appearance. For example, a person may think and feel that their body is much larger or smaller than it is. Your experiences with body image can be both positive and negative – it is a shifting experience that can be influenced by both the internal and external things in our lives.

Although body image issues have traditionally been thought of as a women's health concern, people of all ages and genders can experience body image concerns.

Poor body image or body dissatisfaction often results from comparing your body with what society (social media, television, health and fitness industries) tells you is the ideal male body size and shape. This ideal can be different for lots of people, as it is influenced by things like environment and culture. In Australia, studies have shown that the number of men experiencing body dissatisfaction in the last 25 years has risen from 15 to 45 per cent.

It is not uncommon for men with body dissatisfaction to be focussed on weight loss and muscle building, which can lead to excessive or compulsive exercising and the use of image-enhancing drugs (such as steroid use).

Body image and eating disorders

Poor body image or body dissatisfaction is often linked to dieting behaviours, excessive exercising, and increases the risk of developing an eating disorder, such as anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa and binge eating disorder.

Around one third of people with an eating disorder are male (although it is likely that this is under-reported). Unfortunately, many men experiencing an eating disorder delay or avoid seeking help. This can be due to a number of reasons, including the stigma of having what many people regard incorrectly as a ‘female illness’, general hesitation in seeking medical help, and an unwillingness to seem ‘weak’ in experiencing an eating disorder. In addition, eating disorders in men are often misdiagnosed or undiagnosed by medical practitioners.

It is thought that men in certain professions such as athletes, body builders, models and dancers, may be particularly vulnerable to poor body image or body dissatisfaction, which can increase a person’s risk of developing an eating disorder. This may be because they are more likely to be in situations where they are judged (or believe they will be judged) according to their appearance, size, shape or weight.

Additionally, men within the LGBTQIA+ community are disproportionately affected by body image concerns and eating disorders; studies suggest that 42 per cent of men with eating disorders identify as gay or bisexual.

Body image and unhealthy behaviours in men

A negative body image or body dissatisfaction is a risk factor for a range of behaviours, such as:

• dieting – this can include counting calories, fasting, eliminating food groups
• engaging in periods of binge eating
• engaging in behaviours to compensate for food intake, including self-induced vomiting, laxative or diuretic use
• excessive or compulsive exercise
• steroid misuse to manipulate body size and shape – using performance and image-enhancing drugs to promote muscle growth or reduce body fat.

Causes of negative body image in men

Some of the factors that may contribute to a negative body image in men include:

• appearance or weight-related teasing or bullying in childhood or adolescence
• peer pressure among teenage boys and men to be physically 'tough' and 'strong'
• a cultural tendency to judge people on their appearance
• societal messages that emphasise a particular ideal body for men (elite sports, television, social media, advertising) – usually lean and muscular
• well-meaning public health campaigns that urge people to lose weight.

Improving your body image

A negative body image may have developed over the course of your life, so improving how you think and feel about your body can take time and effort. Suggestions on how to improve your body image include:

• Reflect on your experiences and try to identify the influences on your body image from throughout your life.
• Try weighing or ‘body-checking’ (pinching, measuring, mirror-checking) yourself less often. Focus on health and how your body functions, not weight, size and shape.
• Make a pact with yourself to treat your body with respect, regardless of how you feel about it.
• Eating for nourishment and pleasure – avoiding viewing food as something to be ‘earned’ by your body.
• Moving your body in a joyful way that focuses on fitness.
• Try to shift to a healthier focus of how your body functions and consider all your body helps you do in life, rather than just focusing on how your body looks.
• Learn more about body image and strategies that may help you.
• Focus on reasons for exercising that are not related to your body’s appearance or changing your body shape (such as stress release, fitness and strength, or improved concentration and energy).
• Think critically about the messages and images you engage with in the media.

Support for body image issues

If your mood is being affected by how you feel about your body, you are noticing that you are overly focused on your body’s appearance, or if you are engaging in unhelpful behaviours such as dieting, binge eating or compulsive exercising, then seeking professional help is a good idea.

Mental health professionals who are trained in the areas of body image and body dissatisfaction can help you to shift negative beliefs and behaviours.

Where to get help

• Your GP (doctor)
• Counsellor
• Psychologist
• Kids Helpline Tel. 1800 55 1800
• MensLine AustraliaTel. 1300 78 99 78
• Dietitians Australia Tel. 1800 812 942
• Eating Disorders Victoria Helpline Helpline Tel. 1300 550 236
• Butterfly Foundation for Eating Disorders National Helpline Tel. 1800 33 4673