Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Men have body issues too
1 comments
I think articles that delve into the complicated realm of male body image are really interesting, like this one on MSN.com. The tone of it is a tad defensive, as if all women are claiming that their body issues are the only ones in existence, but the content is important. Some of the author's main points are:- Men have more body angst than people realize... but men often feel like they can't talk about it, because they'll automatically be ridiculed, since these are supposed to be "girl's issues" (yeah right, a recent survey showed that only 18% of men are happy with their bodies).
- Men will often joke about their bodies to cover up how they're feeling (very true... I've heard many many overweight men joke about their weight, but I have only met a couple of girls who will do the same).
- Men are worried about their bodies because they feel like they are competing for women, and against women.
Read the whole article to see the rest of the points. The article seems to only focus on heterosexual men, but I think insight into body issues that gay men deal with would be really interesting. It seems like the gay male culture seems to put a big emphasis on being fit. I'm not sure why that is... but most gay clubs are filled with muscular men who are dancing shirtless. I have a very good gay friend who suffers from major body issues because he longs to look like these shirtless men. Just something I think should be explored more.
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July 29, 2008 at 3:22 PM
I agree men have body issues, though I think women obsess over them more and are far less easily satisfied. But that's just my take, at least partially from hanging out at Weight Watchers message boards! And I could certainly be wrong. I found your remark about your gay friend extremely interesting.
I have recently become more accepting of myself, "flaws" and all, (I've quit thinking of them as flaws!). Why? I read this really funny, insightful book on the topic of liking what we see in the mirror, "Embracing Your Big Fat Ass." Not big on calling my behind an ass, but hey, the book works. As the authors say, let's all get over the media's pre-occupation with the waif look, and love ourselves the way we are! They even invite us to join their BFAB Society.
Give it a look.