Magazines Harm Male Body Image
As it turns out, magazines show no sexual discrimination when it comes to damaging body image. Research suggests that younger men who read "Lad's Magazines" (Maxim, FHM, Stuff and Blender) may be psychologically harmed by images of perfect male physiques.
Dr. David Giles surveyed 161 men aged between 18 and 36, and found that those who regularly read the magazines were more likely to be influenced by the imagery within.
A more pressing concern, according to Giles, is the steps a young man might take to look "the part". This may include obsessive exercise and/or the use of anabolic steroids.
He goes on to say: "The message in typical lads' magazines is that you need to develop a muscular physique in order to attract a quality mate. Readers internalize this message, which creates anxieties about their actual bodies and leads to increasingly desperate attempts to modify them."
Professor Naomi Fineberg, a consultant psychiatrist cautions that "we can't say for sure whether these magazines might be causing it, but it's very persuasive that cultural factors are important."
Athletica Nervosa
This is the buzzterm better known as Body Dysmorphic Disorder. Here are some bites about the condition:
- BDD is a mental disorder where an individual is excessively concerned and preoccupied with an imagined or minor defect in their appearance. The preoccupation causes them significant psychological distress that impairs important functioning (e.g. occuppational or self-care), or social aspects of their lives.
- BDD is often misunderstood as a vanity-driven obsession, whereas it is quite the opposite; people with BDD believe themselves to be irrevocably ugly or defective.
- BDD combines obsessive and compulsive aspects, which links it to the OCD spectrum disorders among psychologists. People with BDD may engage in compulsive mirror checking behaviors or mirror avoidance, typically think about their appearance for at least one hour a day (and usually more), and in severe cases may drop all social contact and responsibilities as they become homebound.
- The prevalence of BDD is equal in men and women, and causes chronic social anxiety for those suffering from the disorder
- The suicide rate of those with BDD is more than double that of those with clinical depression and three times as high as those with bipolar disorder
Although the proliferation of media-driven messages of perfection certainly impact younger women more than men - it is interesting (but perhaps not surprising) that men are starting to feel the impact too. And while conditions such as Body Dysmorphic Disorder are extreme and not directly caused by magazines, they are no innocent bystander. I think they are complicit in the collective assault on our self esteem.
References:
- American Psychiatric Association. (2000). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (text revision). Washington, DC.
- Katharine A. Phillips, M.D., and William Menard, B.A. Suicidality in Body Dysmorphic Disorder: A Prospective Study. Am J Psychiatry 163:1280-1282, July 2006
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did a post on this a while back and also have spent a great deal of time witnessing this when I worked in the bodybuilding industry.
it's sad and two wrongs (making men feel badly as women have been "made to" for ages) DONT MAKE A RIGHT, huh?
ReplyI don't read any of those magazines, but I see perfect bodies on the internet all the time. I'm sure that I have a symptom or two of BDD, but not enough to have the disorder. The influence really depends on the person though. When I see those images, I know that I'm working towards building a better body, while others might see those images and feel that they can't have a body like that.
ReplyIs that gargantuan blob of muscle and venous hyperplasia really considered an image of a "perfect male physique"? Seems rather grotesque to me.
ReplyMen who think the bigger they are (muscle-wise) make them more attractive to females which is b.s.
ReplyLikewise, for women, men do not like the skin-and-bones look.
To me, a "perfect physique" is one who is not overweight, fit, toned, well proportioned (and for men, not overly muscular..blekh lol)
I've seen some guys with so much upper body muscle that they look like 'gorillas' when walking with arms kind of rounded (of course, with their shirts off thinking it's sexy). It's ridiculous.
I think as you grow up you are forced to look at pictures of wonderfully thin or muscular celebrities and body builders. They are all around, everywhere you look. You cannot escape it.
There is such a competitive edge with men they want to be the best. This of course, impacts and affects the way a man feels about his body.
My brother used to take steroids for body building. Fortunately he doesn't anymore, but I can understand that competitive edge always trying to be the best. I think men are more like this than women. Consequently health problems as well as weight problems get pushed under the carpet.
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Replyhttp://www.thebikinibodydiet.com
I used to work in a fitness setting and my manager competed in bodybuilding contests. He had sort of a complex about his body...he could never be bulky enough for his own satisfaction. He always complained that his thighs weren't muscular enough or that his pecs weren't ripped enough, etc. I always thought he had an amazing physique, but compared to the muscle magazines he was always reading, he was "skinny". I guess we kind of think that men are immune to the media images, but they're just as susceptible as anyone else, I suppose.
ReplyMost men tell me they fine overthin women unattractive and yet women are always striving for that. When it comes to men, I personally find overly buff men (like the picture for this post) to be unattractive. Of course I want my man to have some muscle, but the bulging biceps looks gross to me.
ReplyI think a lot of people think the bigger the muscles the stronger also, but that's not true either. The muscles have just been worked more in ways to make them larger. It's neither healthy or more efficient to have this. It's solely cosmetic, But, this can raise blood pressure, increase heart load, decrease flexibility and lead to joint problems in the future if done improperly to excess. This if the builders stay away from steroids... if not the problems are much worse.
ReplyI think they may affect men's perception of themselves, but I think they don't have the same impact they do onto women. Society seems to place more pressure on women achieving that "ideal" where as society is more relaxed on men achieving it.
ReplyWe all should know how good it feels to be fit and healthy. Whether we choose to live in that zone is mostly up to us. Magazines of fit individuals don't create mental illness, they inspire us to be our best.
ReplySeeing a pumped up body-build male image is a relatively new phenomenon. In the past our male image role models were people like Clint Eastwood and others who were more wiry than muscular. I'm interested to hear this syndrome called Athletica Nervosa which I'd never heard of before.... from the research I've done I think it's much more commonly known as bigorexia (http://www.ditch-diets-live-light.com/bigorexia.html)or The Adonis Complex.
ReplyCari
I would love to be big, muscular and ripped. I'd be thrilled to have arms like that in the photo.
Ladies might be surprised to learn that my desire has absolutely nothing to do with attracting a mate. For one, I'm already married and as my wife has told me many times, she doesn't care what I look like.
I am working hard in the gym and eating a clean diet and building muscle little by little each day to try and achieve a similar physique simply because I want it! It would give me great pride to have a body that lets people know that I work hard, and have discipline. I want to achieve something that 99% of people are simply unwilling to achieve.
There's nothing as satisfying as continually conquering your former self, physically and mentally, and body building is the epitome of that quest. It requires constant self discipline, physical and mental toughness, and great desire.
I want to have what every man wants but won't do the work to acquire. I want to be envied.
ReplyYou want to be envied for -that-?
You really think that will make much of a difference in the long run? Honestly? You want to be envied for having enormous, grotesque muscles and spending countless hours at the gym lifting weights and eating "clean". You want to be envied for having "control?" You know, you sound exactly like an anorexic girl.
There's a big difference between being healthy and being obsessed with health related goals. One of them prolongs your life and increases the quality of it - the other takes everything from it. Being obsessed with an ideal is a slippery slope, my friend, and draws looks of pity not envy.
Go ahead - achieve what 99% of people of haven't. Do it. Meanwhile, that other 99% of people will have a life and laugh at you for wasting all that time on such a silly, ridiculous goal. I mean, really. Do you think people really care about your muscles? At your funeral are people going to say, "Well, that Barry! He had the biggest muscles I ever saw." No, probably not.
Eat healthy, exercise moderately, be a good, respectable person, and live your freakin' life. Honestly.
ReplyI go to the beach a lot because I love the ocean. I workout maybe 30 minutes to an hour each day while listening to the radio or watching tv. My girl friend says I have a fantastic body from the neck down. She loves to see me and is all over my body giving me massages. I started to notice when I go to the beach, women are constantly pointing their cellphones at me. My girl friend told me that they are taking my picture. When ever I go out now, I notice a lot of women staring at me, smiling, or wanting to talk to me. It gets a little annoying when they do this when I am with my girlfriend. I feel like a movie star when I go out. I have seen professional photographers taking pictures of me while I walk down the beach. Women seem to always want to touch me when they approach me and try to start a conversation. I generally stay to myself, and I am happy on just life. I like taking long walks, going to museums, smelling the flowers, exploring nature, and just being happy to be alive. I think having a positive outlook on life, treating people with kindness and dignity, listening to others, and being humble and respectful to my God, are qualities that make people very attractive. I never considered myself attractive until other people started complimenting my looks. I even changed my wardrobe and I wear a very nice suit to work each day. I dress for success. The compliments keep coming, my girlfriend loves the new me, and I am having fun feeling like and maybe even looking like a Brad Pitt to women.
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