You may not consider the topic of male body image and the struggles that go along with it. Yet men struggle with their bodies, just like women. However, many people think it’s a female issue. Thus men may suffer in silence, as they are embarrassed that they struggle with it too.

If you spend time in a gym, what you tend to see is men checking out their level of muscularity. This can be tied to their sense of masculinity. One might think that the more muscular men are the most secure, yet often times that is not the case.

Muscle dysmorphia

In some cases their body image distortion makes them think they are less muscular than they really are, leading to male body image dissatisfaction. People would say these men are muscular, yet when they look in the mirror, they don’t agree. We refer to this as muscle dysmorphia or bigorexia. The male does not think they are muscular enough, even though the opposite is true.

Body dysmorphic disorder

Muscle dysmorphia is a type of Body Dysmorphic Disorder. With this disorder someone focuses on a body part that may have a slight imperfection, or an imperfection that no one would notice. The person engages in repetitive behaviors such as checking themselves in the mirror, seeking reassurance from others, or grooming excessively. These behaviors cause clinically significant distress in areas of functioning such as socially, or at work. They may avoid certain places, or not go to social events because they think they look so bad. Some may even become suicidal.

I have worked with men who feel that they can’t date because they are not muscular enough. Others  would not take their shirt off at the beach for fear of what people would think. The way they think prevents them from living the life they want.

It is more difficult to see a body image disturbance such as muscle dysmorphia, as the way the person presents may be healthy. You see the guy working out and eating healthy and you think that is good. It is much easier to hide than anorexia or bulimia.

Of course social media and all the videos that are out there do not help. Images of the perfect male with their 6-pack abs are all over the place. This gives the notion that this is the ideal male in our culture. Realistically we don’t know how many of these men are using steroids giving the false impression that you too can look like this by following this regimen, or buying that product.

Impact of Covid on Male Body Image

Time online

We were all locked down. Many of us didn’t go to work as we worked from home. This may have helped with a negative body image, as we were less social. Yet it also gave us more time to spend on line. So for some watching Tik Tok videos or other social media may have exacerbated things.

Videoconferencing

During lockdown many people worked online. Seeing yourself on camera may have made things worse as you are staring at yourself all day. It also didn’t help that you may not have been able to get a hair cut. If you don’t like what you see, it can be detrimental.

Less gym time and male body image

During Covid, people weren’t able to do their normal workouts, so their level of muscularity may have decreased. Thus they may feel that they don’t look as good.

On the flip side, they may have done alternative exercise, but feel flabby even if they aren’t doing their old regimen.

Dr. Olivarida, has done years of research on male body image and was one of the authors of the book, “The Adonis Complex: How to Identify, Treat and Prevent Body Obsession in Men and Boys.” He describes the anxiety that is behind this obsession. There is the feeling that if I look perfect, people will like me more, or I don’t be rejected.

What to do about male body image dissatisfaction

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)

CBT is a well-researched type of therapy for eating disorders and body image disturbance. We teach you several common cognitive distortions (errors in thinking) and how to combat them.

It also important to recognize the relationship between the way you think and the way you feel.

Awareness of harm of social media on male body image

Remember, most people who post on social media only show the best of the best. In addition we don’t know if the person has done something unhealthy or harmful to obtain their level of muscularity.

There are many aspects of masculinity other than muscularity in our society and other measures of success. These can be personal and professional attributes. The average person will not know if you have 6-pack abs or not.

It is important to be healthy and perfection is not possible.

Self-talk

We all talk to ourselves in our head. You may not be very aware of it, or it may be nagging you constantly.

Is that voice negative or positive? If it is negative, whose voice is it? It is important to learn to talk back to it in a healthier voice. Remember, you didn’t get here overnight, so this won’t change overnight.

If you or someone you know struggles with body image issues or an eating disorder, therapy can help. Please give me a call at 713-304-6554.

Take care,

Debbie