How pressure to conform to body image is harming men’s health

ADVERTISERS and social media companies need to take a more responsible attitude in their portrayal of male body image, according to youth leaders and campaigners who are concerned that the pressure to conform to a masculine stereotype is putting young men’s health at risk.

Their call comes after a study published this week by Credos, the research arm of the Advertising Association, found that boys are increasingly acknowledging body image issues as concern is growing for both genders.

The report, which surveyed 1,005 secondary and primary schoolboys, found more than half (56 per cent) see eating disorders as an issue for boys and girls, while 55 per cent would consider changing their diet to look better.

While 23 per cent said they believed there was a perfect male body they should aspire to, 56 per cent said that if they were concerned about their looks they would struggle to ask for help from teachers. Almost one-third would find it difficult to speak to their parents.

Young men also told the Sunday Herald that visual social media apps, such as Snapchat and Instagram, used by the majority of their peer group, helped drive unrealistic images of masculinity – research shows more than one-fifth will alter images before posting, adding flattering filters or Photoshopping out blemishes. The majority were unaware of the extent to which advertisers use image enhancing tools.

A further study by the University of East Anglia (UEA) – also published this week – has suggested traditional routes to success and power have been eroded in “Austerity Britain”, causing young men to seek value instead through their bodies. Report author Dr Jamie Hakim claims there has been a noticeable rise in young men sharing images of their bulked-out bodies on social media platforms since 2008.

Bill Stevenson, Scottish director for the Boys’ Brigade, said: “At the BBs we’ve seen an increase in the number of young men going to the gym, which from a health benefit perspective is great, but there’s also the danger that people try to change their physique by putting their bodies through excessive strain.

“Sadly, statistics show that cosmetic surgery, muscle-enhancing drugs and skipping meals is on the increase in eight to 18-year-olds in a bid to achieve their idea of perfection.

“We are urging advertisers to take a step back and ensure a more equal representation of body image.

“It’s no longer just female images in the media that are Photoshopped to be slimmer, but increasingly male images to make them appear more muscular. If more realistic examples of body image were represented in the media, it could help create a more positive example to young people, some of whom currently feel the pressure to achieve unrealistic results.”

Paul O’Shea, 24, from Coatbridge, a youth leader with the organisation said he had noticed young men becoming more self-conscious about their bodies, often wearing baggier clothes for sports activities or keeping tops on during swimming.

He believes that young men often find themselves in a catch 22-type situation. “Society expects young men to be able to handle themselves, not to be caught up in emotional drama, which is seen to be unmasculine,” he added.

“But at the same time, not to look a certain way is also perceived as unmasculine. Our response is create safe spaces where young men can talk about whatever it is that is bothering them and not be judged.”

David Kerr, 19, from Larbert, who has worked in retail since leaving college, said he is aware of the growing pressure on young men but does not take it on board. “It would be easy to point the finger at the media,” he added, “but I think it’s more of a confidence issue.

“I know that celebrities

If more realistic examples of body image were represented in the media, it could help create a more positive example to young people, some of whom currently feel the pressure to achieve unrealistic results

will post pictures on Snapchat of themselves going to the gym or whatever, and a lot of our age group use Snapchat and other picture-based social media platforms like Instagram. I think that’s also an offender.”

However, others have found the pressure harder to handle. A recent investigation found that up to one million people across Britain may now be us- ing steroids, while a small minority has even found the pressure to look good has triggered serious conditions such as body dysmorphia and eating disorders.

Danny Bowman, now 21, from Newcastle, became obsessed with taking selfies as a teenager after those he had posted on social media looking for validation attracted “mean comments”. At 14, he was spending up to 10 hours a day looking in the mirror, and dropped out of school.

“I ended up taking up to 200 selfies a day, searching for the perfect image,” he said. “I would also zoom in on tiny imperfections and end up getting obsessed with them. When I was 15 it reached crisis point and I attempted suicide.”

Bowman was referred to the Maudsley psychiatric hospital in London, diagnosed with body dysmorphia disorder, and finally got the help he so badly needed.

He is now planning to set up the Bowman Foundation, an organisation lobbying for more mental health support for young people, and wants to study health and social care at college.

“Young men need more support,” he said. “The companies running social media sites need to be more aware too and take more responsibility to inform people about how things are filtered and changed.”

He agrees with campaigners who have argued that Photoshopped images should carry “warning” stickers to help counter unrealistic portrayals of body image.

Pete Born, 25, from the Cotswolds, who struggled with eating disorders from his primary school days until five years ago, said the pressure to conform to a certain type of body image was a factor in his condition.

He said: “I was bullied a lot growing up and never understood why. I thought if I changed how I looked, I might be less prone to the beatings, but that wasn’t the case.

“It stuck with me though for many years, and I continued my trend of eating and using exercise and various other known methods to bring that food back up, or burn it off again. At the start of my teenage years I was a weight that no human that age and height should be. I was very ill.

“I was training for basketball three to four hours a day, going to the gym for two to three hours and then training again in the evening for basketball, or going running.

“You see men in magazines, on television and in films who look a certain way, and it can almost create a false image for us to aspire to, when it may not be attainable in a healthy way. It’s very difficult when it surrounds us everywhere.”

Now he is recovering and uses his YouTube channel to try to counter negative messages about body images. “I’m growing to be more comfortable in my own skin,” he added.

However, for Dave Chawner, 27, who is performing a show at the Edinburgh Festival – Normally Abnormal – about his experience of anorexia, the link is not so simple. “For me it was an addiction and an illness,” said the award-winning comic, who developed anorexia when he was just 17. “It was a way of distracting myself from the fact that I felt out of control.

“It allowed me to measure my success in the number of calories I had eaten, the pounds I had lost.”

However, he agrees there is a need to find ways to help young people escape from the pressure of image conformity. “We are bringing up a generation of kids who think of themselves as a brand rather than an individual,” he said.

“We do have lots of people in our society who are striving to be themselves but a lot of people, both men and women, get caught up in the crossfire.”