Oh to have the body confidence of a man in a pair of budgie-smugglers
Iwish I had the body confidence of those older men with wine-barrel stomachs holding up their enviable cleavage as they strut around the swimming pool in their speedos.
Summer down under usually means sunscreen and togs (though not so much this year for many).
No-one will confess to it but I think we are all consciously, or unconsciously, eyeing up each others’ togs-clad bodies; comparing ourselves and passing judgment as we paddle by.
But there seems to be this cohort who are obliviously parading their overweight bodies.
A Google Scholar search shows I am not imagining this phenomenon. Research shows that, compared with women, men are generally more satisfied with their own body and consider themselves better looking and less overweight.
This difference starts early with studies showing young girls are
already more conscious about how their body weight affects their appearance than boys. Girls’ esteem for their bodies starts to reduce when they are overweight; it takes boys to be obese before it impacts on their body image.
The extent to which social media then fuels teenage girls’ dissatisfaction with their bodies is a topic of scholarly debate, but not surprisingly the negative impacts of being constantly bombarded with ideals of beauty has been identified. It also looks like our young men are not immune either.
Theories to explain the differences in men’s and women’s views of their bodies focus on women being more frequently confronted with ideal and unachievable bodies. Beauty is thought in Western societies as essential for women, optional for men.
Although the desirable body type for women is uniform, there are a range of desirable body types for men, with divergent body types (like the ‘‘dad bod’’) deemed acceptable. And both men and women internalise this ideal feminine body type and judge women against it.
Take a moment to Google ‘‘confidence in swimsuits’’. What you will get back in 0.4 seconds is 26 million hits with an estimated 99% of them showing images of slender women in bikinis. They focus on how to pick the right costume to hide your fat bits.
The message is clear. Women, if you dare to bare, you must work at it.
In contrast, there are some delightful articles if you search ‘‘men and swimsuits’’ including one extolling the virtues of speedos – they dry faster, are flattering, stylish, comfortable and, of course, are easy to pack.
Research also shows that although women stay dissatisfied with their bodies as they age, men care less and less about their appearance as they get older.
So that accounts for those older speedo-sporting gents.
Rather than scorn these fellows, thinking how brash they are to show off their enormous bellies, I have come to think maybe they have got it right.
Their ability to ‘‘self-enhance’’ their view of themselves, buck the pressure to conform to an ideal body image, and not give two figs, will likely mean their self-worth and mental wellbeing is better off.
Maybe that is something we can all aspire to in 2023.