Body Image: Men Have It, Too
This isn’t about who has it the hardest; rather, it’s about how the conversation around male body image is almost nonexistent. But why is that?
Do me a favor—Google image search "body image" and see what comes up. Then, search "male body image" and compare the results. First, you'll notice that the vast majority of search results focus on female body image. Second, the images related to male body image primarily depict muscular men, men in gym clothes, or different male body types (apparently, there are only three?! And the purpose is to understand how to work out based on your body type…). Thankfully, there are some images suggesting body dysmorphia and one blog post from 2017 about male body image—but do you see my point?
It’s understandable why the conversation around body image is primarily female-dominated—no one can deny the grueling societal expectations placed on women. However, in many ways, men experience a similar struggle, though it manifests differently. Over the past few decades, the expectation for male body image has increasingly focused on muscle composition. Muscularity has been equated with strength (obviously), but also with success, virility, confidence, and power in a more metaphorical sense. Men are made to feel self-conscious for being too skinny, not skinny enough, too fat, or not muscular enough—the last of which is especially prevalent in the gay male community.
As a male-identifying individual, I’ve had my own complex history with body image issues, starting at the ripe age of 10. I vividly remember being at a classmate’s birthday party, participating in a water balloon fight, when I got hit and yelled, “You stupid cow!” At the time, I had no deeper meaning attached to it—it was just something I’d heard my cousin say in a funny accent. But then, one of the parents at the party looked directly at me and said, “You’re not looking too slim yourself.” To a 10-year-old. Great work, parent! That was the moment I first realized that maybe I didn’t have a "straight-sized" body or one deemed acceptable by fat-phobic standards.
Throughout my life, my body image has evolved, shaped by various influences. But the most profound impact has come from being a gay-identifying man. If I wasn’t already clear on male body standards, walking into the Equinox in the West Village as a 24-year-old quickly solidified them—there was only one acceptable body type: super muscular. Fast-forward 10 years. I had completed graduate school for nutrition and worked as a registered dietitian for five years, yet my real journey to understanding my own body image had only just begun.
Over the past year, I’ve started analyzing male body image in the broader context of society and diet culture, and I see a massive void in the conversation. As a dietitian, I’ve always felt pressure to look a certain way—after all, I should “look the part,” right? Wrong. That realization has been my greatest personal breakthrough, and there is so much left to uncover about male body image.
So here’s what I’m ultimately here to say: If you’re a man feeling trapped in your body, lacking confidence, struggling to meet some arbitrary standard, feeling unworthy of love or admiration, or even if this isn’t a topic you’ve considered before—I see you. I’m here to start conversations and shake things up!