Starve: Adventures in Male Body Image

Devin McDonald

I sit here with hunger in my stomach. I contemplate whether or not to eat something. I could continue to starve myself until 6pm or I could eat something more befitting of my caloric requirements. That's to say, not just coffee, almonds and Preventia; the current composition of my diet. Though I would like to say that this behavior is some sort of act of self discipline, asceticism, or religious fasting, it is more accurately a feature of my neurotic—if not wholly irrational—approach to weight loss. After returning from Japan earlier this year, I discovered that my weight had risen by about 10 lbs (apparently, ramen is much fattier than it looks). Upon discovering my body's adoption of ten butter sticks, I shifted my mental fortitude towards the practice of weight loss. My form of dieting consists largely of not eating, as opposed to more strategic formulations of planned meals or low calorie foods or whatever the diet de jour happens to be. I have been informed, perhaps ad nauseum, of the ill conceived nature of my plan. Yet I persist daily pondering whether to indulge in another packet of Preventia.

I am revealing all of this to you not because I think my dieting habits are especially interesting or something you ought to follow. In fact, I find writing this quite uncomfortable. It is not easy for me, as a heterosexual male, who for all intents and purposes is quite normal, to admit that I have body image issues. Nonetheless, I am writing about this because I think I am anything but an exception. I think I am part of a silent majority of men who struggle to find satisfaction with their body image. 

There is a notable public discourse on the body image pressures women face. It is even a feature of pop culture for women to dread over the vicissitudes of their weight or to dote over their public image. Yet this is rarely the case for men, only the vainest characters might obsess over their outfit or their physical condition (barring physical condition for sports). This is not to say that women do not face immense pressure about their body image, but rather that men face similar if not equal pressure to conform to an unattainable ideal—Adonis is just as coveted as Venus. The difference is that men have not had the same emotional release valves available to them.

The most dominant social construction of male body image is one of contradiction. Ostensibly we are taught to not care about what we look like. Real men are too busy logging forests or lifting rocks to bare any attention to their outward appearance. Clothing is a matter of utility. Skin is a matter of irritation. Selling body care products to men must be done either by appealing to the magnetic affect the product has in drawing women, or through the convenience of its use. Yet despite the assumption of apathy towards appearance there is still pressure to look like you are the captain of the rowing team; until we have become walking inverted triangles we have failed to acquire any sense of manhood. Notably, just as the vast majority of women’s bodies do not adhere to the super model body image, the vast majority of men do not adhere to any equivalent platonic ideal. 

What is perhaps most troubling about the paradoxical nature of male body image is the lack of avenues it avails to men to talk about their insecurities. It's not exactly poker table conversation to talk about your concern for your the extra weight around your hips, or your under-defined arms, all this between burps and gulps of beer. You're caught forfeiting your manhood lest you attempting to air any insecurities. 

Body images issues for women are increasingly within the scope of the public eye. Dove's famous campaign focused on accepting the diversity of the female form and the implication that there is no perfect body type is a good example. 

One need not look further than the use of steroids as a demonstration of male body images issues. So compelling is the need for the ideal body, some men pursue the use of both illegal and dangerous substances to assist in their endless chase of perfection. The US-based National Institute for Drug Use reports that the use of anabolic steroids can lead to “kidney impairment or failure; damage to the liver; and cardiovascular problems including enlargement of the heart, high blood pressure, and changes in blood cholesterol leading to an increased risk of stroke and heart attack.” The drug can also have long-term psychiatric complications including the notorious “roid rage,” in addition to other states of mental instability. 

Even worse perhaps, is the silence which surrounds the issue of male anorexia and bulimia. 20 percent of those with either of the two diseases is male but given the public image of body images condition one would think the condition only afflicts the female half of the population. The focus of treatment on women is strong enough to make it significantly harder for men to recover. Men afflicted with anorexia take, on average, one-third longer to recover. This is likely due to the immense difficulty one would have in admitting they have a problem and seeking help; I have difficulty imagining something harder than admitting to have a condition which is branded by the public as residing wholly in the sphere of the female. 

A recent GQ article chronicled the dire state of support for male anorexics and bulimics. They found that a majority of treatment centres did not admit male patients due to the gender focused nature of their treatment. If a male becomes an anorexic they face the dually troubling feat of both admitting their affliction and seeking out nearly non-existent treatment options. 

Making progress on body image issues for both men and women require that we move forward in our understanding of the state of mind that drives someone to starve themselves into ill health. Common features of anorexics are obsessive, perfectionist, and neurotic behaviors. We need to recognize that the juncture of these mental attributes and a society which drives its member to physical obsession are the cause of anorexia and bulimia. Bulimia arises not from the some innate female qualities but rather from the pressures mentioned above.

The intent of the essay is not to undermine the value of all the work that goes into supporting the pressures women face with regards to their body. They face just as steep a hill as men, if not steeper, as evidenced by the 80 percent of anorexics that are female. Rather the intent is bring to light and contribute to the growing dialogue about the issues men face with their bodies. Silence does not betoken apathy but often an inner struggle confronting the paradox of the ideal male. It is easy to appear not to have body images issues when you are a TV character who embodies everything that is the ideal. Yet, in reality not everyone can have a six-pack or shoulders like an ox. What we should recognize as a society is that not having those features is just fine. Just as the women in the Dove commercial are shown accepting their body, why can't men?

Fortunately, I am not anorexic nor bulimic but I cannot say with confidence this is due to a complete invulnerability. Rather, I feel this is in part due to the support I have available to me. I have a strong group of friend and a supportive family. I often feel that in other circumstances the obsessive, neurotic, and compulsive natures which often drive my ability could spur on a much more harrowing affliction than my occasional dieting. Yet there remains innumerable men who do not have the support systems I do, who may fall into a similar trap but find themselves in a hall of silence.