I have always wondered why the fellas never seemed to suffer from anorexia. Body image issues perhaps are not as important to men as they are for women. However, I did not matter whether you were a boy or a girl when you were at school the overweight kids always got plenty of stick for being fat. I was a fat kid and I am a fat adult.
So, I can speak with relative authority about getting plenty of stick at school for being overweight.
I was also pretty sporty and played lots of sports. So, I guess this kept the weight in check a little.
That said, I wonder whether I go to the gym now because I have body issues or just because I want to keep a little fit so that I can live long enough to see the Kid grow into a man. I think it is because I wanna see the Kid grow into a man. If it was a body issue thing then I would be eating to a different pattern. I eat fairly clean.
Anyways, I was scanning through the Sydney Morning Herald the other day and came across this article on "manorexia" which is a term coined to describe anorexia in men. It is estimated that more than 7 million Australians are overweight or obese. Yes, this is somewhere around one-third of the population is heavier than it should be according to current guidelines.
In NSW it is estimated that 1 in 10 adults and 1 in 4 children that are suffering from anorexia are male. This means that the vast majority of those suffering from anorexia remain women, at least in cases that are being reported. Apparently, photos like the one above encourage eating disorders in boys as they strive to look like a male model.
Postscript:
This post has been modified slightly from the original post. The figures regarding anorexia in the original post were mistyped. This has been rectified.
12 comments:
The crazy comedian Russel Brand was anorexic (and bulimic too, I guess), when he was a teenager. I guess people thought men don't really care about their bodies, while they actually do, big time! :).
FW...
I think we do care. Some more than others, but I think all do.
I wonder why people thought men were different to women on this?
Rob...
Maybe because men had designed the world so that women must suffer more for the sake of beauty?
And the perception of beauty for women is always changing - twiggy skinny yesterday, Beyonce curvy the next...
While men, well... they don't have to worry about sagging boobs or flabby thighs and arms. As long as they don't have a beer gut all is fine and dandy ;)
I am happy with my body!
But then I am a polar bear.....
Therry...
I think that is the point I am trying to make. Is that people have been so focused on women and anorexia that the fact that men suffer from it as well has been overlooked.
Perhaps it is not as simple as not having a beer gut. Maybe body image is much more for men that just that (or in the reverse the need to have a 6-pack).
PB...
Maybe this is also the point. Can we be happy with our bodies as they are when we are being bombarded with certain body images that are deemed acceptable and others that are looked on a little more harshly?
It is an interesting subject. Not that I will spend much time on it, as I am generally happy with where I am at. I guess if I wasn't I would be a little more committed to doing something about it.
I think the SMH must have its figures wrong. 25% of boys are anorexic? My guess is that 25% of boys have eating disorders - which INCLUDES over-eating/obesity.
Brett...
It should read 1 in 10 adults and 1 in 4 children who suffer from anorexia are male.
I have added a postscript and corrected the typos.
Its not the deck of cards we are dealt with, but how we play them.
Height, weight, looks, hair (or lack of it), nose, eye colour, most of it we cant change, and in any case it doent matter.
I saw a chubby girl on a dance floor a few days ago. Tight jeans and white t shirt. She was overweight. She didn’t try to hide it with her clothes, and she was the best and sexiest dancer on the floor. She was confident, and it showed.
Everyone likes confidence….
PB...
Indeed.
What matters most is not the hand we're dealt but the manner in which we play it.
Or in another form, not the sausage we hold, but the hand that is holding it....
errr
Let me think that over ....
PB...
Perhaps you should think that one over.
This will not actually have effect, I think so.
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