Men And Eating Disorders
by Adam Mason, Unit Manager, Cygnet Hospital Ealing
One of the many myths about eating disorders is that they only affect women. According to the National Centre for Eating Disorders males may account for up to 5% of patients with anorexia nervosa.
Eating disorders arise from a variety of causes. They create a self-perpetuating cycle of physical and emotional destruction leading often physically fit and healthy individuals along a pathway of decline. The causes of an eating disorder may be split into a number of categories: psychological, sociocultural, interpersonal and biological.
The socio-cultural factor which in modern society encourages us all towards higher levels of perceived fulfilment is the most commonly cited cause of an eating disorder. All too often the way people look on the outside, rather than their inner self is believed to determine whether they get that job, girlfriend, boyfriend, exam pass or other socially acknowledged measure of success.
We live in a society fixated on diets and the attainment of a ‘perfect body’. Amongst men, aspirations are commonly fixed upon the attainment of a mesomorphic shape characterised by average build with well-developed muscles on chest, arms and shoulders, and a slim waist and hips. (Grogan, 1999). Common images from media targeted at teenage boys and mature male adults are of slim physiques, with the attainment of a more structured body-image becoming increasingly important in later teenage years and beyond. As boys grow older, the muscular ideal is reinforced through popular men’s fitness and lifestyle magazines, which present extremely lean, defined and muscular male models.
These men’s magazines emit messages ‘buy this, look like this’; body-building supplements emit messages ‘eat this look like this’. Male underwear brands – ‘wear these and look like this’! Men participating in TV or magazine make-overs lead other men to compare themselves with these so-called ‘ideal body types’. Weight loss and workout programs, as well as cosmetic surgery procedures, whose goal is chiselled muscularity can lead to the same sort of body dissatisfaction that afflicts women who read fashion magazines and watch movies and TV shows featuring "perfect" people. Indeed many would argue that the scantly clad male images in men’s magazines are stronger images than those in female magazines.
Gay men appear to have a greater risk of eating disorders than heterosexual men, possibly because of conflicts about sexual identity or because the emphasis placed on physical appearance in the homosexual community leads some gay men to pursue the lean body ideal. Eating disorders are known to be closely linked to low self-esteem, feelings of inadequacy and marginalization. Negative societal values in the form of stereotypes and homophobia have destructive impacts upon young men and women who are confused or concerned about their sexuality. This form of social exclusion or alienation often leads to self-hatred.
The challenges presented by homophobia or a perception of homophobia can lead to many psychological problems. In a society which constantly reminds us that good looks bring success, gay men and women, particularly those with low self-esteem are much more likely to seek to use their appearance to raise their lowered self-worth, displacing conflicts regarding their sexuality onto their body but thereby exponentially increasing their risk of developing an eating disorder.
In our increasingly commercial market, lots of products previously geared toward women are now being marketed to men. Products like electric muscle toners, surgical body enhancements, skin and hair grooming products are marketing to the ‘meterosexual male’ who in the 21st Century feels greater compulsion to ‘look good’ set against waning concerns that such activity is not masculine.
Greater research into eating disorders amongst men provides hope through a burgeoning variety of treatment options for sufferers which aim to prevent, reduce or stop destructive behaviours and help individuals develop new ways of coping with underlying feelings. An important first step in overcoming an eating problem is to simply realise that the problem exists – and that it’s about more than just food. The second step is to seek help.
