It’s nothing new for women to be subjected to unrealistic expectations about body image. However, men are also bombarded with expectations about their bodies, from the pressure to be muscular and have a six-pack to the anxieties about weight and body fat.
Banele Gcaba from Johannesburg explains the varied reasons for these struggles. He says societal pressures to conform to a certain type of masculinity are often driven by a desire to impress others. He adds that mental health and health concerns can also play a role.
“For me, body image issues were a real struggle. I was reluctant to look at myself in the mirror or take pictures. It makes you feel like you don’t want to be seen. Although it’s better, I don’t think I’m yet fully comfortable with my body.
“As a teenager, I was overweight, and in my twenties, I became very thin. Despite the weight loss, I still didn’t feel confident in my body.”
Banele Gcaba
The role of the media in body issues
“Overall, I was able to overcome these struggles on my own. It took time and self-compassion. When I found out there were other men also going through this, I felt like I wasn’t alone,” Gcaba says.
“I overcame it by telling myself it was okay and allowing myself and my body to be. At some point, I stopped eating but I stopped denying myself that privilege and started acknowledging my body.”
Thekelo Ramatsetse from Limpopo emphasises the role of the media in shaping unrealistic expectations. He points out that manipulated images create an unrealistic view of the “perfect” male body.
“Enough is never enough; there is always more, better, and more, and with that, people keep wanting, which leads to them not seeing or valuing what they have.”
Thekelo Ramatsetse
”I grew up as a skinny boy, which at first I didn’t like. But when I realised that I could do certain things better because I am skinny, like running, I was okay with it. I also had a big head with a chiskop; I think the proportions balance as one grows up.”
Cape Town-based psychologist Mncedisi Zulu describes body image as one’s thoughts and feelings about your body and how you perceive it.
He explains that this can be through internal or external factors. Internal factors can just be your personality, and external factors can be a social environment in terms of what information you receive from other people and what your body image is. This can range from both positive and negative experiences.
“There are a wide variety of causes in terms of body image issues in men. One of the biggest factors has to do with mass media; social media plays a huge contributing factor. We see it in television advertisements and media magazines in terms of what a particular ideal body is for a man. This sort of imagery can contribute to one’s perception of what is right in terms of the ideal body.”
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Pressures of childhood creates toxic masculinity
“Another thing within childhood and even in adulthood is the pressure amongst boys to be physically strong and to build the specific way to be athletic, which contributes to a person having difficulties in how they view themselves.”
Unfortunately, body image issues in men are often not openly discussed, and Zulu highlights the concept of toxic masculinity as a major barrier.
“Men are often discouraged from expressing vulnerability about their well-being, including concerns about their bodies. They are not comfortable.
“So for a very long time, men haven’t been talking about this, and it boils down to a lot of things to do with the idea of toxic masculinity and stigma.”
Psychologist Mncedisi Zulu
“When it comes to body image issues, it’s been more on the spectrum of women speaking about them, so men wouldn’t speak about them as much. And also within our professions, in our health professions, it is not something that is intensively researched amongst men, so that can also play a contributing factor in terms of it not being talked enough about.”
Highlighting the differences in how body image affects men and women, Zulu points out that they can develop different eating disorders and different coping mechanisms.
“With women, it might lead to eating disorders like anorexia, where they are very restrictive in terms of their food intake. While with males, it can be things like binge eating or sometimes avoiding restrictive food intake disorders.”
“Also, the lengths to which both males and females will go in terms of trying to rectify something like their body image can be different. For women, it can be a thing to look at cosmetic surgeries that can be done to enhance certain parts or reduce certain parts of their body.
“With men, it can be leaning towards more what we call muscle dysmorphia, where they’ll go to extreme lengths in terms of, for example, using steroids or certain supplements to look more muscular in terms of their physique.”
Psychologist Mncedisi Zulu
When it comes to useful methods that can be used in helping men cope with their body image issues, Zulu underlines that it’s important to be able to identify what body image issues one is experiencing, be able to reflect on their experiences, try to identify what has influenced them to experience their body images and issues throughout their life, and what measures they’ve been taking.
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Positive ways of dealing with self-esteem
“When it comes to men excessively exercising to gain muscles and so on, rather focus more on the internal benefits of exercising, such as stress relief, than the body’s appearance and changing the body shape. I think when it comes to measures such as weighing yourself and body checking, that should be reduced as much as possible.
“When it comes to social media, I think it’s important to be able to adjust in terms of what comes to your feet rather than constantly seeing images that are going to influence your body image, whether it’s content through videos or pictures.”
“Avoid negative social comparison. Also, when one is experiencing difficulties with coping with body image, one shouldn’t feel shy in terms of seeking professional help just to assist in that regard.”
Psychologist Mncedisi Zulu
Zulu concludes by urging everyone to take body image issues seriously, regardless of gender. He emphasises that it’s important for people not to underestimate the negative impact of body image, especially negative body image towards oneself.
“Body image issues do lead to other mental or health conditions. One might experience low self-esteem, have lower life satisfaction, and lack confidence. It might also lead to an eating disorder or body dysmorphia. So it’s very important for us not to downplay it and to be able to identify issues that one has when it comes to body image.”
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