We all have moments of self-doubt and insecurity – but it’s easy to argue that women have to deal with much harsher beauty ideals than men.
While body-positive movements are trying to change women’s views of themselves – showing plus-sized models in lingerie and clothing campaigns – some are feeling a little left out.
Those feeling left out are, surprisingly to some, men.
There’s still a reluctance to accept a male body image that isn’t all muscle – and men are feeling the effects through low self-esteem and insecurity. Unfortunately, the same body positive moment that is being targeted towards women hasn’t quite expanded towards men yet.
We still see images of tall, muscly guys with rock-hard abs and beautiful women on their arms – and that needs to change. A new study has revealed that men experience as much dissatisfaction with their bodies as women do.
The study, published in the Body Image Journal, looked at 12, 176 online surveys gathered by NBC News and Today – it found that the amount of men who dislike their bodies is about the same as the amount of women who also have body issues. So, contrary to popular belief, it’s not just the female population who are self-conscious.
The study found that around 6 per cent of men and 9 per cent of women reported that they were ‘very to extremely dissatisfied’ with their looks, Cosmopolitan reports.
Those dissatisfied with their weight though, equaled more – 15 per cent of men and 20 per cent of women felt they were ‘very to extremely dissatisfied’ with how much they weigh.
And when it came to those who were happy with their looks, the gender gap was about the same – 28 per cent of men and 26 per cent of women said they were ‘very to extremely satisfied’ with how they look.
If this study is anything to go by, it’s time we stopped turning a blind eye to men with self-esteem issues and started including them in body image and positivity campaigns.
