Gay and Straight Men Alike in Body Image Hang-Ups

[HuckleB]

Gay and Straight Men Alike in Body Image Hang-Ups

http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=healthNews&storyID=7193079

Both gay and heterosexual men are equally likely to aspire to an unattainable body type, or to harbor a distorted image of their actual body, new research indicates.

This finding contradicts the conventional wisdom that gay men have more "hang ups" about their appearance than straight men, study author Dr. Armand Hausmann told Reuters Health.

...

"It seems necessary to develop a scientific approach to the health of gay men in order to overcome gay prejudices," said Hausmann, who is based at the Innsbruck University Hospital in Austria.

During the study, Hausmann and his team asked 37 gay men, 49 heterosexual men and 24 heterosexual men with eating disorders to complete a computerized test about body image. In the test, participants altered a drawing of a man using fat and muscle to produce images that represented their perception of their own bodies, the bodies they would like to have, the bodies of the average man, and the bodies most appealing to men or women."

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Hopefully this will help break stereotypes, but also make it more likely that men with eating disorders will get the help they need, as health care practitioners start to learn that more and more men suffer from eating disorders -- stereotypes be damned.

[sui generis]

1. well if there is a fundamental law of the universe

it is that normal is not the norm.

It's not just men - people have the hardest time accepting their own uniqueness - and if it's different from "the norm" we somehow characterize it as bad or undesirable.

[Hello_Kitty]

2. I work with a lot of men and they definitely struggle with it

Not in quite the same way as women but many guys fret about their weight and musculature to a surprising extent. I've witnessed a lot of them try dangerous low carb diets, waste money on supplements, and even dabble in steroid abuse. It's especially pronounced among the younger ones.

[The Zanti Regent]

15. ESPECIALLY here in Los Angeles

ALL the men want to look like Mr Olympia, so many waste so much time in gyms and shoot steroids to get bigger. What is scary is how many parents push steroids on their kids to be the next Reggie White!

[Axo1ot1]

3. I'd say that eating disorders are a leading indicator of cultural toxicity

When you live in an advertising-saturated consumer orgy culture like ours, a certain portion of the population is bound to have an adverse psychological reaction to it. The fact that eating disorders are on the rise in both men and women goes to show that we need to settle down and examine what all this is doing to us. Obviously we can't live with it indefinitely.

[HuckleB]

8. Perhaps.

The genetic and neurobiological factors are being studied more and more, however. And research does appear to indicate that eating disorders may have been with us in a far more widespread mode than we knew in the past. Of course, there are definitely more triggers in the current culture, and now there's a whole internet culture that promotes anorexia as a "lifestyle." I don't even want to get into that end of things right now, however.

[ObamaFan2500]

14. I Know What You Mean

I always try to eat healthy on the road, but at truck stops there is nothing but grease, grease, and more grease.. The bus passengers all want McDonalds, never any thing nice, like veggies.I get frustrated trying to talk to htem sometimes about the impotence of nutrition. Its always McDonalds, or in Canada, Tim Horton.

[HuckleB]

20. Hmm.

The opposite end of the Eating Disorders spectrum.

[derbstyron]

4. I'm there

Trying to find someone (residental treatmenter center or hell, even a therapist) to deal with anorexia, when you are a male, is a nightmare.

I'm at the point where I am throwing up my hands, buying books and
treating myself.

what else an I going to do?
:shrug:

[HuckleB]

7. Yes, it is difficult.

Here is a web page of a treatment center that has shown wonderful results compared to the others I have come across through work here in the northwest. I know they are connected with research-based clinics around the world, and they might be able to give you some ideas on finding worthy treatment in your part of the country.

http://www.kartiniclinic.com/

Just thought I'd give you what I could.

Best to you.

[Behind the Aegis]

9. Keep looking!

It is VERY important that you get professional help. This disease is not easily conquered by oneself. Sounds like you are already taking the right steps, good for you! That is the first, and the most important step!

Call around. Even if you are not gay, call a local gay center, they may be able to point you in the right direction.

Best of luck!

[derbstyron]

10. That's a good point

I'm not gay but I'm sure that they would be willing to help.

It's sad. I'm in treatment with numerous other issues and the therapist has thrown up her hands. She has very little experience with Eating Disorders at all. I don't really want to be the test case, thanks.

But I don't have much choice. I'm on disability and not working so I am going to a community center and they have been great. The shrink is excellent, the therapist is fine in other areas and they signed me up with assistance programs for free.

REQUISITE BITCH: I'm on food stamps and SSDI. I lost my insurance after leaving work (not that I could have afforded it anyway) and thanks to Jeb, and his dismantling of the Medicaid system I make 67 dollars too
much to get assistance from Medicaid. Oh yeah, and they cut my food stamps in half. *that* was a nice Christmas present.

But, hey, it's OK. Jeb made sure that he changed the tax structure so that certain large corporations get to pay no taxes at all. I'm actually quite confident that once those corporate savings "trickle down" I'm going to be just fine!

Merry Fucking Christmas, Jeb

<<<<<<<<<TREMENDOUS SARCASM!!!>>>>>>>
WHY? Because Jeb is a FUCKING ASSHOLE!

:hi: :hi: :hi: :hi: :hi: :hi: :hi: :hi: :hi: :hi: :hi: :hi: :hi: :hi:

[rkc3]

5. I look in the mirror and still see the 22 year old, 6 foot, 175 pound

self I used to be. I'd hate like hell to see what I look like through others' eyes. Of course, even though I still see the younger me - I always thank God I have a personality, I surely do need it.

[aquart]

6. Oh, thank God.

Took long enough.

[HuckleB]

11. Parent's Tip - Excessive exercising (Re: Worried about ED in children)

Parent's Tip - Excessive exercising
http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/kidshealth/20041228/hl_kidshealth/parent_s_tip___excessive_exercising

"...Compulsive overexercising can lead to tissue, bone, cartilage, and muscle damage, and disruption of the menstrual cycle. Eating disorders and intense feelings of guilt over a missed workout are commonly seen in teens who overexercise. ..."

[bleedingheart]

13. I am pretty sure my neice suffers from this but her parents don't see it

my sister was heavy as a child and she delights in her tall thin child who is a star athlete...but my neice has had numerous problems with her bones her cartilage and her muscles (legs)...in addition to a recent anemia diagnosis...

I fear for her.....and to top it off my sister is a nurse.

[HuckleB]

16. Yes, it's a huge issue.

So many parents want to believe that their kid is going to be a world-class athlete, and they actually believe that their kid's starving heart, which now beats at 40 or less a minute because it is slowly shutting down, is actually a muscular athlete's heart. And it doesn't matter if they are in health care. The number of late-stage cases that get by a pediatrician without notice is astounding.

[brentspeak]

12. You could see this coming w/ the influx of men's health magazines

Just as magazine racks have for decades inundated women with images of impossibly beautiful female bodies, the new men's health and fitness magazine covers are doing the same to men. The guys on the cover of "Men's Fitness" look like they don't anything during the day other than jogging and working out.

[Blue_Tires]

23. good points

and sales of those magazines (and other intellectual garbage like Maxim or Stuff) have skyrocketed in the past decade...everyone in those magazines has a 6-pack and zero body fat....and I've noticed more and more women increasing their standards in the looks/body style department

[Demeter]

17. Wish to Goddess Men would Clean Up Their Minds

because it doesn't matter what a guy looks like, if the first words out of his mouth make you want to hurl and run away fast.

[HuckleB]

18. What does that have to do with this issue?

:shrug:

[NickB79]

21. I think it means we place too much emphasis on looks alone

And don't take enough time to appreciate someone based on their personality and kindness. You don't have to look like a supermodel or bodybuilder to be a wonderful mate, but that's the message we see every day on TV.

That's just what I got out of it.

[HuckleB]

22. True.

It just seemed like the poster still wanted the "pretty boys" around, but wanted them to get personalities. I guess I found that to be a bit too far to the point of focus upon looks, especially since we are now noting a very strong genetic component to those who develop eating disorders. The lack of personality in those who focus upon their looks may actually be more of a symptom of individual social struggles than anything else.

[davidinalameda]

19. I'm guilty of this as well

I don't like my body--even though I've lost nearly 30 pounds this year and guess I'm reasonably attractive

I want to be buff and muscular and have a 28 inch waist