When one suffers with an eating disorder, it is very common to also struggle with Body Dysmorphia or BDD. This is when one views their body completely differently to how it actually looks to others, be it either bigger or smaller than it actually is. For me, and most people who suffer with anorexia, BDD manifests in a way so that I believe that my body is much bigger than it actually is, and as a result I have an obsessive urge to make myself smaller.
However, on the other end of the spectrum is muscle dysmorphia in which sufferers believe that they look smaller than they actually are and as a result, have a focus on muscularity. Like other forms of BDD, muscle dysmorphia can be incredibly distressing causing the individual to miss social events, lose their job and spend lots of money to achieve their desired appearance sometimes resulting in the use and abuse of steroids.
I first discovered this disorder while watching a Reggie Yates documentary "Dying for a Six Pack" in which he spoke to various men about their quest to achieve their ideal body and the lengths they would go to accomplish it.
Least to say, I was shocked.
My one fatal desire has been to make myself as small as possible and yet here were hundreds of men working for the complete opposite. The years of socialisation and my disordered thinking could not comprehend this.
The documentary aligns with other research on muscle dysmorphia which suggests that the disorder primarily affects body builders due to the obsession of aesthetic qualities. These men demonstrate a maladaptive pattern of behaviour made up of an obsessive drive to exercise and restrict their diet in the hope to gain muscle.
But how did this trend happen?
One argument is that changing gender roles and the increasing trend of women outperforming men has caused men to feel as though their traditional status has been challenged. This was evidenced in a study which examined the proportion of exposed male and female bodies in adverts between 1958 and 1998 and found that the proportion of undressed men has increased dramatically, especially since the 1980's. Arguable, because men's value as a breadwinner and psychical defender has declined, the relative value of the male physical appearance has risen. Therefore, an increase in exposed men's bodies may be testimony to the shift in women's ranking of men's assets.
This was further demonstrated as when a group men were asked to select the male body that they thought women preferred, they chose a body with an average of about 14kg more muscle than they had themselves.
On top of this, it has been argued that different media outlets effect men's body satisfaction and mood as media depictions are often idealised and cause social comparison consequently triggering male dissatisfaction with their bodies. Depictions of the ideal male physique in the media are becoming increasingly younger, leaner, attractive, and muscular, which could be a catalyst for the rising prevalence of body dissatisfaction. This can be shown in the rising popularity of reality shows such as Love Island and Too Hot To Handle in which a toned, muscular body is always depicted as the most desirable.
In a Mental Health Foundation Survey one in four people (24%) aged 18 to 24 said reality TV made them worry about their body image, while a similar number (23%) said they had experienced suicidal thoughts and feelings. Furthermore, in the Journal of eating disorders (2019) 22% of men aged 18-24 were found to have eating disorders due to desire for enhanced muscles.
Unfortunately, these cases often go unreported and under recognised because screenings are based on thinness, not muscle gain and extreme bulking. Worse still, when boys begin to demonstrate these behaviours they can often gain a positive response by the people around them and on social media. When I first began losing weight, those around me encouraged my behaviour as it seemed mature, as though I was taking responsibility for my health.
But at what point can a healthy obsession become dangerous?
Firstly, how accurate is said persons body image? Secondly, how much time are they spending on their body? And finally, do they have a narrow sense of self identity?
When I was in recovery, my therapist told me that we are like a pie chart in which many different segments make up the whole us, however, those with eating disorders and body dysmorphia focus solely on their appearance causing us to lose sight of the other things that make us who we are. Our bodies and diet should not take up so much of their life or importance as it causes us to become hollowed shells of who we really are.
We need to challenge our societies shallow obsession with our bodies, as it is draining us, stopping us to become fulfilled and well rounded individuals.
If you are concerned about yourself or a loved one, please call Beat: 0808 801 0677 or 0808 801 0711
Allen, A and Mulgrew, K. (2019) “Differential media effects on male body satisfaction and mood.” Australian Journal of Psychology. Vol 72(1) https://aps-onlinelibrary-wiley-com.oxfordbrookes.idm.oclc.org/doi/full/10.1111/ajpy.12254?sid=worldcat.org
Mosley, P. (2008) “Bigorexia: bodybuilding and muscle dysmorphia” European Eating Disorders Review 17(3) https://onlinelibrary-wiley-com.oxfordbrookes.idm.oclc.org/doi/abs/10.1002/erv.897?sid=worldcat.org
Moss, R. (2019) “Love Island 2019: Is The Reality Show Affecting Male Body Image?” The Huffington Post. https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/love-island-2019-is-the-reality-show-affecting-male-body-image_uk_5cf61f85e4b0a1997b702181?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvLnVrLw&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAG2hgeV2TIiq6EMzJWjDvNJd67y04KoMSh_YstuKoYRKjHh3p8Q7mA7Of1tvh3iOTyQm7ocRU8QGrpD6GezTS_ZZy3zahJVJBDNH6mAjidfIsi799nsPz_Kmd5Ez-tUOrpq0DuNnrc2ePP4ouRJkXlQMjTeYm8V4qBLaURHGA0V_ Pope, C et al. (2005) “Clinical features of muscle dysmorphia among males with body dysmorphic disorder.” Body Image Vol 2(4) https://www-sciencedirect-com.oxfordbrookes.idm.oclc.org/science/article/pii/S1740144505000744
Pope Jr H et al (2001) “The Growing commercial value of the male body: A longitudinal survey of advertising in women's magazines.”Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics Vol 70(4)
Williams, S (2020) “Anyone popular at school has muscles: the rise of the ripped teen.” The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2020/may/09/anyone-popular-at-school-has-muscles-the-rise-of-the-ripped-teen
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