for men

Men's Health
Men's Sexual Health
Testicular Self-Exam
Do I Look Fat? -- a documentary on gay men, body image and eating disorders
(available for viewing at the LGBT Resource Center)

Mirror, Mirror: Changing Images of Men appeared as an exhibit in the Tate Art Gallery during February 2007 as part of “EveryBody Get Up!” Month.

Early 20th Century

Until World War II our culture associated male attractiveness to activity. How a man behaved and what he achieved were the true measures of his worth. Post World War II, it appeared these ideals of providing for family, succeeding at one's job, and being strong, rugged and virile would continue for men.

What Happened?

Social, economic, and societal changes came together to shape a new cult of male body image in postwar America. Some changes that have occurred over the last 50 years include:

• Men and women sharing the role of breadwinner
• Self-fulfillment became a priority
• A changing economy from the 1970s to the 1990s
• The emergence of advertising as a message of image and self-esteem
• Blurring of the line between commodity and individual. The body has become the ultimate commodity – we are what we buy.

American men average $1000 per year on grooming aids and fragrances. This is double the amount spent three years ago. They also spend nearly $800 million on hair transplants and $400 million on hairpieces. In 2004 the amount spent on male cosmetic surgery, including liposuction, rhinoplasty and implants (calf, buttocks, pectoral), reached $2.1 billion.

Nowadays, there is an increasing sexualization of culture -- trying to sell products and personal appearance goals to sexuality, even if there is no connection.
-- Making Weight: Healing Men's Conflicts with Food, Weight, and Shape
A. Anderson, L. Cohn, T. Holbrook, T. M. Holbrook

Men, Boys and Eating Disorders

• 10% of people seeking eating disorder treatment are male
• Eating and body image disorders typically develop in the teen years and early 20s
• Eating disorders are a way to cope with conflicts, pressures and stresses of life
• An eating disorder may be an attempt to experience some control when life seems out of control

Risk Factors

• Participating in weight-related sports such as running, body building, swimming and gymnastics
• Childhood obesity
• Having been teased or bullied as a child
• Alcohol and substance abuse
• Gay and bi-sexual men and transgendered individuals

The Adonis Complex

The Adonis Complex is a collection of male body image problems that can include compulsive weight-lifting and exercise, steroid abuse, eating disorders, and full-blown body dysmorphic disorder. The Adonis Complex can contribute to a crippled masculine identity, chronic depression, compulsive behaviors, and can result in seriously impaired relationships with family members and loved ones.

Body Dysmorphia

Body dysmorphia is the development of potentially health-threatening worries that something is terribly wrong with how one looks, when in fact, they look fine to others -- a preoccupation with some imagined defect in appearance.

Muscle Dysmorphia

A subtype of body dysmorphic disorder, muscle dysmorphia is a preoccupation or belief that some part of one's musculature looks unattractive, is too small, lacks sufficient definition, or is disproportionate. Muscle dysmorphia is associated with shame and embarrassment about physical appearance.

Treatment

• Medical stabilization as appropriate
• Counseling/therapy
• Medications as appropriate
• Nutritional consultation and education

Nutrition services available at UHC
Services available at CAPS

Excerpted from:
Mirror, Mirror on the Wall: Changing Views of the Male Body.
A workshop and presentation developed by Dr. J. Randy Beggs

For more information or if you would like to use this exhibit on the UGA campus, please contact the Health Promotion Department at 706-542-8690.

brought to you by the Health Promotion Department of the University Health Center, FLY, and the UGA Parents and Families Association