Media Monday: Body Image: Not just a Woman’s Issue

Submitted by TEPF Volunteer

            When looking over recent topics dealing with body image, most of the search results only relate to women. Although women count for the majority of body image issues, the effects on men are all the same. I was recently looking at a male fitness magazine and could not get over what I saw. The men in these magazines were far from realistic with muscles the size of watermelons and every muscle was chiseled to “perfection”. What is the message that the men reading this magazine are receiving? In order to be fit I must have extremely large muscles and a perfect set of abs? When it comes down to it, men and women have a similar experience when reading these magazine. They may not feel good enough or in order to be considered pretty they have to be stick thin or work out 24/7. I can see how men would have negative body image about themselves after reading the magazine.

            All in all, mens body image has been unrepresented and they can feel the same negativity that a woman would. It would be nice to see fitness magazines with regular people who have an active and healthy lifestyle in them. The muscle men pictured give regular men an unrealistic image of what they “should” be like. Body image is not just a woman’s issue. Positive body image should be spread through all kinds of people.