Americans live in an appearance-obsessed society.
Body image issues thrive and eating disorders proliferate. Every 52 minutes, one person dies as a direct consequence of an eating disorder. That is a staggering 10,200 deaths a year.
Eating disorders do not exclusively impact women or care about gender.
Men contend with similar unrealistic beauty standards. The pressure to maintain a buff, muscular and flawless physique contributes significantly to the prevalence of eating disorders among men. American society can no longer ignore the devastating impact of eating disorders on men.
Lack of acknowledgment and discussion of disorders contributes to a deadly normalization of eating disorders among men. It is crucial to recognize that eating disorders impact people of all genders, and every sufferer’s experience is valid.
Social media reinforces unrealistic images of physiques the average person will never achieve.
The inherent diversity of human bodies makes conforming to these standards of beauty nearly impossible. Sadly, this fact does not prevent people of all genders from experiencing heightened dissatisfaction when confronted with their reflections in the mirror.
As a woman, I am acutely aware of the considerable societal pressure placed upon women to conform to unrealistic standards of beauty, and I vehemently condemn toxic beauty norms. I have noticed a widespread acceptance among women of the shared experience of body image issues and insecurities.
In recent years, American society has recognized the need for collective efforts to address toxic beauty standards for women.
In conversations with male friends and family, in contrast, I have noticed a troubling trend of acceptance and promotion of disordered habits. Men not only exhibit unhealthy eating habits but also actively endorse and normalize them.
Standards of beauty for the male body in American society have only intensified over the years. Between 1999 and 2009, the number of men hospitalized for an eating disorder-related cause increased by fifty-three percent, according to the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA).
Males account for approximately one-quarter of people diagnosed with anorexia and almost a third of people with bulimia. Nearly half of people with binge eating disorder identify as male.
It is difficult to pinpoint the exact reason that society overlooks the prevalence of eating disorders in men. It may stem from feelings of embarrassment due to the expectation for men to be resilient combined with the stigma surrounding any display of weakness.
The perception that insecurity about body image is an inherently “feminine” concern leaves many men ashamed to seek help. This reluctance to seek diagnosis or acknowledge the problem inadvertently reinforces societal assumptions that eating disorders predominantly afflict women, resulting in innumerable overlooked diagnoses.
Eating disorders come in all shapes, sizes and genders. Binge-eating disorder does not receive enough attention, and it is highly prevalent in men. According to the Binge Eating Disorder Association, forty percent of the estimated ten million Americans who binge eat are men.
Binge-eating disorder can be defined as the urge to eat a large amount of food in a short amount of time and the feeling that you cannot control what or how much you are eating. It has been widely attributed to several psychological issues and is a physical trauma response to external or internal stimulants.
Binge-eating disorder carries a stigma regardless of gender. For men who already contend with societal stigmas and whose disordered habits are more likely to be overlooked by medical professionals, the consequences are particularly harmful. To effectively address eating disorders in men, society must first acknowledge that men’s experiences are not inferior or superior to women’s.
Gender differences perpetuated by patriarchal structures significantly shape the psychological and lived experiences of men and women, contributing to varied experiences with body image.
The beauty standards imposed on men and women often contrast. While society expects women to be unrealistically thin, men face pressure to achieve maximum muscle mass while maintaining a lean and built physique.
Although men and women may develop eating disorders in an attempt to conform to differing beauty standards, the core problem remains the same. Acknowledging these differences is essential to avoid undermining the severity of eating disorders for all people, regardless of gender.
