While body image bombards women in mainstream media, we tend to ignore the effect that it also has on men. It is astounding how many men are affected with body image on a daily basis, due to unrealistic beauty standards set by the media and society in general. Many say that society is the culprit to this phenomenon, and portray it as a war between our own body image and society.
These standards degrade men into thinking that their appearance matters to the point of causing anxiety. It has come to a point that men feel pressured to go to the gym, because they feel that they need to change their body to have those around them approve of the way they look, as opposed to them going for their health and well being. This is for those self deprived teenagers that feel that they are worthless, and to all the men who think that they are not good enough. This is a slap in the face for anyone that dares to deny that men do not have it as bad as women when it comes to body image.
It has now become simply impossible to love ourselves because we are constantly being told through social media, advertisements, magazines among others that men must look this way. Although this applies to both men and women, male beauty standards are often overlooked. It has come to a point that body image is not just about self love and body positivity, but a deeper, rooted issue in our society that is executed through our lifestyle.
What people do not realize is that men are affected by body image issues enough that it can become detrimental to their mental and physical health. Pressure is caused by this superficial need to be seemingly "perfect", by society's standard at least. Men need to understand that it is not all about having that six pack, but more about their health. When physical health is ignored or pushed to its limit, it can cause issues such as obesity, anxiety and even depression. This can be due to carelessness or even too much care, as constant pressure builds to a crescendo until it develops into a serious issue such as anxiety.
Another point to note is that body image issues among men also stem from celebrities, just as they do for women as well. If faith is placed in a handful of people that the media claims are "The sexiest men in the world" and look "picture perfect", then they are destroying themselves from the inside out. Media is a vacuum for lost people that place their faith in the wrong hands, hands that do not care about them at all. When the realization hits that they will never "measure up" to these photo shopped, fake portraits of perfect bodies; these Kens and Barbies, depression consumes them. By creating that sense of peace within oneself, and by placing one's faith in something or someone meaningful, is one step closer to understanding the futility of body image. Celebrities and fashion moguls profit off of men's insecurities, and we let them. Our society is in denial that these celebrities do not care about how we idolize them or mimic their looks; there is only one of them. There will always be one of them, but it is unfortunate that we allow ourselves to become lost as well.
The desire to have those killer abs can become overwhelming, and even more unnerving when it becomes difficult to ask for help because body image is seen as more of a "women's issue". Reminders from articles or people stating hallow phrases of endearments is not going to change the way men perceive themselves. This is an issue one article cannot solve; something that one reminder cannot shed light upon. The words "YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL" are pointless when one does not have the acknowledgement with themselves to allow such a compliment, but it is worth facing the issue at hand and understanding that as long as one has that peace then media propaganda cannot change the way one looks at their body.
