In his song with Lil Wayne, “Nothing But Trouble,” Charlie Puth sings, “These Instagram models are nothing but trouble.” The song’s about the dangers of judging a book by its cover (i.e. judging someone by their IG pics). It’s about the unhealthy emphasis our generation places on physical appearance. And it’s primarily about women.
But men also struggle with looking “attractive.” Whether that’s trying to be a thin “hipster” or a sculpted “jock,” it’s a legitimate struggle. And sometimes, that struggle comes with hours obsessing over your reflection in a car window, counting calories only to spit them back out, feeling uncomfortable in your skin but wanting nothing more than to retreat into it. That’s how it was for me.
Unfortunately, when eating disorders come up in the news, it’s rarely about men. But men DO struggle with EDs, and when they do, it sucks every bit as much as it does when a woman struggles. It’s important that people are aware of this. Here are five common myths about men with EDs to help clear the air:
1. Anorexia is a girl’s disease.
No, it’s not. A 2012 GQ article noted that recent studies suggest that 20%—even 30%—of anorexics are male. Framing EDs as a female-only disease is the quickest way to isolate men with EDs and prevent them from getting help.
2. Men don’t/shouldn’t care about how they look.
Because of all the pressure on women to look “pretty,” people automatically assume that men don’t care about how they look. Worse yet, that assumption enforces a notion that men shouldn’t care about how they look, or that at least their attractiveness should be effortless. But it isn’t.
3. Dieting is something only women do.
While I was struggling with my body image, one feeling that I acutely got was that only women are allowed to care about eating healthy. Men are supposed to be “chill” with eating pizzas three times a day, seven days a week. Going on a “diet” to become healthy is “unmanly.” This simply isn’t true, and anyone can tell you that pizza all day every day is the quickest way to clogging your arteries. Men, like women, can and should care (within reason) about what they eat…
Continue reading this article from our partner, Proud2BMe, by clicking here.
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