Body image, we all struggle with it but try to hide it away from the world. It plagues millions throughout the United States. According to the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa 8 million americans have some type of eating disorder, 7 million women and 1 million men.
What may come as a surprise to many i recent studies have been proving that body image problems and eating disorders are on the rise within men. On March 13th, 2007 Harvard researchers did a study of a population of nearly 3,000 adults. They found that 25 percent of those with anorexia or bulimia were men.
Chase Marrano, a sophomore at Rockland Community College in Suffern, NY shared his thoughts with me, “I do feel a lot of pressure to look good and to stay in shape especially now where all you see is guys in magazines with perfectly toned bodies.”
Media plays a big part in influencing the way people perceive themselves. When in reality the average model weighs 23 percent below the average weight, and male models over the years have shed 12 pounds of fat while adding around 27 pounds of muscle to their bodies. Magazines try to show this perfect being by airbrushing photos, and demanding an extremely petite body frame.
A less publicized issue leading to body image disorders is the effect a significant other can have on you. Erica Wong a senior at Coastal Carolina University has been a constant victim of this kind of abuse, “I hate that boys have had such a negative influence on the way I see myself. Guys in my life have made me feel inferior to other girls because I don’t have all the features that they desire.”
Constant put downs from someone you love can have devastating affect on the way you see yourself. Erica even expressed her want for a nose job because of her boyfriend constantly expressing his unhappiness with her appearance.
A more extreme case came from Chloe Conese a sophomore at CCU, “My boyfriend constantly expressed his want for me to lose weight, so I...