Gay Body Image; Loving the Skin You’re In
The media has been bombarding women, especially young, teen and tween girls with impossible to achieve body images for decades; many so unrealistic they are imaginary. Princess Kate even had her waist photo shopped smaller in her wedding dress in some publications. But body dysmorphia and ridiculous to achieve standards of beauty and acceptance are also a serious and growing problem for gay men.
A lot of these expectations come from the pressure to be seen as an alpha male. In recent years, the distinction between what exactly compromises an alpha or a beta male has become more complex. You can learn more about these definitions by checking out this article that explains ‘what is a beta male?’.
Furthermore, mental health counselor, Zach Verwey, writing for The Huffington Post.com, has posted this eye opening article on the subject, “Why Gay Men Need A Body Positivity Movement, Too.”
Here’s an excerpt,
“Our subculture teems with adages like this one that declare our allegiance to the gods of Youth, Physique, and Sex. “Straight skinny is gay fat.” “No fat, no fem.” “Twenty-five is the new forty-five.” These phrases represent the pervasive undercurrent of unrealistic body norms and expectations that runs rampant and unchecked in the gay community, surfacing with every shirtless bartender’s chiseled pecs, every headless six-pack flaunting itself on Grindr, and every media portrayal of a gay man as the modern-day Adonis. Physical appearance has indeed become a central factor to the contemporary gay man’s sense of self, and we are beginning to crack beneath the burden of its expectations…
What this seems to have developed into, however, is a hyper-image-focused culture that organizes and defines each of its members according to body type and preferred sexual position.”
Read the full article via TheHuffingtonPost.com HERE
We found this video of a few real guys going through a photo shoot and photo shop to get an “ideal body” and their reactions startling.
(Main photo credit: MIKE POWELL VIA GETTY IMAGES)
