Men struggle with body image too

By Shibi Prabhakar

Cameron Smith was always one of the smaller guys throughout his athletic career at Swan Valley High School. He wanted the physique of superheroes, like in the comic books. We see muscular bodies on social media. 

“As a kid looking at superheroes like Superman, I wanted this body,” Smith says. “But over the years, I have realized that that is unrealistic, but I can still achieve my best body and learn how to improve on different things and fitness.”

Smith isn’t the only one who felt like this. According to Florida House Experience, “88% of women and 65% of men compare their bodies negatively to television and social media images.”  While we think body image is more of a women’s issue, we are now seeing a massive increase in men having problems with their body image too. 

Logan Ducharme is the manager of the Saginaw Athletic Club. He is also a certified personal trainer, nutritionist, and strength and conditioning coach.

Ducharme said, “90% of the time, a client comes to me because they’re uncomfortable with the way they look. Sometimes they can’t even look in a mirror.”

Ducharme says, “I feel social media has done horrible things to the exercise and physical fitness world. Especially now, with TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram, the people posting this kind of content becomes very hard to believe what you see.”

Social media has coined new terms such as cut, jock, and swole. Ducharme feels those words are overused in today’s society and feels it’s more of a “joking term.”

Focusing on these different social media terms in the fitness world leads can lead to bigorexia. You might be wondering what bigorexia is. According to Healthline, this is a disorder where a person feels that their “body is too small or they are not muscular enough.” 

No one is immune from feeling this way. Ducharme said, “Sometimes when I looked in the mirror, I would tell myself on multiple occasions, ‘Oh, you’re not big enough, oh you’re not muscular enough’ when in reality, you just have to look at yourself and say you are physically fit you can walk up a flight of stairs without getting tired, and you are okay.”

You can be who you are without having to change a lot. Bigorexia may sound like a goofy term, but it’s 100% real.

Smith, the former high school athlete, said, “Being the smaller one made me more self-conscious. I would see so many of my other teammates with bigger muscles who looked more athletic than me, which made me feel a little self-conscious. But over my athletic career, I have learned I needed to focus on myself and become the best self I could ever be.”

He says, “People should look at a realistic goal and not jump to major conclusions. Just look at the little victories here and there.”

When it comes to body dysmorphia, Smith says, “obviously, it can go both ways. For girls, it’s about being skinny; for guys, it’s about being more muscular. This can lead to some severe consequences, like eating disorders. People need to look at themselves and be the best they can be.” 

Body dysmorphia and eating disorders are on the rise. According to the White House, “1 in 10  Americans are expected to develop an eating disorder in their lifetime.” 

What about the male physique? “There is not a true male physique,” Ducharme says. “It’s not a good to judge yourself based on a celebrity’s looks. Look at yourself based on your character, not how you actually look physically.”

But at the end of the day, an essential aspect of fitness is how you feel about your body image. Ducharme says, “I’m comfortable with my body image. Obviously, growing up and going through puberty was very hard because my body was continuously changing. There were times when I looked in the mirror and just hated myself. But now that I’ve grown up, I can understand that the body is a very interesting and intricate thing. Just love yourself the way you are.”