Rob Wynen is a health and Lifestyle consultant with a passion for policy issues relating to population and environmental health.
"Rob, do you think I'm fat?"
My heart sank as I explained the changes his young body was going through. This young man is in my youth strength training program, a bit shy and slightly chubby, something I am confident he will grow out of.聽 He also asked me why he didn鈥檛 have a 鈥渟ix pack鈥� stomach.聽 After an explanation on why it is not healthy for a boy or man to have a six pack stomach as that would bring his body fat levels below 15%, which is not a good thing, I got him back on track with his exercise routine. It saddens me that this was something he thought about, probably quite often. I did have another feeling, and that was one of frustration.聽 Frustration that we live in a society that promotes a stereotype for our young boys that is not only unhealthy but also completely unrealistic.聽 It also frustrates me that my profession has pretty much ignored the issue of body image for our boys and the unrealistic, unhealthy expectations they create.
Barbie recently came out with a redesign of their flagship model, to much criticism. The pundits were all over the company and for good reason. Their message that the doll promotes unrealistic, unattainable and dangerous body expectations in young girls is spot on. There were protests, boycotts, there was even a topless march in Berlin on the opening day of Barbie house. But there were no protests at the unveiling of the new GI Joe doll.聽 The older men out there will likely have a very different image of GI Joe than the one than the current one. I had a doll from the late 70s and he somewhat looked like me on a very good day (with my tummy slightly tucked in). Today鈥檚 GI Joe, well let鈥檚 just say it bares little resemblance to ANYONE I know: this doll has biceps bigger than the dolls鈥� head, a washboard stomach you could wring your laundry out on and legs that even the largest baggy shorts wouldn鈥檛 tolerate. The changes in GI Joe design are staggering, much more so than the changes to the Barbie doll, but without all the public attention. What also hasn鈥檛 gained much public attention is the effect this unrealistic image has had on our boys and men from every generation. I still have 60 year olds trying to get that six pack stomach in our fitness centre.
In the January journal of JAMA Pediatrics it was revealed that 18% of boys are highly concerned about their weight and physique. This is a scary number, what was also troubling was that boys are faced with a double whammy.聽 Not only is there concern about being too fat, there is an equal concern about being too skinny and even a bigger focus on having huge muscles. How does this compare to girl鈥檚 body image, where professionals spend so much of their energy? 聽
As the father of a teen boy I would be very distressed if my son felt unhappy in his own skin and extremely concerned if he was taking drugs to change his body鈥檚 natural appearance.
We need to see some change in this area and as in any process of change we first need to recognize the problem, hence the title of this piece.聽 We need a radical refocus on body image and begin to place much more focus on the group most prone to negative body images, boys. We need to stop defining Anorexia and Eating disorders that are based on the female form of the condition, it is as much if not more of an issue for boys yet when you Google images of anorexia you will have to scroll down to the 50th image to get one of a man. We also need to begin to do a much better job reaching out to boys.聽 We need to learn how boys take in health advice and ensure that our messages are effective, boys and girls have much different ways of learning and to date our health and educational professionals on a whole are falling short.聽 Finally we need more men to step up to the plate and give boys positive male role models. 聽 聽
My hope is that the boys I meet at the fitness centre where I work, concerned about a touch of chub and the absence of a six-pack, can find help, attention and above all else acceptance: each of us has a unique physique that we should celebrate and take care of.聽 Often the stereotypical physique thrust on boys and men is not only unrealistic, it is unhealthy.聽 I also hope that my profession will begin to be much more focused in where, how and to who we direct our health services and messaging. 聽
We have done a poor job at this and it shows.聽
