By Evelynn Schoenthal
The other day I stumbled across a Snapchat story a guy from high school posted of himself flexing. The caption read, “Just went on a binge of rice crispy treats and cereal, but the body has taken it well.”
The post enforced the disordered eating mentality that binging and eating what you crave is inherently bad. It made me realize just how pervasive this culture is among males and reminded me of phrases my guy friends would say — from wrestlers limiting their calorie intake to make weigh-ins to eating a meal and trying to “run it off.”
As a female, I noticed that mental wellbeing campaigns constantly target women, but mental health issues in men are rarely acknowledged by the media and professionals. Just recently there has been increased recognition in an attempt to end the stigma. However, men still face scrutiny when discussing their mental health. Though some may restrict their eating for control, others do it due to body issues and as a compensatory activity.
A compensatory activity is exercising to make up for extra calories eaten referred to as anorexia athleticism. Many men are affected by this because “masculine” sports require aesthetics — the buffer and more toned the better. This muscle dysphoria is often ignored because females do not experience it to the same extent. In addition, males submit to drug use much more often than girls to retain muscle mass and make them look their very best.
If this is such a popular course for many men, then why hasn’t more attention been drawn to this issue? For starters, anorexia treatment is promoted towards females. Males feel weak for admitting they have an illness that is seen as “feminine” by society. This gender abuse starts from childhood as bullying people for their weight is common for both males and females. Furthermore, calorie tracking and weight loss are enforced by coaches, parents, friends, and the media.
This “gym bro” lifestyle trend can be denormalized in many ways. On a personal level, engage in a conversation by using social media as a tool. Reshare posts telling males that it is okay they are struggling with disordered eating and exercising. Offer support by asking male friends if they need help or talk to a trusted adult if you notice anything worrisome about their eating. On a higher level, connect with state officials or national eating disorder organizations to see if they will add this to their agenda. Fund research concerning male eating disorders and marketing to provide resources. This can be done by donating money or set up a GoFundMe page and ask friends and family to donate.
Giving male mental health the same amount of attention as female mental health is critical to combatting this normalization of eating disorder behaviors in the “gym bro” or even all exercise/diet lifestyles.
Below, I linked resources that pertain specifically to males.
