Gay Men and Body Image: What You Need to Know

Contents:

• BODY DYSMORPHIA CONTU TO BE A SER ISSUE AMONG GAY MEN
• GAY MEN AND BODY IMAGE: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
• GAY MEN AND BODY DISSATISFACTN
• BODY DYSMORPHIA AND EATG DISORRS GAY MEN
• BODY DYSMORPHIA GAY MEN
• BODY DYSMORPHIA THE GAY COMMUNY

BODY DYSMORPHIA CONTU TO BE A SER ISSUE AMONG GAY MEN

Believe or not, some gay men are ashamed about their appearance. 2 percent of heterosexual men, but the number is far higher gay and bisexual fact, a study published 2020 the journal Body Image nducted surveys om 268 gay and bisexual teens and adult men and found BDD more than 49 percent of the study study attribut the high prevalence of BDD to the strs of livg as a sexual mory, which enpass a wi-range of anxieti, cludg the fear of rejectn, sexual orientatn ncealment, homophobia, bullyg, and threats of vlence.

“The mory strs gay men live wh is a form of opprsn that leads to body dysmorphia and eatg disturbanc, ” says Jason Whel, PhD, a soclogist at Illois State Universy Normal. “From a young age, gay mal bee distrsed by their own appearance.

GAY MEN AND BODY IMAGE: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Reasons Why Body Dysmorphia Is PrevalentWhile a growg body of rearch and experts pot to the mory strs mol as a key culpr the surge of BDD among gay men, there are other Media Sets the Bar Too HighGay men often fd themselv wh an Adonis plex, explas Dr.

Whel, believg what the media says a gay man should look like. It also creat a space where people exprsg body posivy may be shamed and bullied for their not beg “gym-f, ” acrdg to a qualative study published May 2023 the journal Sexual and Relatnship Therapy that foced on the experienc of 10 gay men livg wh BDD. “Social media puts forward a very specific type of body for gay men, ” says Casey Gamboni, PhD, a profsor at The Fay Instute at Northwtern Universy and thor of the study.

The study looked at the effect of 11 social media platforms over 2, 700 gay men and found that those who spent the most time on image-centric social media (thk Instagram) more likely to feel bad about their own mcl and to have an eatg Culture Is Harmg the CommunyIn many ways, gay culture self has led to the rise BDD sce is often characterized by a sire for youthfulns and a mcular physique, says Whel. Gamboni, examed BDD 10 gay men and found that 60 percent of them started to experience symptoms, such as anxiety over appearance, antisocial tennci, and a sire to hi om others, when they me out.

GAY MEN AND BODY DISSATISFACTN

And all the participants said their symptoms of secury about their body creased when they beme immersed gay male participants scribed a prsure to f to a perfect ial, and they felt strs that the muny that accepted them for beg a sexual mory would now shun them for their appearance. One study participant lamented that women have a strong and growg ethos of body posivy that advot for women to be themselv while gay men don’t.

That adds to the strs of a beg sexual mory and has a damagg effect on physil and mental DisorrsParker’s 2020 review ced a bevy of rearch showg that gay adults diet, rtrict their eatg, bge, purge, and exercise more than heterosexual men. The study also found that gay adult and adolcent mal are more likely to suffer om a clil eatg disorr than heterosexuals, wh half the gay participants of one study at risk of velopg a clil eatg disorr. A study published December 2022 PLoS One looked at the attus 112 gay men and 108 heterosexual men had about their own bodi.

BODY DYSMORPHIA AND EATG DISORRS GAY MEN

Rearchers found that gay men were more likely to strive for thns, to thk badly about their own bodi, and to have an eatg disorr. “When you’ve had a history of trma and abe as many gay men have, you often ternalize that and then look for what you n ntrol, ” says Whel.

Internalized homophobia and bullyg is often a precursor to obssive weight. A study published 2017 the journal AIDS and Behavr analyzed the sexual behavr of 105 gay men livg wh HIV.

BODY DYSMORPHIA GAY MEN

If you shun media that shows gay life, that may be healthy for your body image, but you sever a potential nnectn wh the muny and that n be isolatg and self-featg, ” he says. “You are the expert you, ” she says, and suggts people try different typ of therapy to fd what feels Communy and Support Gay SpacEngage wh a muny that mak you feel are many gay spac that aren’t rooted the bar or club scene, where you feel you’re unr a microspe, not Gamboni. Disfort wh his body started his all-boys elementary school, where he was overweight and began to experience puberty and his buddg to the London gay scene where O'Shghnsy's body dysmorphia followed him like a shadow.

Kg, 36, who hosts a gay culture podst.

O'Shghnsy began takg steroids to bulk up and meet a supposed gay ial. 'We're all overpensatg'Andrew Sciallo, 26, has a bone to pick wh the gay muny.

BODY DYSMORPHIA THE GAY COMMUNY

He stggl wh the photo-heavy, body-foced vib of the onle datg scene for gay Sciallo has never had an official diagnosis of body dysmorphia or an eatg disorr, "I would be lyg if I said that I didn't still obss over the number on the sle, " he thks the gay muny is due for a reckong about appearanc. His gay inty didn't lead to his eatg disorr – was a pg mechanism.

Gay men experience eatg disorrs and body dysmorphia more than any other populatn except for heterosexual women.