Gay Men and Body Image: What You Need to Know

Contents:

• WHY BODY IMAGE ISSU PERVA THE GAY COMMUNY
• GAY MEN AND BODY IMAGE: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
• BODY IMAGE AND GAY MEN: ADAPTATN OF EMOTNALLY-FOCED FAY THERAPY FOR GAY CLIENTS WH NEGATIVE BODY IMAGE
• BARBIE STAR MARGOT ROBBIE RPONDS TO FAN THEORI THAT KEN IS GAY
• GAY MEN AND BODY PERFECTN
• THE BODY IMAGE PRSUR GAY MEN FEEL AROUND MARDI GRAS

WHY BODY IMAGE ISSU PERVA THE GAY COMMUNY

Body image issu aren’t unique to bi or gay men, but toxic thoughts pertag to self-worth and physil re have bee dangeroly prevalent wh the MSM (men seekg men) muny. ” When agenda-settg gay men’s magaze Attu nducted a body survey 2017, 84% of people said they felt unr “tense prsure” to have a so-lled “good body. Rearch published last year by Philip Joy and Matthew Numer om Dalhoie Universy found that “social mands placed upon gay men to eat healthily and achieve a perfect body are lked to anxiety and prsn and have ser mental health nsequenc.

“Workg this dtry, I n tell you that lookg good is not enough any more for some gay guys who value their athetics and appearance, ” he says. ”Of urse, the social media era, our phon make easier than ever before to fall to the toxic trap of parg ourselv to other, more “fuckable” gay men.

Instagram tends to get the most blame, but Lewis, a 29-year-old gay man who says his body “jt don’t feel good enough, ” argu that Twter n be even more triggerg. Keir, a 33-year-old gay man, says he unrtook 18 months of unselg, partly to tackle body image issu, and reports that ’s been reasonably effective. To help unrstand the lk between gay culture and negative body image, eatg disorrs and body dysmorphia, we spoke to Carl Hovey, a psychologist and rearcher at the Soho and Fidi lotns of the Gay Therapy Center New York.

GAY MEN AND BODY IMAGE: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

He terviewed a llectn of gay men New York Cy, askg open end qutns like, “Can you talk to me a ltle about how you experience your body, both now and the past?

But what Carl found, was that the level of acceptance gay men found wh their muny was sentially lked to the acceptance they felt wh their own body. “One of the more surprisg elements that me out of the rearch is how often experienc of the body–more specifilly, whether or not an dividual felt his body was acceptable or unacceptable the marketplace of gay culture—was related to a feelg of cln or excln wh that culture, ” Carl said. And wh so much of gay culture revolvg around sire, rather than some sort of cultural herage, gay men have found themselv a posn where they feel like they have to embody that sire–or else they won’t have a place wh the culture and muny.

BODY IMAGE AND GAY MEN: ADAPTATN OF EMOTNALLY-FOCED FAY THERAPY FOR GAY CLIENTS WH NEGATIVE BODY IMAGE

People even talked about feelg alienated om themselv, as though if their body didn’t f a certa script, they weren’t even sure who they were as gay men. However, spe this lk, few theraptic rourc exist that addrs the unique strsors of gay men stgglg wh body image and body image-related factors as well as fay fluence on the strsors. Gay men have reported greater prsur to atta specific body and attractivens standards than men who are not gay (Koari-Rad & Mclaren, 2013; Wiseman & Moradi, 2010).

BARBIE STAR MARGOT ROBBIE RPONDS TO FAN THEORI THAT KEN IS GAY

Gay men also report creased body dissatisfactn, disorred eatg, and negative body image pared to heterosexual men (Calzo et al., 2017; Matthews-Ewald et al., 2014; Jankowski et al., 2014; Kamski et al., 2005; McArdle & Hill, 2009). Rearch has shown that LGBTQ teens are more likely to experience weight-based teasg and gay male adolcents are more likely to ternalize the th ial than heterosexual male adolcents (Calzo et al., 2015; Eisenberg et al., 2020).

GAY MEN AND BODY PERFECTN

Current rearch suggts that fay relatnships impact body image and other related nstcts such as self-teem for gay men, addnally suggtg that gay adolcents may be at unique risk (Bozard & Young 2016; Detrie & Lease, 2007; Ryan et al., 2010; Shilo & Savaya, 2011). However, most of the lerature on therapy and body image do not acunt for the fay factors, nor do addrs specific issu for gay men (Man et al., 2013).

Through attachment theory, therapists n ga a eper unrstandg of how body image and related issu teract wh the experienc of gay men (Cook & Calebs, 2016). Therefore, strengtheng secure parental bonds therapy may be a eful lens of change when treatg gay men wh body image issu, particularly gay adolcents. However, prelimary rearch supports that through utilizg EFFT, therapists n help gay clients and their fai heal past attachment juri related to betrayal and rejectn and crease feelgs of safety and acceptance wh the fay system.

This secure attachment may serve as a protective factor agast the impacts of stigma and opprsn often directed towards the gay muny as well as om the appearance ials and prsur wh the muny (Cook & Calebs, 2016). We will outle how fay relatnships fluence body image for gay men as well as monstrate the implementatn of stag one and two of EFFT when workg wh gay clients stgglg wh negative body image. Gay men tend to experience greater prsure to nform to specific appearance standards than heterosexual men due to an emphasis on physil attractivens wh gay culture (Kimmel, & Mahalik, 2005; Koari-Rad & Mclaren, 2013).

THE BODY IMAGE PRSUR GAY MEN FEEL AROUND MARDI GRAS

Gay men experience disproportnate rat of body dissatisfactn and low self-worth pared to heterosexual men (Gigi et al., 2016; Jankowski et al., 2014; McArdle & Hill, 2009; Pachankis & Hatzenbuehler, 2013). The high levels of body dissatisfactn and low self-worth place gay men at risk for numero adverse out such as substance e, anxiety, prsn and low self-teem as well as eatg disorr symptomology and unhealthy weight ntrol behavrs (Blashill, 2010; Calzo et al., 2017; De Santis et al., 2012; Matthews-Ewald et al., 2014; McArdle & Hill, 2009).