The media constantly bombards us with images of gorgeous female models, movie stars and pop stars; it’s no wonder that many females suffer from a poor self image. But is it just women who are unsatisfied with their appearance?
According to a press release issued by Chapman University, a new study suggests that many men are dissatisfied with their bodies. In the largest examination of body image to date, researchers discussed how body mass index and sexual orientation play a role in their dissatisfaction.
To conduct the study, researchers at Chapman University looked at reports from 116,356 men across five national studies. They found that between 20 and 40 percent of men were dissatisfied with their overall physical appearance.
Among the participants, 111,958 were heterosexual men and 4,398 were gay men. The participants were asked questions about how dissatisfied or satisfied they were with aspects of their body, whether they tried to modify their appearance and whether they felt social pressures related to their appearance.
The researchers found that most men who were classified as normal weight felt positively about their appearance, while men classified as obese felt negatively about their appearance. Interestingly, most men classified as overweight felt positively about their appearance.
"Men can feel pressure to appear strong and powerful, so having some additional mass does not necessarily lead to body dissatisfaction," lead author David Frederick, PhD, said in the press release.
Frederick is an assistant professor of psychology at Chapman University.
"The fact that most overweight men felt satisfied might seem surprising, but the medical category for overweight does not correlate well to what people consider to be overweight socially," Dr. Frederick said. "For example, George W. Bush was medically 'overweight' during his presidency."
The study also showed that gay men were more likely to be dissatisfied with their physical appearance than their heterosexual counterparts. Gay men were more likely to feel uncomfortable wearing a swimsuit in public, avoid having sex because of their appearance and to desire cosmetic surgery.
About five percent of normal weight heterosexual men also reported avoiding sex because they were dissatisfied with their bodies, as did 10 percent of heterosexual obese men. However, more gay men reported avoiding sex because of their body dissatisfaction—20 percent of normal weight gay men and 32 percent of obese gay men.
The study found that both gay and heterosexual men reported exercising in an attempt to lose weight—57 percent vs. 55 percent, respectively. However, gay men were more likely than heterosexual men to have been on a weight loss diet in the past year—37 percent compared to 29 percent—and to have used diet pills—12 percent vs. five percent.
The differences between how gay and heterosexual men view their bodies can be partially attributed to the fact that more gay men feel judged about their appearance than straight men—77 vs. 61 percent, respectively. Gay men are also more likely to feel pressure from the media to be attractive, compare their appearance to others at social events and routinely think about how they look.
The full study is published in the journal Psychology of Men and Masculinity. There is no funding to disclose, as researchers obtained the rights to perform secondary analysis on surveys conducted by NBC News, MSNBC and Today News.
The authors disclosed no conflicts of interest. The media constantly bombards us with images of gorgeous female models, movie stars and pop stars; it’s no wonder that many females suffer from a poor self image. But is it just women who are unsatisfied with their appearance?
According to a press release issued by Chapman University, a new study suggests that many men are dissatisfied with their bodies. In the largest examination of body image to date, researchers discussed how body mass index and sexual orientation play a role in their dissatisfaction.
To conduct the study, researchers at Chapman University looked at reports from 116,356 men across five national studies. They found that between 20 and 40 percent of men were dissatisfied with their overall physical appearance.
Among the participants, 111,958 were heterosexual men and 4,398 were gay men. The participants were asked questions about how dissatisfied or satisfied they were with aspects of their body, whether they tried to modify their appearance and whether they felt social pressures related to their appearance.
The researchers found that most men who were classified as normal weight felt positively about their appearance, while men classified as obese felt negatively about their appearance. Interestingly, most men classified as overweight felt positively about their appearance.
"Men can feel pressure to appear strong and powerful, so having some additional mass does not necessarily lead to body dissatisfaction," lead author David Frederick, PhD, said in the press release.
Frederick is an assistant professor of psychology at Chapman University.
"The fact that most overweight men felt satisfied might seem surprising, but the medical category for overweight does not correlate well to what people consider to be overweight socially," Dr. Frederick said. "For example, George W. Bush was medically 'overweight' during his presidency."
The study also showed that gay men were more likely to be dissatisfied with their physical appearance than their heterosexual counterparts. Gay men were more likely to feel uncomfortable wearing a swimsuit in public, avoid having sex because of their appearance and to desire cosmetic surgery.
About five percent of normal weight heterosexual men also reported avoiding sex because they were dissatisfied with their bodies, as did 10 percent of heterosexual obese men. However, more gay men reported avoiding sex because of their body dissatisfaction—20 percent of normal weight gay men and 32 percent of obese gay men.
The study found that both gay and heterosexual men reported exercising in an attempt to lose weight—57 percent vs. 55 percent, respectively. However, gay men were more likely than heterosexual men to have been on a weight loss diet in the past year—37 percent compared to 29 percent—and to have used diet pills—12 percent vs. five percent.
The differences between how gay and heterosexual men view their bodies can be partially attributed to the fact that more gay men feel judged about their appearance than straight men—77 vs. 61 percent, respectively. Gay men are also more likely to feel pressure from the media to be attractive, compare their appearance to others at social events and routinely think about how they look.
The full study is published in the journal Psychology of Men and Masculinity. There is no funding to disclose, as researchers obtained the rights to perform secondary analysis on surveys conducted by NBC News, MSNBC and Today News.
The authors disclosed no conflicts of interest.
