Show and Tell post 2

After Liz Fletcher-Brown’s presentation Monday, I became very curious about guys’ views on self-image and body image.  I never really thought about how a guy’s mindset about constantly going to the gym and to bulk up is related to a girl’s mindset that she has to starve herself to make herself be thin.  For both sexes, the end result is all about giving themselves a better body image that they think society is looking for.  I found this website (http://kidshealth.org/teen/your_body/beautiful/male_bodyimage.html) that talks about guys’ body images.

            This website points out that during puberty it can be especially easy for a guy’s self-image to be based particularly on looks.  Puberty is the time when a teen’s body is changing greatly:  voice is changing, muscle tone is changing, and body hair is growing.  Being the first, or the last, guy to hit puberty can make some guys highly self-conscious.  Another point this website has is that body image can be in your genes.  A lot of negative body image comes from having high expectations for puberty and then not getting what was wanted.  A tip is to not assume to look a certain way, and to look at the family.  How are your father and grandfather built?  How are your uncles and cousins built? 

            It used to be said that only girls felt the pressure to be “picture-perfect.”  This is not necessarily true anymore.  Many magazines and ad agencies have put a great deal of emphasis on male body image.  In reality, that “as-advertised body” is unattainable because the males you see on the covers do not exist.  They have been photoshopped because even the “perfect bodies” are not perfect enough so they are taken one step farther.

A quote that I like from this website is, “Having a positive body image means feeling pretty satisfied with the way you look, appreciating your body for its capabilities and accepting its imperfections.”  We can get so wrapped up in what we think society wants from us, that we forget to be grateful for the bodies that we do have and the privileges that come with it.  We forget that no one is perfect and it is these imperfections that make us who we are.  They are what distinguish us as individuals in the world and not as a bunch of clones roaming around each seeking another way for attention.