5 male struggles with body image

The media has highly influenced our ideas of what we consider attractive. Believe it or not, men are also affected by society’s beauty standards and feel the pressure of looking a certain way. Here are 5 examples of how males struggle with body image.

They lose their hair in their 20s

Did you know a lot of men start balding in their twenties? Balding (losing your hair) is often associated with old age and when a young person starts losing their hair at a young age, they tend to feel insecure about it because they get teased by their peers.

They’re expected to be tall 

Have you ever seen how tall guys are usually adored and shorter guys are teased? Height! That’s what short or average-height men are insecure about. As a society, we believe that a man should be taller than women but a person’s height doesn’t mean that there’s anything wrong with them. We are all different and everyone is perfect as they are!

They’re expected to have the perfect body

A lot of men tend to feel pressured into having bodies that look like supermodels or athletes because society has fetishised six packs and strong chests. 

Even though most people may believe that this beauty standard is easy for men to achieve (because all they have to do is gym), it’s important to remember that they’re also different - which means that regardless of the time they spend in the gym, if they’re not built like that, they won’t get buff. It’s also not important for them to be buff - good qualities should be more important than good looks. 

Complexion 

You might think that women are the only ones who might feel judged based on their skin tone, but men feel the pressure too. Some people might prefer fair skinned men, whilst others prefer dark-skinned men and that’s totally okay. 

What is not okay though, is making anyone (regardless of their gender) feel bad about their complexion. Read this article about why it’s important to celebrate your skin-tone. 

They can’t be too tidy

Men who pride themselves in being tidy by getting their nails done, for example, are often insulted and considered to be feminine. Being clean or taking care of yourself has nothing to do with their masculinity but it’s a strange thing men are sometimes shamed for. 

Even celebrity Sam Smith has opened up about his struggles with how he looked, because famous people are expected look a certain way. This should tell you that in real life (whether you’re famous or not), we are all different and that’s totally okay. At the end of the day, what really matters is that we love and accept our bodies and even our flaws.

Remember, if you or a friend need advice or help, you can contact me here on Ask Choma, send me a Facebook Message, a Twitter DM, or a WhatsApp Message (071 172 3657).