Is this TRUE guys?
Think of dieting, body-image and eating disorders, and your first guess would be that these problems are of the feminine kind. Think again.
In societies increasingly dominated by television, magazines and movies, the physical image has taken on greater magnitude than ever before. With that, eating disorders and body image obsessions have affected women on a worldwide scale, and it seems that men are unfortunately catching up with women in that domain.
A recent study in the US showed that men are also feeling the pressure to achieve perfect bodies, challenging the myth that men aren't affected by the media or other comments about their bodies.
But studies can be vague and theoretical. Does a study in the US mean that men the world over will resort to extremes to look like Brad Pitt, circa Fight Club? Do men take excessive supplements to achieve a body worthy of the Terminator's approval?
When Samer Najjar moved to Miami, Florida, eight years ago to pursue a university degree, his weight became an issue. "When I lived in Florida, my friends would go to the pool or the beach every day after classes," he said. "I wouldn't go because I was so self-conscious about my body. I weighed 100 kg and was 1.74 metres tall. I started eating just one small salad a day, with no proteins, just greens. And I would run three km everyday."
Najjar, now 26, kept up his unhealthy lifestyle for three months, and went from weighing 100 kilos to just 59 kilos. "My friends and my brother made me realise I was being extreme, that I was overdoing it and that I had lost too much weight. My brother told me that my head was getting too big for my body. I definitely believe that I was anorexic at the time."
Now at a healthy 77 kilos, Najjar is finally comfortable with his weight, yet remains in control of what he eats and how much he exercises. "I was affected by things I saw in the media, but that's not to say they are bad things, because being muscular is a healthy thing," he said. "So they are positive things. It's how you go about achieving them, that is the question."
Nabeel Chami, a 26-year old advertising professional, known to his colleagues as having a "hot body", agrees that societal pressures affect men and women, albeit differently. "I think it definitely affects men heaps and bounds less than it does women," he says. "Men's social status is not related to topical things like physical appearance. It has more to do with things like money, and looks come in last generally. With the increase of pouring in of Western media, it's gotten worse. Still, I don't think it comes anywhere near the pressure that is put on women."
Blessed with a fast metabolism and an affinity for exercise from a young age, Chami said he does not believe in the concept of signing up for a gym programme.
"I just work out for 15 minutes in the morning before going to work," he said. "But I do know men who go to the extreme to achieve what they call a perfect body. I think really buff guys who drink protein shakes all the time and eat five chickens a day are a little radical. Also, guys who invest more than an hour and a half at the gym every day, they're dedicating way too much time to the way you look."
Ameen Darwish, also an advertising professional, works out six days a week, and says he only does it to achieve a healthy body. "I think society and the media have started affecting men, but it hasn't personally affected me. I'm almost 30, so I wanted to have a good body and be healthy. I've been working out for three months now, but before that I'd always been into sports and been conscious about what I eat.
"Now that I've started working out, if I see a man on TV who is very fit, I say I want to be in that shape," he said. "It's not my reason for going to the gym, but it's a goal. There is a media influence, but I think it affects women way more than men."
Darwish also believes that men are not as affected as women because in this part of the world, celebrities and models are not revered the way they are elsewhere. "For Arab men especially, models are not something to look up to. On the contrary, they are seen as being feminine. Everybody should be conscious of the way they look, but for health reasons and to transmit good examples to children, especially here in the UAE where our lifestyles are quite sedentary."
Mira Selwadi, 26, said: "I won't lie and say that men's looks don't matter to me, but that's natural. I like it when a man is in shape, as it's healthy for him as well. So yes, a man's body does matter to a certain extent.
"It's not crucial that they are perfectly fit, but again, it's a matter of health and not of looks. I believe I fall within the majority of women who think the same way like I do. I don't care if a guy is really buff. In fact, I find that less attractive.
"There is too much pressure from the media on both men and women, and our attitudes are becoming very superficial. You shouldn't believe everything you see, and keep in mind that everything is retouched."
It's body over mind as men get obsessed about looking good
Originally Posted by Streetcar
Reply With Quote
Posting Permissions
