It’s no secret that celebrity magazines and online trolls have less mercy than a personal trainer when criticising the human physique.
It does seem that body-shaming has predominantly been an issue for females. The media has a habit of attacking every time a woman’s weight fluctuates slightly, as we’ve seen with Kim Kardashian being called out for being too skinny after a prolonged period of being fat-shamed (even when she was pregnant).
However, it is also a serious matter for men as well, and some famous men are now speaking up on this very same issue. This year alone, a number of male actors and broadcasters have been affected by cyber bullying and media harassment. All because of their bodies.
An important case was that of former Prison Break star, Wentworth Miller, who was the subject of an meme that ridiculed him for his appearance. Miller penned a post in response and opened up about his struggles with depression.
He explained how his feelings about that image had evolved over time. “In 2010, fighting for my mental health, it was the last thing I needed…Now, when I see that image of me in my red t-shirt, a rare smile on my face, I am reminded of my struggle. My endurance and my perseverance in the face of all kinds of demons. Some within. Some without.”
TV and radio host Osher Gunsberg was also recently targeted by news outlets who published shirtless photos of him whilst vacationing in Indonesia. One of the headlines read: Host of The Bachelor, Osher Gunsberg, shows off his 'Bali belly' while shirtless.
Gunsberg addressed the issue on his regular radio show, saying that "the glint and look of glee in the photographers' eye when he was telling me, 'Ha, we got ya' – it was the same look that the bullies at school used to have in their eye.”
He read out a letter to his 18 year old self on his radio show in which he revealed a painful battle with drugs, alcohol and mental illness.
According to Elaine Hosie, a registered psychologist and the Director of Counselling for an organisation working with adolescent males, the power of the media is worth acknowledging.
“The media promotes a certain idealised image of what it means to be a male. In regard to the body image debate, the media plays a large role in the idealised notion of what it is to grow from a child, to an adolescent, to an adult male.”
While the media alone might not be an isolating factor in leading to conditions like body dysmorphic disorder, it definitely shapes the ways we see ourselves and others.
Dr. Jennifer Greenberg, a research director at Massachusetts General Hospital who works with patients suffering from severe fixations on appearance says that although both sexes are fed unattainable ideals and altered images, men may put more emphasis on them.
Greenberg states, “The more that you’re exposed to these unrealistic, unattainable ideals, the more you’re likely to compare yourself or even compare others to those ideals, and the worse you tend to feel about yourself.”
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