I saw a post on Instagram recently about the struggles and shame males experience regarding body image. The text explained how some people felt that they were under immense pressure—whether that be from society or their loved ones—to maintain or achieve a specific body type. We are all constantly bombarded with advertisements and images of photoshopped bodies that attempt to sell us an unattainable image of ourselves. After coming across this post, I asked my boyfriend if he had any thoughts/struggles with unrealistic expectations of his body. He told me about his occasional feelings of feeling like “less of a man” due to his slender physique and more introverted personality. He explained how he felt pressure in his teen years to become the sort of person that has a six pack, lots of money, and have relationships with a lot of people. This reminded me of the masculinities archetypes that revered males who were “self-made,” had relations with lots of females, and had body types that set the standard for other people. I think while it’s important to destroy expectations regarding body image and self-perception among women, it’s important to see how these harmful standards also affect men.
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