Muscle Meets Mind

Men care more than they might let on. There’s a certain kind of feeling a guy gets when his abs pop and he’s in shape. In this blog I’ll be exploring just how much men care about their body image and what affects it can have on their mental health.

Studies have discovered that the way men look is one of 10 fears they’ll never speak about. With the rise in fitness culture on social media there is a new feel of insecurity in the male community. Gym use is on the rise with people aspiring to look like their in-shape peers. The way people see themselves can have a huge impact on their mental health because it plays a major factor in a person’s self-esteem. Low self-esteem tends to lead to (depression and anxiety).

This years theme for mental health awareness week is "Body Image" and it would be easy to presume that this is predominantly a female issue, but i was keen to explore how the social pressures for the perfect body affects the male sex. This is shown by the 38% of men that would sacrifice at least a year of their life in exchange for a perfect body and the 29% who thought about their body more than 5 times a day. James Corden spoke about his thoughts on the industries portrayal of ‘big’ people saying "I could never understand when I watch romantic comedies. The notion that for some reason unattractive or heavy people don't fall in love. If they do, it's in some odd, kooky, roundabout way - and it's not. It's exactly the same.”