Body Image…

Ok, so lets be honest here. I’ve just spent the last two hours watching some of the most disturbing things I’ve ever watched in my life. The first hour is Channel Fours, “Extreme Male Beauty” focusing on the male self image, and in paticular for this episode, making the male genitalia larger. The second hour, is ITV2′s “The Truth About Online Annorexia” presented by Fearn Cotton, and it really got me thinking about todays world and body image.

I find it incredible, that sites like the ones Fearn Cotton were on, actually exist. More-over putting the words “proana” into google, bring up 746,000 hits. Granted some of those sites will be news and wikipedia, but a brief look over, shows me that it really is only one or two links to anything other than the proana sites. I’m frankly disgusted and disturbed that these things exist, and that people out there actually support this kind of thing.

I’ve been exposed to weight issues most of my life. My mother is a Cognitive Behavioural Therapist, and a Specialist in Eating Disorders. My class presentation for english when I was younger, was on Eating Disorders. I am constantly aware and quite frightened about eating disorders. I’ve even dated a girl who had an severe eating disorder, and I broke up with her because of it.

I am not a “Skinny” guy, nor do I even come close to having the ‘body image’ that would appear in an edition of Mens Health or Esquire, however, I am not fat either. A little overweight yes, according to my BMI, however I have good muscles in my legs, so in fact, my BMI is not 100% accuratte because of that. Yet I too feel the pressure of the moden world and all of these magazines to slim down, tone, and become body beautiful.

Yet despite this, I’m not entirley certain I even want to try and slim down. Of course, I personally do want to loose a little weight, tone a little and become a fitter and healthier person, and I stress that this isn’t about image, it’s about me wanting to be healthier and live a longer and have a better, healthier life. But I fear that should I try to diet, or reduce weight, I’m going to fall under the illusion to other people that I’m trying a crash diet or I am doing it only to conform with this rediculous body image that these, frankly disgusting websites convey.

I do not, and have never met anyone that is attracted to girls that are stick figure thin, let alone the annorexic individuals that have lost so much muscle and weight, their bones show through their skin. It isn’t attractive, and I can’t see how anyone would want to make themselves this way.

I wonder at just how warped people can become due to todays image concious society. I worry about people I know that have these thoughts in their minds, and from what I’ve learnt, most people sufffering with Annorexia or Bulimia also suffer from BDD, or Body Dismorphic Disorder. Where the self image is greatly disfigured.

I wonder how many people realise that they may have a psychological condition, rather than just a want to be thin. And I am truley afraid for these people, and the world ahead of us