Photo by Olu Famule
Male celebrities that have publicly spoken out about their eating disorders are often met with disregard towards their vulnerability. In recent years, Ed Sheeran faced the public eye with his comments surrounding personal struggles with food and binge eating. Sheeran revealed that he would binge until he was sick, and how both he and Elton John shared a similar unhealthy relationship with food. John was explicit about his bulimia – and he wasn’t the first to share his story. There have been countless men who have struggled with eating disorders and behind closed doors, due to the lingering stigma of male eating disorders. Anorexia, bulimia, binge eating, and other eating disorders are oftentimes associated with females; and viewed solely as a female problem. But this cannot be further from the truth.
Society places pressure on both men and women to reach a certain aesthetic ideal, which is harmful to all genders. What isn’t being discussed enough, is how such pressures and, more specifically, toxic masculinity is burdening males to remain silent about their struggles and mask their distress.
Men continue to suffer with eating disorders, while society turns a blind eye.
In this blog, we share how toxic masculinity affects males with eating disorders, the statistics around males and eating disorders, and why this is a rising concern. Keep reading to learn more!
Men’s Symptoms Are Less Likely To Be Diagnosed
Samantha Young, LPCC and Kindful Body’s Clinical Director shares, “In my experience working with male clients is that their symptoms are less likely to be diagnosed as an eating disorder; and they are less likely to receive an assessment and screening for eating disorders. I have frequently worked with male athletes, first responders, and military personnel who feel pressured to have a certain body type, or physique. In turn, they engage in behaviors like binge eating, restriction, compulsive exercise, and orthorexia to control their food intake to impact their body shape and size. There is [either] a sense of shame involved in seeking treatment, or the individual does not know that the behaviors they are presenting with are, in actuality, disordered.”