Body-Shaming Men Is A Real Issue And It¡¯s Time We Start Talking About It

The concept of physical beauty has become more inclusive for women but that is not the case for men. Men are depicted as bigger and stronger beings in pop culture, history and even religious texts, the expectation is be physically big and ¡®masculine¡¯. God forbid, if a man chooses to not get beefed up or tries to dress in a fluid fashion, he is instantly labelled ¡®too feminine¡¯ or just ¡®gay¡¯.

Body shaming men and boys is an issue that needs to be addressed. This is an everyday occurrence and needs to stop. Indiatimes spoke to a few men, who shared dark episodes of how they were ridiculed for their height or weight.

¡°I was shopping for a suit for my sister¡¯s wedding and the man taking my measurements failed to acknowledge the fact that I would require something smaller as compared to the average size. His words still ring in my ear -- ¡®Sir, aap jab shaadi karoge toh dulhan ko apne coat ka size mat batana. Aapke size ka toh banta bhi nahi hai.¡¯ It made me feel extremely uncomfortable. I do not want to go about my life, justifying or explaining my ¡®short¡¯ height. I am what I am and my height is a fact. Society needs to accept that their nose belongs on their face and not in my life.¡±

This is just one example out of many that highlights the reality of men being body shamed. Women prefer a ¡®tall¡¯ guy whenever they express their desire in a man. Jokes like, ¡°Do I like him or is he just tall?¡± are an everyday sight on social media; so much that a short guy is automatically vetoed off the list.

Weight is another issue, where both men and women are targeted for. While women have been fighting this stereotyping for years, and have found a space for female body inclusivity in mainstream media, men are still waiting in the queue to be accepted. Having six pack abs is your entry to this ¡®What Men Should Look Like¡¯ club and anything other than that is seen as a complete no-no. ¡®Dad bods¡¯ are entertained as only jokes and not the acknowledgement towards a man having a heavier body type.

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¡°Bhai tu mat kha kuchh. Tujhe zarurat nahi hai.¡± ¡°You have man boobs¡± or ¡°Your ass is so round, it¡¯s almost like a girl¡¯s¡± -- these crass statements pepper my friend¡¯s conversation, as he talks about his battle with people shaming him. He has heard these jabs repeatedly. While some of us do stand up against this form of bullying. But how many people can you educate? How many times will a man feel upset because he does not ¡®fit¡¯ into society¡¯s idea of a male body?

Statements like ¡®Be a man¡¯ and ¡®Boys don¡¯t cry¡¯ play with their psyche and they build up walls around their emotions to keep them from coming out into the real world. According to a study conducted by Cornell University, 70 percent of college-going men today are not satisfied with their body type. Teenagers who are still trying to grasp their own emotions and insecurities are further bombarded with body shaming comments and trolled for being themselves. Social media too plays havoc on these young male minds and being insecure about physical attributes becomes a way of life for them.

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Pop culture doesn¡¯t help either and only portrays men that fit into these societal norms, leaving every other body type with no chance to be celebrated. This conditioning begins early. Little boys are made to feel that they are not ¡®enough¡¯ for the world before they can even process basic emotions and this can lead to issues like anxiety setting in early in life.

While we claim to be a woke generation, wearing a t-shirt that praises feminism or just bumping our fists to equality isn¡¯t enough, until we start treating all genders with respect.