OUGD601 - Researching the links between masculinity and body image

Masculinity, Femininity and Male Body Image: A Recipe for Future Research - (Stuart B. MurrayPhD.,* and Stephen W. Touyz PhD, 2012)

Sexual Orientation

• (Triggemann et al, 2007) suggests that the elevating pursuit of masculinity may be more important among gay men, which (Levesque & Vichesky, 2006) suggest indicates a change in the attitudes towards physical wellbeing and health among homosexual males following the HIV/AIDS epidemic of the gay community. 
• In contrast, (Kemini et al, 2005 & Yelland and Triggemann, 2003) also say there is research that suggests there is an elevated drive toward both thinness and muscularity.
• In addition, more contrasting evidence by (Olivardia et al, 1995 & Touyz et al, 1993) report that homosexual males are no more likely than their heterosexual counterparts to experience body dissatisfaction. This further suggests that sexual preference may not exclusively mediate the directional divergence of body image dissatisfaction among males.

Analysis - Triggemann, Levesque and Vichesky all indicate that there may be some evidence to suggest a link between sexual preference and the drive to achieve a particular body type. However, there is contrasting argument as to whether this drive is more so towards thinness or muscularity among men. In addition to this, finding by Olivardia say that there is no difference in the amount of males, both homosexual and heterosexual who experience body dissatisfaction. 

In order to break down the analysis of these conflicting findings, the next chapters looks at femininity and masculinity respectively.

Femininity

• (Lakkis et al, 1999) suggests that gender orientation accounts for significantly more variance in eating and body image concerns than sexual orientation in men.
• (Meyer et al, 2001) suggests there is a link between body dissatisfied males who endorse greater feminine gender roles and the desire to have a thinner rather than larger body. This further suggests a link between thinness-orientated eating disorders and femininity in males.
• (Winston et al, 2004) found that one group of researchers suggest males who present a diagnosis of anorexia nervosa should be offered a rigorous screening for gender identity disorder.

Masculinity

• (Murray et al, 2011) The pathological pursuit of muscularity is inclusive of a central eating disordered component, which is largely oriented towards the over-regulated consumption of protein-rich foods, rather than the restriction of caloric foods.
• (Murray et al, 2011) The use of anabolic steroids have been associated with the endorsement of masculine gender roles, which is seen as part of a bigger constellation of muscularity-oriented psychopathology.
• (Murray et al, 2011) thinness-oriented body image concerns were also reported to have similar psychological and physiological functions as muscularity-oriented eating pathology.

Analysis - After different research investigations looked into feminine and masculine traits among males, it had been found that the majority of males that displayed certain thinness-oriented eating disorders were also likely to display feminine traits. In contrast to this, those that displayed muscularity-oriented eating disorders were likely to be pursuing a bigger body, through means of either protein rich foods or performance enhancing drugs. While this does not explain the reason behind people's pursuit of their ideal body type, it does however explain how body-dissatisfied males may have unhealthy ways of achieving the body they desire.