Men and Body Image: The Untold Side of Body Positivity

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Introduction

Body positivity has been hijacked by a narrative that suggests it’s exclusively a women’s issue. If you scan through social media or pop culture, you’d think only women face the brunt of body shaming and that loving your body is a “girl’s thing”. Let’s be real.. this is nonsense. Loving your body isn’t a feminist act only when women do it; it’s a human act, and men need it just as much, if not more. Let’s see detailed view the untold side of body positivity.

The Myth That Men Don’t Care About Their Bodies

Let’s start by tearing down a tired myth: that men don’t care about how they look. Society has sold us the lie that men are somehow safe to body shaming, but anyone who has lived in the real world knows better. The pressure on men to meet narrow beauty standards like rippling abs, towering height, sculpted muscles is just as intense as it is for women. But men are often shamed not just for falling short of these standards, but for caring about it at all. Here we see, untold side of body positivity.

When men express insecurities about their appearance, they are met with mock. “Men don’t care about that stuff,” people say, brushing off their concerns. But the reality is far darker: men do care, and they’re suffering for it. Studies show rising rates of eating disorders, depression among men, yet we rarely include them in conversations about body positivity. It’s an obvious omission that highlights toxic masculinity and defames male weakness.

The Toxicity of Gendered Body Positivity

When we frame body love as a “feminine” act, we are doing a huge disfavor to men. The message is clear: Men shouldn’t be emotional about their bodies. They should just suck it up, keep their heads down, and hit the gym until they fit into society’s narrow definition of “attractive.” This is the same toxic masculinity that feminism should be fighting against. The idea that men should be emotionally detached from their appearance is harmful not just to men, but to everyone. It perpetuates a culture where weakness is shamed and emotional health is neglected.

Feminism’s core mission is to tear down all restrictive gender norms. If we are truly serious about equality, then we can’t just focus on freeing women from oppressive beauty standards while leaving men trapped in their own.  when we only uplift women, we’re leaving men to drown in silence. That’s not feminism. That’s hypocrisy.

Body Love Isn’t Gendered

Loving your body is not an inherently “feminine” thing, nor is it a sign of weakness. It’s a radical act of self-care that men deserve to embrace without fear of tease. Why should it be any different for men? They, too, face societal pressures, insecurities, and unrealistic expectations. The feminist movement should be pushing to make body positivity inclusive for all genders, instead of allowing it to be take-over by one group.

Mental Health Matters For Men Too

Men are quietly suffering in a society that tells them they shouldn’t care about their appearance. Body dysmorphia, eating disorders, and depression are skyrocketing among men, yet the focus remains overwhelmingly on women’s struggles. This isn’t to minimize the real and important battles women face against body shaming, but to acknowledge that we are ignoring a crisis among men.

The suicide rates for men are far higher than for women, and a huge factor in that is untreated mental health issues—issues that are often tied to body image and self-esteem. When men don’t feel comfortable talking about their struggles, they internalize their pain. This silence is deadly, and it’s time to stop pretending that men are unaffected by the very issues feminism claims to fight against.

Men, It’s Time to Reclaim Body Positivity

It’s time to shatter the illusion that self-love is a “feminine” concept. By ignoring men in this conversation, we’re perpetuating the very system feminism claims to oppose. Feminism, at its core, is about freedom from societal expectations, and that includes the expectations placed on men to be stoic and indifferent about their bodies.

So, men, start loving your bodies. Whether you are lean, muscular, round, short, tall, or anything in between, it’s your right to feel good in your own skin. And anyone who tells you otherwise is pushing the same old sexist garbage that feminism is supposed to be fighting against.

Let’s Push for True Inclusivity in the Body Positivity Movement

Every body is worthy of love, and every person has the right to exist without being judged by their appearance. By focusing only on women, the body positivity movement has missed an opportunity to truly undo the harmful beauty standards that affect all of us. So, let’s start including men in these conversations. Let’s stop pretending that men don’t care or that it’s somehow unmanly to love yourself.

Conclusion: Feminism Means All Bodies

Feminism isn’t just for women. It’s for everyone. The fight for body positivity should reflect that. So, next time you see someone promoting self-love, remember: it’s not just for women. Men deserve to love their bodies too, and anyone who thinks otherwise is part of the problem. you must understand this untold side of body positivity.

It’s time to break down the barriers. Body love is for everyone, and that’s the real feminist act.

-Writer.jerl

(contents are authoress’ own)