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The Student News Site of the Latin School of Chicago

The Forum

The Student News Site of the Latin School of Chicago

The Forum

The Latin Guy Lunch

Jacob Pharoah

Latin is alive with talk of eating disorders and body image issues, and it seems evident that we have created an open dialogue that would be alien to most schools. In the wake of “The Latin Girl Lunch” and a recent LAW breakfast that focused on the way certain groups are affected by the media, I have no doubt in my fourth-quarter-fried mind that the women at Latin are knowledgeable about the topic of body image and are willing to talk openly about it.

But what about the guys?

From LAW meetings to discussions between clusters of women in hallways, library rooms, and cafeteria booths, it seems that eating disorders and body image issues garner sustained attention from the women at Latin. On the flip side, when it comes to Latin’s male population, we’re far less eager to voice concerns about issues that concern body image. Quite frankly, exploring the topic of body image is an intangible idea for most guys at Latin.

Advertising six-pack abs and bulging biceps, the media projects its own ideals on men. Although the ideal man realized in the media cannot be equalized with the size zero female models that strut their stuff (or lack of) down runways, the ideals for men are extreme in their own right. Yet, because of the drasticness of the flawless woman, coverage of male extremes is often minimal. The knock-on effect is that discussion of this topic is also minimal among the male population despite the prevalence of the issue. As Senior Ian Spear put it, “there’s no doubt that a ‘buff’ body type is considered superior, and I think many guys wish they could change their bodies.” With this in mind, it becomes slightly more comprehensible how subdued talk is on the men’s side when it comes to this issue.

If you’re looking to find a place where men will willingly shows glimpses of their insecurities with body image, you should look no further than the gym. Talk on the subject is rare, but the gym is one of the few places where men will show how they feel about their body image through dress. As Senior Blake Lasky comments, “guys complain about how much they can or can’t lift,” alluding to weigh-lifting abilities. Junior Alex Mendoza adds to this by saying, “guys can feel a pressure to workout.” On social networking sites like Tumblr, guys flaunt their muscles with the taglines “fitspo” and “fitspiration,” which mirror the “thinspiration” tags that have gained controversy for promoting anorexia. Upon googling fitspiration, I was presented with an array of links to Tumblr pages and personal blogs. Quotes like “shut up and squat” were rewarded with retweets, reblogs, and likes.  The pressure that men can feel is easily disguised, as excessive working out often prevents men from staying healthy. It’s simply not as apparent as the pressure that women feel, meaning that the unspoken pressure to “bulk up” is exceedingly dangerous, as it continues to go unaddressed.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recently conducted a study, showing that 40 percent of men in middle school and high school say that they regularly exercise with the goal of increasing muscle mass, and thirty-eight percent say they used protein supplements. A worrying 6 percent went on to say that they have experimented with steroids. Just as women restrict their eating to attain society’s ideals, men are harming themselves by chasing their perceived image of manhood. There is no legal restriction on supplements, and dietician Erin Palinski warns that men are “actually going to harm their health if they [use] excessive amounts [of supplements].” Consumer Reports tested fifteen different types of protein drinks and found arsenic, cadmium, mercury, and lead in all fifteen. Each of these elements are toxins.

Because of differing ideals for men and women, the average meal consumed by men at Latin seems to stray from the “The Latin Girl Lunch.” Guys at Latin load up on carbohydrates, and often fuel themselves with the most calorie-heavy options. Men that frequent the salad bar are a rare breed, and find themselves in the minority. It also seems that there is a degree of certain meals being viewed as less masculine than others.  It goes back to this intrinsic sense in many men that worrying about weight goes against the male gender role. All of this perpetuates the need for the perceived masculine physique, and lessens the chance that men with body image issues will get help because of the gender stereotypes surrounding it. It seems to be far more acceptable to conform to the established male ideal and down a couple of protein shakes  than to eat a Caesar salad. There is a stigma around such foods and, at its core, this stigma enforces an unhealthy diet for those conforming to the masculine norm.

Until the men in our community can talk about body image with the same ease that women do, the problems surrounding it can’t be mitigated. We are all human, and we all have insecurities, so why not just be honest? We have nothing to lose but the false assertions that we’ve willingly absorbed about what it means to act and look like a man.

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  • E

    ewarrenMay 20, 2013 at 12:26 pm

    the standards around the ideal body type for men and women send a message to us all about power and domination. if the ideal body type for a man represents strength and size and the ideal body type for a women is thin and frail, it’s pretty clear that men are supposed to be seen as dominant and women are to be dominated, if not physically, then figuratively. this is dangerous for all of us (the use of steroids, for example, for men and the persistence of domestic violence against women), but the fact of the matter is that this society create systems in which women continue to be oppressed.

    Reply
  • C

    csharpMay 16, 2013 at 2:24 pm

    This was really well written and provocative, Jacob! Great article. I would love to see more talk at Latin about body image that are gender neutral, because it’s an issue that affects us all.
    Thumbs up!

    Reply
  • A

    afisherMay 16, 2013 at 1:17 pm

    Such a well written and interesting article! This is definitely a topic overshadowed by talk of eating disorders and body image among females at Latin and deserves to be discussed

    Reply
  • K

    kgreerMay 16, 2013 at 5:51 am

    Proud to be a part of Latin this morning. Next steps? Always a challenge to suggest concrete steps to change cultural norms, but it’s a challenge to broach this subject at all — and Rachel and Jacob have done that already.
    Also happy to know that my love of Caesar salads (dressing on the side) reflects an enlightened male sensibility. I acknowledge my love of donuts does not.
    Congrats to all and to the Forum.

    Reply
  • R

    rstoneMay 16, 2013 at 12:35 am

    Also Ian you’re getting some free food item for that comment.

    Reply
  • R

    rstoneMay 16, 2013 at 12:34 am

    Looking at the disparity between ideal body types in each of our articles, I can’t help but feel like the problem is even deeper than aspiring to unattainable physiques. It’s a cultural thing. Women are more desirous if they are slimmer and frailer, while men are considered attractive when they exhibit characteristics of physical strength and domination. While I am not saying that the food choices students at Latin are making are because they are consciously adhering to societal definitions of “what it means to be a man/woman,” I think it might be something to think about. Maybe when the ideas of gender identity have become more flexible (and a girl can pay for her prom ticket along with her dates’ prom ticket without the guy getting criticized by his friends) and the idea of strength itself can be redefined, we can all start to reevaluate why we’re making the choices we’re making with our own bodies.

    Reply
  • L

    liferganMay 15, 2013 at 9:18 pm

    I thought this was a really interesting piece because usually male body image isn’t something that is talked about everyday in our community. I liked how the author juxtaposed both female and male body images because it really goes to show that teenage guys are just as consumed with their body image as girls are. I think it really says something about the generation we live in.

    Reply
  • H

    HedyMay 15, 2013 at 9:12 pm

    Jacob, I agree that this was an awesome article.
    And, Ian, the words, “Nothing starts the dialogue like a Forum article” almost brought tears to my eyes.

    Reply
  • S

    sthomas14May 15, 2013 at 8:54 pm

    I LOVE that you brought the issue of male body image to light. I feel like the topic of a woman’s ideal body is brought up constantly yet it’s become almost taboo to talk about the male body. I think this is a great topic to touch on and something that even us at LAW should talk about next year. Great article!!

    Reply
  • I

    ispearMay 15, 2013 at 8:33 pm

    Awesome article, Jacob! I’m really glad you decided to take on this topic. Nothing starts the dialogue like a Forum article.

    Reply
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