Eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa and bulimia, generally thought of as the domain of young women, are increasingly affecting men, new research suggests.
A study published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal finds that although men have far more treatment options than a decade ago, they may not get diagnosed properly because of the stigma around eating disorders—still considered a “female problem.”
“With mythologies that exist around eating disorders it may not be the first thing that comes to mind, or even the second thing that comes to mind, for a doctor faced with a male who has an eating disorder,” says Merryl Bear, director of the National Eating Disorder Information Centre (NEDIC), a non-profit organization based in Toronto.
“There are definitely barriers for anyone with an eating disorder in receiving treatment, and for males it can be much more challenging,” says Bear, adding that much of the research to date has focused on girls and women.
NEDIC has launched a poster campaign to raise awareness of the often overlooked problem in men, to help those who may be suffering from it—and their families—recognize the condition, which may start in boys as young as nine.
Though research over the past decade indicates that men account for a quarter of cases of eating disorders—far more than previously believed—treatment is still largely geared toward women, says the study.
The study notes that awareness of eating disorders in men is urgent because they are typically not diagnosed at an early stage, making their health increasingly endangered.
The new ‘ideal’
Over the past decade the male fashion ideal has increasingly shifted from strong, muscular physiques to very lean, skinny silhouettes.
This new “ideal” of top designers such as Yves St. Laurent, Marc Jacobs, and Christian Dior, has influenced male fashion around the world, creating unrealistic demands on men to conform to runway images.
This week, controversy erupted over a shockingly thin male model pictured on the catwalk at Paris Fashion Week, igniting the debate over increasingly dangerous standards in men’s fashion.
Prominent fashion blogger Poppy Dinsey tweeted the photo of the emaciated Yves St. Laurent model, condemning the designer for “woefully irresponsible model casting.”
