Commentary
The United States is in the midst of a “silent crisis.” The number of lonely males in the United States continues to rise. What’s driving this epidemic of sadness, separation, and isolation?
As I’ve noted before, the average American has fewer friends today than at any other time in recent history. Women have closer friendships than men. Moreover, women are considerably more likely to have a best friend than men. The sharing of positive emotional experiences with close friends acts as a buffer against loneliness. People lacking strong social relationships are at a higher risk of early mortality. To compound matters, 63 percent of young men are single. Many of these men have little interest in pursuing a romantic relationship. This isn’t normal, and it’s certainly not healthy behavior.
I contend that there’s another reason more and more men are walling themselves off from society: body dissatisfaction.
Like females, males also have body ideals. The idealized masculine body type is wide and muscular. The average American male is certainly wide, but he’s definitely not muscular. In truth, he’s hovering somewhere between being overweight and being morbidly obese. Excessive weight and body dissatisfaction go hand in hand. Body image dissatisfaction is also closely associated with social isolation. If he doesn’t feel confident in his appearance, he’s less likely to want to do anything that involves social interaction and the possibility of public scrutiny.
While keeping yourself in good shape is to be encouraged for numerous health reasons, at the same time, men are being pressured into looking a very specific way—shredded, sculpted, with minimal amounts of body fat. This pressure is creating a profound sense of body dissatisfaction among the men of America, even among those who aren’t overweight.
For those who roll their eyes at the idea of body dissatisfaction among men and the pressure to look a certain way, let me point you in the direction of the actor Hugh Jackman. In 2009, Mr. Jackman assumed the role of Wolverine. The Australian was in decent shape; he was in possession of a respectable, entirely realistic-looking physique. By 2013, however, when he appeared in the follow-up to the original Wolverine movie, the actor was a different physical specimen altogether. Hugh Jackman had become Huge Jackedman. In his first outing as Wolverine, the versatile actor looked like a lumberjack or construction worker—strong but not superhuman. In his more recent Wolverine appearances, Jackman was almost unrecognizable. He was ridiculously lean, and ridiculously muscular. In the decade since, on TV, in movies, and on social media, sculpted physiques have become the norm.
Today, the men of America and beyond are also being exposed to inordinate amounts of chemically enhanced images. Worse still, they’re often told that these chemically enhanced physiques are in no way chemically enhanced; they’re the product of entirely natural means. Some men know they’re being lied to. Many, though, don’t.
Is it any surprise that body dysmorphia among young men is on the rise? In fact, body dysmorphia, a severe mental health condition that involves intrusive thoughts concerning perceived defects or flaws in one’s physical appearance, affects as many men as women. Body dysmorphia results in an individual feeling self-conscious, anxious, and even ashamed of his or her body. The condition is intimately associated with eating disorders. Worryingly, eating disorders in young men are also on the rise. Like the loneliness epidemic, the body dysmorphia crisis among men continues to get worse. One of the more common forms of body dysmorphia is muscle dysmorphia, which involves an obsession with the idea that one’s body isn’t muscular enough. In an effort to satisfy this crippling obsession, the afflicted may work out excessively and start using steroids. Muscle dysmorphia and steroid use can lead to medical complications, social isolation, and even suicide.
In addition to feeling too skinny or too fat, a man suffering from body dysmorphia may also consider himself to be lacking in height. In an attempt to rectify this seemingly unrectifiable aspect of one’s physical appearance, an increasing number of American men are availing of leg-lengthening surgery. This surgical approach involves cutting the bone in a key area—such as the femur (thigh bone) and tibia (shinbone)—and the insertion of numerous metal pins and screws. This form of cosmetic height surgery comes with significant financial and physical costs. According to Dr. Megan Soliman, a board-certified internal medicine physician, “Up to 100 percent of people who have leg-lengthening surgery have some type of complication,” though most are not major.
It’s clear to see that the men of America are not OK. As we retreat further into our hyper-isolated digital ecosystems, where artificiality reigns supreme, we should expect to see more and more men do whatever it takes to appear taller and more muscular.
Views expressed in this article are opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
