When 'Real Men' Pose in Ads, It Makes the World a Better Place

The recent spike in dialogues about body shame, particularly amongst the media, has a particularly a feminist slant. And with good reason — women in general lack the kind of confidence that most men have, to the detriment of both their careers and their personal lives.

But there should be room in those dialogues for the male perspective as well. After all, the world of male modeling, though much smaller, can be just as unforgiving as that faced by female models, and studies show that boys experience significant blows to their self-esteem in adolescence, just like girls do.

So, where does that conversation start?

A couple years ago, British tabloid The Sun had a laugh by getting “real men” to pose in their underwear, mimicking actual male underwear advertisements. The results, though, were more than just funny -- they were insightful and thought-provoking. Men can be objectified for the sake of marketing, too, and even if the effects of that objectification can be particularly devastating for women, the self-esteem-lowering effects of “sexvertising” can also have an impact on the guys who see them and wonder if they aren’t good enough just the way they are.

Studies have found that between 28% and 68% of normal-weight adolescent and college-aged males consider themselves to be underweight and lacking the kind of muscle definition they’d like. Research has also found that male dissatisfaction with appearance over the last three decades has made a jump from 15% to 43% of men being unhappy with the way they look, rates which are comparable to those among women. You may have never heard of muscle dysmorphia — the disorder in which a person becomes obsessed with bodybuilding because they believe they’re not muscular enough — but researchers and health professionals believe that the increase in men who focus on strength training and muscular definition is largely related to the increase of these “perfect,” “ideal” male bodies in the media.

The Sun’s “real men” photoshoot made rounds on Reddit, where the images received plenty of praise — particularly from commenters who think that the “real men” are just as good-looking as the models. More exposure to these kinds of images can only be good news, considering research has shown that being surrounded by different body types makes us more accepting of different body sizes and shapes. And, hopefully, an increase in self-esteem among men will only make it easier for women to be confident, powerful, and wildly successful. Hopefully.

So go ahead, guys. Indulge in a little self-love and strut your sexy selves just the way you are. It’s good for humanity.

[Pic via screengrab - The Sun]