A few months ago, Dartmouth's Eating Disorder Peer Advisors celebrated "Love Your Body Day." Dedicated to the celebration of our bodies and the promotion of a positive body image, the event attracted a large number of visitors eager to implement these basic EDPA philosophies. Not surprisingly, most of those who stopped by were female. Of the very few men who did, many were "lurkers." They walked in, hovered by the door in an attempt to remain unnoticed and then scanned the room and left before we could tell them about the raffle for an iPod shuffle. The remaining men, an even smaller group, were much more receptive to our endeavors; they decorated T-shirts and thoughtfully completed self-promoting Mad-Libs kudos to these guys. But why are there so few of them? And why is it not surprising? It seems that most guys here at Dartmouth, bookworms and bros alike, are content to overlook the issue of eating disorders. Perhaps they are ashamed to admit vulnerability; perhaps they don't think eating disorders could ever affect them. This mindset is not confined to our sliver of reality here in the Upper Valley. The American Psychological Association notes a similar, broader phenomenon: Most men consider eating disorders "woman diseases" and are subsequently less likely to seek help. The unfortunate truth is that eating disorders could, and do, affect anyone even guys.
One in every 10 individuals diagnosed with eating disorders are male, according to the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders. This same organization asserts that men are less likely to be diagnosed with eating disorders, but in cases where the disorders are acknowledged, it is usually at a later and more severe stage. These findings suggest that, if these undiagnosed cases were properly accounted for, the prevalence of males with clinical eating disorders would be substantially higher.
A widespread notion among students and adults alike is that eating disorders affect men and women in the same way, but this is not the case. Although in smaller proportions than among females, disorders like anorexia and bulimia are clearly evident within the male population. In contrast, steroid use, excessive exercise and obsessive single-nutrient food consumption predominantly affect males. But these tendencies often come off as unproblematic; our campus and the pop culture we ooze over seems to condone this behavior.
Men too can fixate on food and perpetuate compulsive behaviors. Muscle Milk, for example, is a protein heavy, low-carb, low-fat miracle juice that is incredibly popular on our campus. Although the widespread consumption of this substance is clearly different from anorexia, both are rooted in the same maladaptive thoughts that drive disordered eating habits. Many guys want to "bulk up." Maybe they are anxious about their bodies, perhaps obsessive to the point of disordered. But we can easily overlook this behavior as common or even good. Guys should want to be bigger, right? Not necessarily guys should want to be healthy. Too often our society disregards maladaptive eating habits unless they fall in the realm of females starving or purging. With this oversimplification, we stigmatize the equally legitimate problem of males with eating disorders. Our campus and our society should acknowledge this and eradicate the stigma of eating disorders in general, especially among men.
The desire among both men and women to slim down or bulk up often compels disordered eating habits. You may wonder what this so-called "disordered eating" really is. The answer lies in the imperfection of diagnostic processes. No two eating disorders are identical. There are millions of ways an individual could behaviorally express his or her suffering, and it is impossible to clinically define each instance. Therefore, some of these cases do not fit neatly within the predetermined diagnostic labels, and these individuals are said to exhibit "disordered eating" tendencies.
An alternative definition refers to anything outside the norm in terms of eating and exercise habits. So then the next question arises, what is the norm? And this is where we can all help. Men and women who believe that they may be suffering with an eating disorder should seek support on how best to work toward developing healthy eating and exercise behaviors. People who are suffering should not feel constrained by gender stereotypes. It is okay to ask for help.
