What a great figure

New figures show that the market amongst young men for plastic surgery is bigger than ever; it has doubled in the last five years. In America sales of men's hair dyes have risen from 18 million to over 100 million in the same period.

And the picture looks pretty similar in Britain. Last year the UK grooming market, according to a Mintel report, was estimated to be worth around £585 million in the UK. Clinique reported that their company's sales to men increased by 25% in 1999, suggesting that up until recently men have been buying women's skin care products for themselves. Now the same products are being repackaged to attract the male buyer, so there's nothing stopping you acting as vain as Beckham.

Men and their worst bits

When men are dissatisfied, the main focuses of concern are height, stomachs, chests and hair loss. Guys often surreptitiously draw in their stomachs and walk 'taller' as they pass mirrors (check it out if you don't believe us).

Dr Stephen Edwards, a lecturer in Psychology at the University of Wales, Swansea, is currently researching the structure of male body image and body image concerns in men. He believes that young men today feel more pressure to look good than they did just five years ago, but is still doubtful that they feel the same pressures from media influences as women do. However, he is quick to point out the main body image issues that affect men more than women. "Muscularity is not an issue for women whereas it is for men," he says. "Being "too" thin is not a problem for women, whereas for men this would be equated with being weedy."

Distorted body image and health problems

"As a general rule, and at the extremes, body image concern in women would be associated with eating disorders, whereas with men exercise addiction is a concern, as is the use of anabolic steroids," says Dr Edwards.

Recent research backs this up, with evidence of an increase in body-dissatisfaction among males. It has been known that boys go through a phase of relative dissatisfaction with appearance in early adolescence, but physical changes through puberty bring them closer to ideal. There is also some evidence that men undergoing a mid-life crisis (i.e. men between the ages of about 45 and 55) are most likely to be dissatisfied with their appearance.

How many men suffer from eating disorders?

No accurate figures exist. Roughly 0.5-1% of women between the ages of 18 and 25 experience anorexia nervosa. The figures for bulimia nervosa are probably a little higher. The rate among men is estimated to be only 5% of that in women.

"Historically, body image research has been driven by interest in the eating disorders," explains Dr Edwards. "Given the low figures for males it wasn't really a research priority. Now, this is changing."

Gay men and body image

Gay men are more likely than straight men to be unhappy with their reflection in the mirror. This seems to be mainly due to the higher emphasis on appearance in gay male culture, although it is possible that stability of relationships may also be a factor as it is often found that people in stable, long-term relationships have a more positive body image than singles.

Updated: 13/04/2010