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I want to talk about something that I wish was talked about more frequently: mental health, specifically around male body image issues.
Growing up in the era where magazines were thriving, this is what the media depicts as the gold standard for what a male body should look like
Growing up in the era where magazines were thriving, this is what the media depicts as the gold standard for what a male body should look like
This wasn't isolated to just magazines. Movies, shows, porn, ads, books depict this as the hero to be. I was not immune to these messages.
5 years ago, I decided to start working out more consistently, and when I first started I decided to get a personal trainer in order to help.
5 years ago, I decided to start working out more consistently, and when I first started I decided to get a personal trainer in order to help.
I wanted to make sure I was going about this the right way so the trainer helped in that regard. The trainer was basically a page ripped out of the magazines above and their priorities were the headlines of those magazines.
After training for several months, I looked like this. Apart from my weird looking focus face, I had lost so much weight that my you can visibly see my ribs. Back then, I thought that this was the healthiest I've ever been my entire life.
My trainer saw me change into this and encouraged me to lose even more weight as I still had some fat on me. It was never about being happy, it was about turning into an image.
But in my mind, if I didn't become a certain image then I am not up to some standard.
But in my mind, if I didn't become a certain image then I am not up to some standard.
So you try to push your body to grow into something that it may never become or may become with lots and lots of sacrifice (to both your mental and physical health).
After the last session I had with the trainer, they worked out a plan for me to extend with them further
After the last session I had with the trainer, they worked out a plan for me to extend with them further
The plan involved losing more weight (of course), and shaving all your chest hair ("cause you're toned out bro").
At this point, I was 63 kgs, 185cm. I don't know how much more I can even lose. I hated all of it so I didn't extend and took my health back into my own hands.
At this point, I was 63 kgs, 185cm. I don't know how much more I can even lose. I hated all of it so I didn't extend and took my health back into my own hands.
After working out on my own for years now, I learned a lot about what to do, what to avoid. I learned about clean healthy eating. I learned not to stress over how much I am eating and not worry about the rice grain count. I learned to listen to my body
I have never been as happy as I am with my body as I am today. I am no where near what those magazines still call out for. I have grown and moved on and found peace in being healthy as opposed to being someone else's image of healthy.
I'm super lucky to have a partner that supported me and helped me get out of this viscous cycle. And now the sneaky pics of me I get from them keep me going more so than any trainer did.
