What Makes Boys More Resistant to Eating Disorders and Body Image Issues

Contributor: W. Travis Stewart, Licensed Professional Counselor, Revision Recovery Coaching

Eating disorders, especially anorexia and bulimia, have long been thought of as female problems, and for some good reasons. Many studies have shown that women are diagnosed much more frequently than men. A study in Canada of nearly 10,000 individuals confirmed this by finding the rate of anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa was 0.3% in males and 2.1% in females.

Why is this? It’s not entirely clear. It may be that we are just now learning about eating disorders in boys and men.

A Hidden Disorder

Sam Lample, a Licensed Professional Counselor in Phoenix, Arizona who specializes in eating disorders, states, “Adult males do get eating disorders more than people think, especially if you include binge eating disorder.” He went on to reference a 2007 study by Harvard researchers that had surprising results. Out of the 3,000 people with anorexia and bulimia 25% were men (of whom 40% had binge eating disorder).

As we talk about what seems to make boys less likely to get an eating disorder than girls, we must not minimize the number of boy and men struggling with food and body image issues.

Boys Are Quieter About Body Image

That said, if you were to eavesdrop on conversations had among young people you would certainly hear more concerns about fat content, weight gain, diets and appearance from girls than you would boys. Why is this?

There’s not much research on the difference so we must rely on anecdotal observations and clinical interpretations in order to get a handle on the topic. Here are three suggestions as to what makes boys more resistant to eating and body image issues.

Puberty

Researchers are looking into how biological changes may make girls more vulnerable to eating disorders and are curious as to how hormones may increase the risk of eating disorders.

Dr. Dena Cabrera of Rosewood Centers for Eating Disorders states, “The role of genetics and neurobiological risk factors with eating disorders is still being studied. Kelly Klump, Cynthia Bulik, and Walter Kaye are some of the leading researchers who are looking at the interaction between hormones, genetics sex differences, and disordered eating. It is understood that female hormones and genetics play a critical part in the development of eating disorders which is why females are affected at a greater rate than males.”

Getting Bigger Means Different Things to Boys and Girls

In puberty, girls’ bodies strategically put on fat as they develop hips, breasts and an overall increase in fat throughout the body. Sometimes this can result in increased shame, sexual objectification and a feeling of growing up physically before being ready to grow up emotionally.

On the other hand boys tend to be affirmed more positively than girls for their growth. They are getting “so strong and tall” and becoming a man. They become more muscular and their masculinity is often affirmed as their bodies change and find more success in physical and athletic tasks.

At the same time, many girls are finding that their physical changes are inhibiting their athletic ability. In our culture, a boy going shopping and buying bigger sizes is seen as exciting while girls often feel shame about this development.

Male and Female Body Ideals

Finally, historically, there has been greater pressure on women when it comes to attaining an “ideal” body than men. Though this seems to be changing, women tend to work on achieving this ideal through weight loss, control and restricting while men try to “bulk up” and gain muscle mass.

Susie Orbach, author of the book Bodies, writes, “Our cultural obsession with youth and beauty “primes little girls to think they should diet and dream about the cosmetic-surgery options available to them, and it makes body the primary place for self-identity.” Boys, while they still face body image issues, seem to look outward and toward their abilities for sources of identity.

Eating Disorders among Men and Boys seem to be Growing

Every expert I spoke with regarding this article was hesitant to talk much about why boys seem to get fewer eating disorders. The concern is that so many eating disorders among boys and men go undiagnosed that a focus on the subject may hinder rather than help. So, in conclusion, we should heed a final caution from Dr. Cabrera:

“Statistically, the prevalence of eating disorders in men may be underrepresented. In the eating disorder field, we have been working hard to break the stigma that eating disorders are only a female disease. And I feel we have come a long way. We have a lot to learn in this area but we continue to understand that eating disorders affect both females and males and getting treatment at an early stage is extremely beneficial.”

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About the Author:

Travis Stewart is a Licensed Professional Counselor who has worked in the field of eating disorders since 2003. He also offers recovery coaching for individuals wanting to develop more autonomy, mastery and purpose in their lives.

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The opinions and views of our guest contributors are shared to provide a broad perspective of eating disorders. These are not necessarily the views of Eating Disorder Hope, but an effort to offer discussion of various issues by different concerned individuals.

Last Updated & Reviewed By: Jacquelyn Ekern, MS, LPC on May 8th, 2015
Published on EatingDisorderHope.com