Ambivalent Men? Male Experiences of Eating Disorders
When health inequalities abound, someone, somewhere, is always falling by the wayside. In some respects, I feel that eating disorders represent the conditions where men are routinely getting a raw deal (that’s not to say there aren’t many others). The successful vote for the Male Psychology section is an opportunity to highlight the needs of men, and in my case, that means drawing attention to our lack of understanding around the needs of men with eating disorders.
Almost a decade ago, a senior clinician, who is incidentally the only other UK author of a book tackling the issue of male eating disorders, affirmed that something was stunting the expansion of our understanding. Referring to the tradition of feminist research, he suggested that this had enriched our knowledge.
This work has involved women sharing experiences in a way that challenges or humanises the information obtained through anonymised clinical, medical research. This type of research has focused on the women’s stories, trying to foreground their voices, rather than those of the professionals involved. As such, what can be gleaned often lies beyond the bounds of what can be known through clinical case reports, assessments, questionnaires or surveys.
It was Morgan’s contention that we were suffering from a lack of similar work by, with and for men. In short, we were working into an experiential vacuum. Without knowing what men endured and survived how could we ascertain their medical or psychological needs in their totality? How we could transform existing or design new services to meet those needs?
I’ve attempted to contribute to the growing endeavour of sharing men’s experiences. I asked a small group of men to share their stories with me, and rather than try to map them on to existing medical criteria, I tried to work qualitatively with each story on its own merits, exploring what they had to teach us about our society and culture, and how these in turn impacted on the men’s lives. This resulted in the book Male Eating Disorders: Experiences of Food, Body and Self.
I examine prevalent psych understanding, exploring concepts such as:
the part that bullying, trauma, and control have to play
the pervasiveness of stigma
gender role conflict
muscularity-oriented disordered
However, woven into this are ideas from critical men’s studies, drawing on masculinities and embodiment:
‘fugliness’
what it means to be a fat man (through bingeing)
pro-Anorexia website use
male ideals of muscularity versus desire for slenderness
compulsive exercise
food and exercise configured as crime and punishment
the self as a site of battle
Men’s desire to pass as ‘normal’.
I also further Matthew Campling’s work on the eating disorder-as-coloniser of the man’s body/self. What we discover is that these men experience ambivalent masculinities.
Last but not least, I am a man with an eating disorder. My work is reflexive and unapologetically interpretive. I am part of our social world, trying to make sense of others’ meaning-making of it. This means that there is a personal element that drives my desire to know more, that feeds the scholarly work.
I do not want to end without a word about the men who got in touch with me. I’m truly thankful to the men who came forward. They are part of a change I’ve seen in the last ten years, where more men are willing to add their voices to a small-but-growing throng of those willing to speak out to help others know they are not alone.
This article was first published on the Male Psychology Network website in 2019
Scroll down to join the discussion
Disclaimer: This article is for information purposes only and is not a substitute for therapy, legal advice, or other professional opinion. Never disregard such advice because of this article or anything else you have read from the Centre for Male Psychology. The views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of, or are endorsed by, The Centre for Male Psychology, and we cannot be held responsible for these views. Read our full disclaimer here.
Like our articles?
Click here to subscribe to our FREE newsletter and be first
to hear about news, events, and publications.
When a male is in a power imbalance, at least two masculine instincts are disempowered…
…people – men and women alike – respond less positively to male-favouring sex differences than they do to female-favouring sex differences.
hyper-masculine gender norms are typically embedded within military institutions, and while adherence to these norms can contribute to combat and military success, they conversely make clinical work challenging
Men might benefit greatly from a government strategy aimed at improving their health. Here are suggestions from the Centre for Male Psychology on how that might be done. This article ends with some comments on potential pitfalls in the process of putting this strategy in place.
…people – men and women alike – respond less positively to male-favouring sex differences than they do to female-favouring sex differences.
… many papers do not even bother to identify or justify the nationality of their samples…
hyper-masculine gender norms are typically embedded within military institutions, and while adherence to these norms can contribute to combat and military success, they conversely make clinical work challenging
There is social power, there is structural power, and there is physical power. What women have in our society is the power of the state behind them, and men do not. Men only have that physical power, and most men don’t want to use it
people are more aware of the fact men can be victims of this type of violence, but this often isn’t translated into policy, practice or indeed provision of resources
Therapists can work effectively with men experiencing distress without asking them to change. Telling them they are ‘doing masculinity wrong’ is judgemental and victim blaming.
people are more aware of the fact men can be victims of this type of violence, but this often isn’t translated into policy, practice or indeed provision of resources
people are more aware of the fact men can be victims of this type of violence, but this often isn’t translated into policy, practice or indeed provision of resources
Have you got something to say?
Check out our submissions page to find out how to write for us.
hyper-masculine gender norms are typically embedded within military institutions, and while adherence to these norms can contribute to combat and military success, they conversely make clinical work challenging
hyper-masculine gender norms are typically embedded within military institutions, and while adherence to these norms can contribute to combat and military success, they conversely make clinical work challenging
hyper-masculine gender norms are typically embedded within military institutions, and while adherence to these norms can contribute to combat and military success, they conversely make clinical work challenging
hyper-masculine gender norms are typically embedded within military institutions, and while adherence to these norms can contribute to combat and military success, they conversely make clinical work challenging
hyper-masculine gender norms are typically embedded within military institutions, and while adherence to these norms can contribute to combat and military success, they conversely make clinical work challenging
Much of our attitudes, theorizing and public debate around men and masculinity is influenced by high profile feminist and Gender Studies scholars in academia. But what is the scientific quality of publications from these scholars?
Some people blame drill music – a form of rap - for the rising murder rate in London. Drill is known for aggressive lyrics about gang violence, but rather than seeing this as a valuable way for young men to express their feelings, some people want to ban it.
To survive… cultures have to use men and women effectively and … in fact, most cultures have used men and women in different ways… what our culture does is [grant] greater status to men and greater protection to women
hyper-masculine gender norms are typically embedded within military institutions, and while adherence to these norms can contribute to combat and military success, they conversely make clinical work challenging
There are around 300,000 veterans living with hearing loss in the UK, according to The Royal British Legion. In addition to being at a greater risk of PTSD, depression, and anxiety, many vets are also battling psychological distress from hearing problems.
The book begins with a description of her therapeutic approach, and an illustration of how to understand and work with the rage often seen in male CSA clients.
I felt in my dealings with some police officers, as though I were treated firstly as a man (assumed to be a perpetrator), but they’d overlooked risks associated with my impairment. Example: How can you dodge a missile you don’t see coming?
The Panorama programme on domestic violence failed to adequately highlight two important issues: male victims and female perpetrators.
your photograph, name and address, might appear in the local and national press and on TV, insinuating what an evil monster you are
…an attack upon masculinity is an attack upon one’s sense of self, of identity. …What, then, is the right psychological defence against such an attack?
The male has been designed to “look”, not only at the female, but to “look out” for prey, for danger, and for ways to protect his family unit.
If his child is allowed to live, this man must be available, for the rest of his life, to love and provide for his child… If, on the other hand, it is decided that his child is to be destroyed, he should be able to go about his life as if nothing has happened
Socialising is a basic human need. The opposite – social isolation – is one of the worst forms of torture. Some people look down on the local pub as a place for undesirable riff raff, but that narrow viewpoint misses entirely the community value of the pub
Male psychology is a recent development in academia. Unlike gender studies, feminism, and men’s studies, male psychology takes the view that we can gain more by recognising and harnessing the positive aspects of masculinity than we can by taking a relentlessly negative approach to men.
.
