After anorexia we now have “bigorexia”.
Several experts have reported that a dangerous aesthetic pressure is growing on social media, affecting boys in particular, and pushing them toward muscle dysmorphism, or bigorexia. Just as anorexic girls always feel fat even when underweight, boys develop an obsession with a hypermuscular body, and always perceive their muscles as “not enough”. Driven by unrealistic models spread by influencers and celebrities, a growing number of young people develop eating disorders, pursue obsessive workouts and suffer from insecurities.
As Huff Post reports, “‘Bigorexia” is a psychological condition and a type of body dysmorphic disorder involving a distorted self-image that focuses specifically on muscle size and physical appearance”, said Kara Becker, a certified eating disorder therapist and national director of eating disorder programs at Newport Healthcare. “Trauma and bullying are also potential risk factors for “bigorexia”, she points out.
According to Amy Gooding, a clinical psychologist at the Eating Recovery Center in Baltimore, “Affected individuals may have an inaccurate view of their bodies, often believing they are smaller or less muscular”. The expert continues, “this belief, and the subsequent preoccupation, can lead to unhealthy behaviors, including obsessive exercise, and can lead to changing one’s eating to be as thin as possible”.
“While there is more awareness about eating disorders, muscle dysmorphia can be overlooked for a variety of reasons, such as at the gym when it happens that these behaviors are encouraged”, Gooding explains. “Lack of awareness of the disorder can lead to even serious consequences precisely because this is one of the lesser-known disorders”. She suggests that, “Those struggling with this condition may be hesitant to seek help because of shame, secrecy or normalization of behaviors in the community”.
Jason Nagata, a pediatrician who specializes in eating disorders in boys and men, addressed the reasons and causes why people may suffer from “bigorexia”. According to the expert, “bodybuilders and other people who frequent the gym for weight-bearing exercises are at higher risk than the general population”. Moreover, “Not only do young people consume body ideals from the media, but they feel pressure to produce content and show their bodies on social media”. He adds that, “Men’s bodies are exposed more than ever on social media, especially through influencer accounts”….Constant comparisons to these idealized bodies can lead to body dissatisfaction and “‘bigorexia'”.
