Young men engage with talk on body image

“Are young men as affected by the sexualisation of society as young women?”

Many would assume that the answer to that question is an obvious one, but with a quick google search for ‘male body image’ it is clear that there is a growing pressure on young men to act, look and feel a certain way.

A report by the All Party Parliamentary Group on Body Image highlighted the extent to which young men are affected by the images they see in magazines and music videos. Almost four out of five men (78.2%) wished they were more muscular and nearly a third (32%) use protein shakes and supplements.

Alison Seabeck, MP for Plymouth Moor View, and Lisa Hartley, Co-Director of the Plymouth Excellence Cluster, invited young men from schools across Plymouth to an event which aimed to answer that question by listening to the views of the young men themselves. 38 young men attended from 8 schools across Plymouth including Lipson and Eggbuckland Community College.

It became clear throughout the morning that the sexualisation of society also has a profound impact on young men in terms of how they view themselves and those around them. The young men expressed their concern about the pressure on them to be dominant, in terms of relationships with peers and girlfriends, but also to look like the perfect male image as portrayed in ‘Men’s Fitness’ magazine, for example.

The overwhelming majority of those who attended felt that they needed to be given more opportunities to speak about these issues, and that this should be included within Sex and Relationship Education (SRE). The young men eloquently described the need for more awareness about the impact that sexualisation can have, and felt that as we are unable to stop the media from using these images we must better support young people and allow them to talk openly about their concerns.

Alison Seabeck MP said: “Lisa and I were astounded by the maturity and understanding shown by the young men. It was clear that each individual knew how sexualisation affected them personally, but were previously not given the chance to discuss this in a safe space. It is important that I take these views back to the House of Commons and ensure that the voice of young men is listened to.”

Alison Seabeck MP and the Excellence Cluster will be holding a further event in October where they will be inviting young men and women from schools across Plymouth to discuss the impact that sexualisation has on relationships.