GENDER DIFFERENCES
♂️ - IDEALS
"To men, a perfect body is that fitness physique." - Emily Formea
"Men tend to more have a focus on being lean and muscular and things like that and that’s not a surprise because if you look at canonical or prevailing images of attractiveness, that’s what is pushed upon men." - Michelle Scott
"The body standards here [in the Philippines] is totally different because men here should be thin." - Jan Pleje
♀️ - IDEALS
"All women want to do is be thin, because that's what society has shown us [...] Women want to be perfect in that model thinness."
- Emily Formea
"When preoccupations about body weight, shape and size come up, they’re often about wanting to be slim, wanting to be thin, wanting to have a flat stomach, wanting to look like the prevailing images of beauty or attractiveness." - Michelle Scott
♂️ - OPENING UP
"For a male perspective, it is really hard to ask for help." - Jan Pleje
"In the same way for women, they’re projecting an unrealistic expectation for boys and the difference also is that boys aren’t given the language and the space and the support to share how they’re feeling [...] They don’t feel comfortable saying, ‘I don’t like my body’. We just don’t give them the space to do that and it feels ‘weak’, it feels ‘girly’, so they won’t express their feelings, they won't express what they’re feeling and because of that." - Marci Warhaft
"As much as the woman’s body is idealized, so is the man’s. The muscular, buff, workout, right, and muscle and be strong and tough and you know, don’t allow any emotion. I mean, we’re all human so it impacts men differently in that buff and lean." - Michelle from NEDIC
"Men are also less likely to talk about this kinda stuff. Thankfully, that’s changing too. I was chatting with my partner the other day and [...] I was like, ‘oh do you have any guy friends that you talk with and you can just have a deep conversation with them?’ and he was like, ‘honestly, mostly only with them after a couple beers.’" - Michelle Scott
♀️ - OPENING UP
"We were talking about how women, we tend to be more open with our feelings and stuff like that [...] You don’t often see the same rate of reaching out as you might with female clients." - Michelle Scott
♂️ - BEHAVIOUR
Compulsively Exercising
Steroids / Over-the-Counter Supplements
♀️ - BEHAVIOUR
Body Checking Behaviour (ex. constant weighing, trying on clothing)
Body Avoidance Behaviour (ex. avoid form-fitting clothing)
Purging