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Manorexia: Helpful Tips for Talking to Your Boys |
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From the Editors of Common Sense Media
March 15, 2007
Q: I've been hearing this word, "manorexia." Does this eating disorder really affect boys?
A. You bet. In fact, Harvard researchers released a report in February 2007 that found a "surprisingly high" rate
of anorexia, bulimia, and binge eating in men. (The study pointed out that 25 percent of all anorexics and bulimics and 40 percent of binge eaters were men. They didn't do research on boys.)
What's motivating these numbers? Unlike girls' quest to be skinny, men cited a desire to have cut bodies and "six-pack" abs. Boys and men now compare their bodies to those of stars like new James Bond Daniel Craig and soccer star David Beckham. Yet it's as hard for the average man to attain these physiques as it is for a woman to look like Kate Moss or Cameron Diaz.
So how do you counteract these unrealistic body images in boys -- especially when they don't like talking about their bodies?
Point out how few men in real life look like movie and sports stars. Tell your sons that these men have teams of people working them out, feeding them certain meals, and, in some cases, surgically altering them. One glance at the real men in their lives will act as a good reality check.
For the complete set of tips, please visit the original article at: http://www.commonsensemedia.org/parent_tips/commonsense_view/index.php?id=213 .
(March 2007) (
