Why is it that a woman who’s starved herself to the bone gets sympathy for her eating disorder, but men with bigorexia are seen as narcissistic and arrogant?
Along those same lines, a morbidly obese woman doesn’t get a fraction of the sympathy for her eating disorder as does the woman who’s intentionally whittled her body down to a frightful looking 80 pounds.
Could these double standards all boil down to the concept that anything that’s big exudes the idea of power (“mass moves mass”), and that a body of skin and bones brings to mind fragility, easy breakability plus starvation in developing countries?
Bigorexia Is Real
Bigorexia is sometimes also called muscle dysmorphia. It’s kind of the opposite of anorexia nervosa.
Most people with bigorexia are men. They become obsessed with building their muscles to as large as possible.
This may seem no different than what a competitive bodybuilder or typical gym enthusiast would do.
But there are differences. In bigorexia, the person perceives their muscles as smaller than they actually are.
They may not even be a competitive bodybuilder and just want the hugest muscles possible – and would welcome proportions that would look almost non-human.
They’ll spend hours and hours lifting weights every day, ignoring tendon injuries, household responsibilities and time with their family – all to get as enormous as possible, even if they’re already massive.
The thought of losing a pound of muscle, due to injury or a vacation, is just as distressing as is going from 80 pounds to 81 in the woman with anorexia nervosa.
A man with bigorexia will also subscribe to a diet that suggests disordered eating.
For example, he might prepare a protein drink every 90 minutes, even getting up overnight to have yet another 50 gram protein drink.
He may also take steroids, which can cause serious side effects down the road. He doesn’t care; he just wants to get as giant as possible.
Instead of sympathy, people may joke about bigorexia or dismiss it. Or, they may brand the man (or the woman) as narcissistic or an “arrogant muscle head.”
Source of the Double Standard
The double standard comes partly from how society views thinness and muscularity.
For decades, extreme thinness has been recognized as something dangerous.
People understand that someone with anorexia nervosa may see themselves as overweight even when they are alarmingly underweight.
Bigorexia is similar in one important way: The person’s perception of their body does not match reality.
Someone with muscle dysmorphia may be very muscular but still believe they’re “wimpy” or not muscular enough.
Part of the reason bigorexia receives less compassion is because being muscular is generally viewed as healthy and desirable.
Society often praises people for working out more, gaining muscle and eating like a pro athlete.
A person who spends three hours a day at the gym may be called “dedicated” or “disciplined,” even if the behavior is driven by fear, anxiety or unrealistic goals of muscle development.
Big and brawny is associated with an assortment of positive things such as football, superheroes, symbols of power, the comic strip hero who beats up the bully, etc.
With all that said, there’s another compelling point to consider, as to why those with bigorexia get very little sympathy:
Historically in the media, the villain has been very large in frame. Yes, superheroes can be packed with muscle, but the “bad guy” is also so often huge that it’s become expected.
This is seen in comic books, comic strips, cartoons, animated and real film, TV shows, you name it.
Ask a third grade class to “draw a villain and his victim,” and you can bet the farm the victim will be skinny and the villain will be a titan.
These associations — both superhero, bodyguard and rescuer, along with evil and bully — fuel the non-sympathetic response when someone learns that a man is obsessed with gym workouts and thinks his 24 inch biceps are “still too small.”
Extreme thinness is associated with cancer, other serious health conditions, old bodies riddled with ailments and victims of bullies.
- Both anorexia and bigorexia involve distorted body image and distress.
- The difference is that one is more socially recognized, while the other is often misunderstood.
