Adonis Complex
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Suffering in Silence
Why does the general public believe only women are victims of body image and eating disorders? Adolescent to adult males are dangerously preoccupied with the appearance of their bodies. The difference between men and women are men almost never talk openly about this problem. Society has taught them that they shouldnt be concerned about how they look. But countless numbers of men are sacrificing important aspects of their lives to working out compulsively. This leads to distorted body images, which ties together with eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia (Adonis Complex.) The general public usually categorizes these disorders with women only. Women arent the only victims; men are suffering too, but just silently.
According to Greek mythology, Adonis was seen as the premier model of male beauty and masculinity. According to Adonis in Greek Mythology, Persephone raised Adonis. Aphrodite, queen of the gods, loved Adonis but Persephone refused to give him up. The matter was settled when Zeus, the king of gods, made a deal. Adonis was to spend four months with Persephone, four months with Aphrodite and four months on his own. It was known that he chose to spend his four months of solitude with Aphrodite.
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Adonis was portrayed as an icon of male beauty and masculinity; “The body of Adonis presumably represents the ultimate male physique imaginable to the sixteenth-century artist” (Olivardia 6). If we looked at the paintings of Adonis today, there would be a consensus that he looked plump and out of shape compared to todays body builders.
The “Adonis Complex” is not an official medical term; it is used to describe the various secretive body image concerns of males. This ranges from minor physical implications to self-destructing body image disorders such as anorexia and bulimia nervosa.
The media plays a huge role influencing adolescent to adult males to believe that being more lean and muscular equals attractiveness. Whenever I am standing in line at the super market, every magazine cover I see has a model on it. When there is a male on the cover, he is usually flashing his rock hard abdominal muscles or flexing his bulging chest. As a young boy subjected to these images I became immediately envious; even to this day I admit I wish I had those features. Image what this is doing to the psyche of the male pre-teens and teens. Their ideal body type becomes those seen on those magazine covers. Their perception of the male body becomes skewed.
On television these days, it seems as if the models stick together. It is rare to see an over weight person with a lean and muscular person. From my observation, women on television are usually tall and skinny with voluptuous curves. The men are tone with unrealistic chiseled features. I grew up spending a lot of time in front of the television, unaware that I was being subliminally brainwashed. Television is causing young males and females to develop a negative perception on what is seen as normal.
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During the earlier part of November, NBC broadcasted the 2001 Victoria Secret Fashion Show: The Sexiest Night on Television. This one-hour event was broadcasted in prime time that featured tall, incredibly skinny, full-featured women elegantly modeling lingerie. But in reality, it was just a tacky peepshow of emaciated women pumped full of silicone flaunting their bodies. It was a full hour of sugarcoated pornography, an hour of women whoring themselves to photographers.
According to The View, a talk show, more than half of people who tuned were teenage girls. They were interested in what the general public deemed as beautiful. What was on television that night was nothing close to realistic. Imagine all the teenage girls who are completely mesmerized these women. To achieve that look, those models have to go through rigorous diets and dehydration. The lighting has to be perfect to glamorize their enhanced features. Also, professionals are doing their hair and make up transforming them into completely different people.
Access Hollywood had a special where male underwear models let us behind the scenes. They admitted they loved the attention they received from the women, but dreaded the photo shoots. They claimed they werent allowed to eat or drink anything the night before, so that their stomachs would be flat. Some even admitted in the use of diuretics, rapid water loss pills, to dehydrate their bodies giving them that “ripped” look. To most males, having nice abdominal muscles or a “six-pack” is a must. But what men, especially younger men need to understand is, not even models can sustain the “six-pack” look all the time. Even a bottle of water can make a stomach look bloated and un-proportional.
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Having a strong father figure, as a boy growing up, is quite important. Young boys look up to their fathers, older brothers, uncles and even sports figures as role models. These role models or heroes set the tone, “If we choose certain heroes as our heroes, and put their voices in our male chorus, their voices can encourage and inspire their special aspects of our character” (Pittman 184). This can also have a deep negative impact on boys who arent able to meet the high standards they set for themselves.
From pre-teenage boys to adult males, sports figures have a firm grip on the molding of their character. When I was younger, I used to look up to my older brother. I wanted to be just like him, imitating everything he did. I forced myself to play the sports he liked: basketball and football. He was a natural athlete and accelerated quickly, but I could never keep up. He became frustrated with my performance, complaining that I didnt try hard enough. We slowly drifted apart because he was ashamed to take me out. The time we used to spend together soon diminished and I feel into a depression. I felt like a complete failure, I gave it my all and it just wasnt enough.
I wasnt sure who to could turn to; this wasnt something I could talk about to my parents. I began watching a lot of professional football and became fixated with the speed and build of the athletes. I thought that if I was stronger and faster, Id win the love and respect of my brother.
The earliest hints of body image derive from the toys children play with. Studies have proved that the popular Barbie doll toy has become thinner and thinner over the years. According to Olivardia, co author of The Adonis Complex, if Barbie were the as tall as a real woman, shed