ABSTRACT
The study of the psychology and sociology of the male body is a relatively recent phenomenon. Until the 1980s, the study of body image was largely restricted to women. Women’s bodies have historically been represented more frequently in the media than men’s, and descriptions of women tend to be more embodied than those of men (Bordo, 2003). Over the last two decades, psychologists (see reviews by Pope et al., 2000; McCabe and Ricciardelli, 2004; Cafri et al., 2005; Thompson and Cafri, 2007) and sociologists (see Monaghan, 1999, 2005a, 2005b) have become increasingly interested in men’s body image and male embodiment. This is largely due to the fact that the male body has become more visible in popular culture, producing interest in the effects of this increased visibility on men’s image of their bodies. This chapter summarizes current research and assesses what we know about men’s body image in the mid-2000s.
