Gen Z’s Final Gender Frontier: The Manly Plate
For better or for worse, one of things I’ve learned during my 17 years is that how I appear to others is an important part of how I fit into society. I want the freedom to display who and what I am, but where I ultimately feel “normal” typically falls within parameters determined by others.
For many of us, this is a balancing act we successfully negotiate, but for others it leads to mental anguish and occasionally dangerous habits.
When discussing body image issues it’s understandable how the focus defaults to young women since eating disorders run rampant amongst girls. During my years in gymnastics, I watched many of my female teammates develop complexes about their bodies. Even working out 25 hours a week, they tried to eat as little as possible because they equated being thin with beauty and self-worth. This issue has touched many, so there has been awareness and support for young girls going through body image eating issues. After all, approximately 80% of US women don’t like how they look, but what’s less widely known is 34% of men are dissatisfied with their body.
“...one of things I’ve learned during my 17 years is that how I appear to others is an important part of how I fit into society.”
The percentage may be lower but, like their female counterparts young male athletes are under tremendous pressure to look a certain way. However, for young men it is not always easy to recognize that the sculpted physiques of athletes they admire are the product of many more years of development, specialized training, personalized nutrition, and genetic predisposition. All that they see are big and defined muscles that receive positive attention from others. Comments I have heard from my male friends suggest that the more weight lost, the less masculine you are.
Society’s ideals of male appearance find their way into most (if not all) sociocultural channels such as family, friends and media. The access Gen Z has to social media platforms has cultivated the perfect environment for mental illnesses related to self-perception to thrive. Apps like Snapchat, Instagram, and TikTok are used by individuals that can pose, edit, filter, and reshape as they see fit. This may seem harmless, but the danger lies within the constant exposure to “perfection” that teenagers absorb as they interact with other accounts. This illusion of perfection contributes to an unattainable standard for physical appearance.
These messages are eventually internalized as young men start competing athletically, which can lead to body dissatisfaction and body dysmorphia - an obsession with imagined flaws in physical appearance that affects the ability to live normally. What many don’t understand is that some of the negative consequences of poor body image include attrition, eating disorders, and lower self esteem. Additionally, there is a strong connection between depression and bulimia. That accompanied with the pressure to perform at a high level from coaches and parents, can lead athletes to poor mental states. Of course, the by-product of a poor mental state is sub-par performance, and in turn exacerbating stress levels when athletes don’t perform well.
“Have you ever seen an ox eat meat?”
The athletes aspiring to look like their athletic heroes, and out-perform their competition will look for any edge they can find. An increasingly common strategy that I have noticed amongst my male friends is to eat excessive amounts of meat for protein intake and weight gain.
Real men eat meat, right? This idea has been used by marketing teams to sell meat products and has been adopted by those who want to be perceived as masculine, but athletes like strongman Patrik Baboumin would disagree. As a world record holder he was once asked “How could you get as strong as an ox without eating any meat?” His response was another question: “Have you ever seen an ox eat meat?”. He and other renowned vegan athletes like Colin Caepernik and James Wilks, have proved that meat is not necessary to be successful. In fact, it may be more beneficial to follow a plant based diet.
Many athletes that have made the switch have said that they simply feel better and have more energy. After one of my coaches made the switch, she went from struggling to run ten miles weekly, to running twenty five and feeling great. This can be attributed to the fact that meat consumption and high cholesterol levels exacerbate inflammation, which can result in pain and impair athletic performance and recovery. Studies show that a plant-based diet may have an anti-inflammatory effect. Compared with meat-eaters, people eating a plant-based diet get more antioxidants and avoid the muscle fatigue, reduced athletic performance, and impaired recovery that comes from meat consumption.
Over time, a plant based diet is more advantageous; by stepping away from the manly plate, athletes can expect to be healthier, happier, and more successful. have an anti-inflammatory effect. Compared with meat-eaters, people eating a plant-based diet get more antioxidants and avoid the muscle fatigue, reduced athletic performance, and impaired recovery that comes from meat consumption. Over time, a plant based diet is more advantageous; by stepping away from the manly plate, athletes can expect to be healthier, happier, and more successful.
The Takeaway
Just because we’re the most progressive generation, doesn’t mean we don’t struggle with gender issues. Most people don’t realize that boys also deal with body image issues, and these issues can keep male athletes from eating what’s best for them.