Next week is National Eating Disorders Awareness Week, which means lots of stories and attention about eating disorders and the havoc they wreak in the lives of girls and women. But there are other, less talked-about victims of eating disorders and body image issues: Boys and men.
Statistically, eating disorders affect more females than males, but the reality is there are plenty of boys out there who struggle, too. Sure, the body image pressures on males may take different forms -- whether it's to be thinner, more athletic, have six-pack abs or to keep building more and more muscle -- but in the end, it still comes down to a constant, overwhelming and often unhealthy striving to be something else. The message is the same: You're not good enough.
It's too easy, sometimes, to think of poor body image and eating disorders as issues that affect only girls and women. Take a moment to view this video by Patrick Bergstrom at I Chose to Live and you'll know that it's simply not true.
Thanks, Patrick, for sharing your story.
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