Male body image

Here's an insight that is rarely available:

Body shaming of men is not only tolerated, but it is celebrated and encouraged. We all have pressures, men to be tall, hairless, muscular, women to be thin, pretty, etc.

But me, I have suffered my whole life at the hands of daily jokes and ridicule on something far more specific.

Going to the beach? Great day, until a raised 4wd or a loud sports car goes past, and your best friend makes a body shaming comment. You know what your best friend secretly thinks of you.

Got sent a meme by your friend? Or scrolling facebook? Watching anything related to comedy? Its a regular occurrence that this is the topic.

Someone else in society does something bad? Toxic? Isnt a nice person? Is donald trump? YOU get an insult. It generally misses the mark, and hurts a bystander, not the target.

Its NOT funny, its NOT punching up.

Movies? Cool, until about 45 minutes into most movies when they make a size joke.

BBQ with friends? Won't be long before someone starts saying how much they'd like the big sausage.

Drinks with friends? Doesnt seem to be many nights without the conversation goes to someone who hooked up with someone and the question gets asked or hinted at, or someone outright brags about or bags out someone.

Might just watch Netflix....? Nope.

Nowhere is safe. The thing is, if you just think ita funny, and you arent affected by it, youre oblivious to the fact rhat every day smaller men are told theyre worthless, in a very specific fashion.

And thats before women start abusing, ridiculing, humiliating, rejecting, or cheating on you.

I've been laughed at naked twice by partners i was beginning to trust and feel safe with.

I've been rejected by a woman when she found out.

I've had not-so-subtle comparisons and complaints regarding my size cimpared to exes.

Then society gaslights you and acts like noone has ever cared, commented or in any way impacted your feelings or your life, and you are treated as juvenile, obsessed, or outright crazy.

There's noone you can talk to. You cant go to the pub and tell your mates. Even the sex therapist i sae was floored, in over 20 years practicing a man had never been brave enough to come to her for that topic and she had absolutepy no idea how to handle it, and made things worse suggesting I wear a toy thats more like the real men women prefer.

Society's obsession with this topic needs to change... cant you see?

The messaging in society is not subtle, or lightly implied, ot is in your face in everything from movies to advertising a fast food meal upgrade, to government advertising (QLD rail just ran a campaign in 2023. 2023!!), to every second movie or show you watch.

And you know what?

Men who dare to have or express this insecurity are despised by women even more.

99% of women will say publicly that they've never cared but when you hear them talk privately, with a few drinks in them, or you undress in front of them, the story is very different.

There's even a diagnosis named "small xxxx syndrome" that calls men delusional because they think their life is different because they're 3.5" vs 7", as if something like that doesnt totally and completely transform the entire landscape of your life from teenage self esteem, to dating, to everyday life when you cant even watch a movie without being told they're the lowest of the low. Those two men have TOTALLY dofferent life experiences, confidence, self-esteem, sex lives, social lives & downtime that makes one feel like dirt and the other feel like a king, everything is different.

I've suffered a life of abuse at the hands of women, partly because of this directly, and partly because they and the world make me feel so worthless I consider myself lucky any woman even talks to me after they know, regardless of how they treat me.

Male suicide statistics are 3x what womens are. Id suggest a number of these men suffered in the same way i do.

Me, im safe, but i'm hurting inside.

And im not the only one.