Boys and Body Image

Interesting presentations on Eating Disorders, Body Dysmorphia and Self-Image by UCLA Resnick Neuropsychiatric Hospital this morning. I learned a new term, "BIGOREXIA", which turns out to be slang for a disorder I was familiar with-- Muscle Dysmorphia, a subtype of Body Dysmorphic Disorder in which (mostly men) obsessively worry about being underdeveloped or having inadequate muscle mass. While this is a psychiatric disorder, it got me thinking about the development of body image in otherwise healthy boys, and how the media doesn't stop with women when portraying unrealistic body types. Here's a great piece on the topic from Common Sense Media.