Look, I’m not going to sit here and tell you that men suffer from the same body stigmas that women do — it’s simply not true. Women’s bodies have become a billion-dollar industry and plastic surgery procedures continue to rise every year.
However, while we’re all striving for a better world for our daughters and granddaughters, there’s no harm in including young men in the movement, as well.
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Recently, “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” host Ty Pennington nearly broke the internet with his body-positive message after receiving horrible comments about his appearance.
“I posted a video recently of myself dancing on the beach, with my shorts hiked up. What was an honest moment of just trying to make my wife laugh, was then picked apart by strangers- with a lot of views, comes a lot of hate!” he wrote.
“Comments like “disgusting”, “gross”, “omg he’s so old now”, “grandpa”, “he got fat” (which btw I’m pushing my stomach out but ok). And I wondered, if I was still young and fit, would I be getting the same comments?”
“There has been such a force behind accepting all shapes and sizes and aging in the female community which is AWESOME(keep it coming) but maybe let’s give that same grace to men?” he added.
This comment sparked a lot of important dialogue in Ty’s comment section, however, I think the discussion can go much more widespread than that.
No one should ever feel like their worth is determined by the size of their jeans, or the wrinkles on their forehead — we all deserve to be treated with kindness, respect, and compassion, regardless of gender.
Jonah Hill has spoken about the effect people’s comments have on his weight, saying : “I don’t think I ever took my shirt off in a pool until I was in my mid-30s, even in front of family and friends.”
“Probably would have happened sooner if my childhood insecurities weren’t exacerbated by years of public mockery about my body by press and interviewers,” he added.
Modern Family actor Eric Stonestreet dealt with similar body-shaming when he announced his engagement to longtime love last year.
“Apparently a lot of people think I look too old, as a 49 year old man, to be engaged to my almost 42 year old fiancé,” he joked about people’s comments in regards to his aging face.
“Look, she can’t help that she looks so great at 42 and I can’t help that I apparently look like her grandad so, I fixed it for everyone.”
It should become the new norm to not talk about anybody’s body because guess what? We all know what we look like! Spoiler alert — mirrors exist!
Instead, let’s focus on celebrating all the non-physical achievements we accomplish all the time while letting people just feel free to be .
