Masculinity, Femininity and Male Body Image: A Recipe for Future Research

Male body dissatisfaction is now approaching parity with female body dissatisfaction, and generally manifests as either a drive for enhanced thinness, as in anorexia nervosa, or more commonly as a drive for enhanced muscularity, as in muscle dysmorphia. However, little research has been undertaken to explicate the factors implicated in the divergence of male body image disorders amongst body dissatisfied males towards either thinness or muscularity oriented body image concerns. We aim to review several constructs which have been explored in attempting to better understand the causal pathway into this divergence, including sexuality and gender role identification. Gender role orientation may be particularly relevant in underpinning this divergence, in that masculinity is likely implicated in the drive for muscularity, whereas femininity is implicated in the drive for thinness amongst body dissatisfied males. Suggestions and implications for future research in further explicating the role of gender role orientation in the divergence of male body image psychopathology are discussed.