Men and Self Image
Self-Image – a sophisticated medical term denotes how you perceive your physical appearance and mental outlook. The way you perceive yourself can play a huge role in building your personality and confidence. In fact, experts suggest that self-image can influence your personal, professional and sexual relationships as well. This is because, our image of self is often an extension of what we think how people around us perceive us. For example, if you think you are intelligent, smart and good looking; it will change the way you interact with friends, family and strangers. Likewise, if you feel that you are unattractive or unintelligent, it may impact how you speak and interact with people around you; further negatively reinforcing your negative self-image.
Changes in physical appearance with advancing age:
With advancing age, your body and bodily functions (such as metabolism) changes and this may impact your health as well as physical appearance. It is imperative to understand that most of these changes are physiological and are therefore normal. Setting up unrealistic expectations for self can negatively influence how you perceive yourself.
Boy to adulthood:
For men, the issues are multi-fold. During the boy-to-men transition, a lot of males feel a lot of pressure. For example, every male wants to achieve a perfect penis size and attribute the penis size with the measure of manhood. A lot of males strongly believe that having an above-average penis size can help their relationship; unfortunately, a lot of men feel that their penis is below average. In this quest of achieving bigger penis or bulkier muscles, some men adopt risky strategies. Same goes for height, bulky muscles, and other manly features.
Beyond middle age:
After crossing a certain age, older men develop different complexities. They may not feel as insecure about their penis size; but may feel agitated by looking at younger men. A lot of men also develop complexities regarding wealth, social status, their accomplishments & relationships compared to their peers, along with other luxuries of life.
Popular culture and self-image:
We live in a society where most of us feel the pressure to look a certain way. Women are expected to look thin, sexy and well-dressed all the time. Likewise, men are expected to look strong, physically dominant and muscular. Television and other forms of media further showcases individuals as super-human species – giving average people agitation and anxiety to look a certain way. In some cases, people adopt healthy measures such as exercise, diet or calorie modification, training or cosmetics to achieve the desired look, but in some extreme cases, people take a step further and adopt dangerous strategies to achieve that ideal image – such as weight loss surgeries, extremely low-calorie diets, purging, starvation, weight loss pills, dermal fillers, intense training, steroid injections, and other prescription/ illegal supplements.
Your body and physical appearance depends on a number of factors and although it is great to strive for good health and great body; don’t strive for perfect body image or undergo drastic dietary or lifestyle changes to achieve a certain look. Speak to your healthcare provider to learn about natural phases of life so you can set up realistic goals without hurting your health or relationships in the process.