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from Clinical/Therapeutic Issues
Study Compares Body Image
Of Homosexual And Heterosexual Males
March 3, 2007 - A study published in the Psychology of Men & Masculinity (Vol. 8, No. 1, 2007, pgs 15-24) compares the body image ideals of gay and heterosexual men.
The study was conducted by Marika Tiggemann, Yolanda Martins, and Alana Kirkbride of Flinders University.
The authors survey previous studies of body image satisfaction and note that "One group of men who may be particularly at risk for body image dissatisfaction are gay men."
They note that gay men report greater peer pressure to look good and a disproportionate number of gays seek treatment for eating disorders. In addition, "If appearance is more critical and more integral to the self-concepts of gay men as has been suggested, the same reasoning would predict that body dissatisfaction should have a stronger relationship with self-esteem for them than for heterosexual men."
The aim of their present study was to compare the body ideals and corresponding body dissatisfaction of gay men with heterosexual men, "using figure ratings varying in adiposity (fatness) and muscularity."
Participants included 134 gay men and 119 heterosexual men from Australia. They were tested with silhouette drawing to discover what they considered to be an ideal figure and the figures that gay men and women would be attracted to.
A second scale was used to assess aspects of body image particularly pertinent to men. Another study assessed self-esteem.
The authors observed: "Many of the present findings suggest gay and heterosexual men experience their bodies in essentially the same way. ... Over 80% of both gay and heterosexual men rated their ideal as more muscular than their current figure."
They also noted: "...there were some differences between gay and heterosexual men. The ideal gay male body was seen as thinner, both in terms of what men wanted for themselves and found most attractive in others. ... gay men did have lower self-esteem than their heterosexual counterparts ... undoubtedly there are host of other variables not assessed here that contribute to the lower self-esteem of gay men, including social stigmatization and internalized homophobia."
They conclude: "Despite its limitations, this present study has clearly demonstrated that the majority of adult men want to be both thinner and more muscular. Importantly, this wish for greater muscularity seems stronger for gay than heterosexual men."
Additional Reading: Study Says Gay Body Image Concerns Related To 'Minority Stress';
The Psychology Behind Homosexual Tendencies (Parts 1-2);
Book Excerpt: The Origins and Therapy of Same-Sex Attraction Disorder (SSAD)
Updated: 8 February 2008
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