Both men and women can suffer from body image issues to the point where it could cause certain disorders, such as anorexia.
Yes, there are various things that can influence one to have a negative body image, especially with social media and diet culture.
According to mail online, Nick Cannon revealed that he, in fact, suffers from negative body image issues, which leads to insecurities, and how it impacted his sex life during an episode of his infamous talk show.
Nick Cannon opposed a question to his guest on the show, asking whether or not, as men, they ever feel uncomfortable or insecure while being intimate. ’’I definitely have insecurity when it comes to being intimate,’' Nick admitted.
In a video clip, Cannon shares that he 'hides under the covers and has to 'have some type of clothes' on during intimate moments.
As Dr Kearney Cook, an expert in treating eating disorders, shares in an oprah.com article: “If you're preoccupied with your body, if you're thinking, Is my stomach sticking out? Has he noticed the cellulite on my butt?— you obviously won't be focusing on his desires or yours or be present in the moment. It's like having a third, unwelcome person in the room: you, your lover, and your cellulite.”
In addition, David Pevsner, in a cbc article, shares his views on body and image and wants to normalise conversations around it.
Pevsner is a 63-year-old actor and author who shares racy photos and videos on an Only Fans page. He believes that many people his age or older would like to express themselves more freely, but many are ’ashamed’ to do so.
He shared with The Sunday Magazine host Piya Chattopadhyay: “They don't feel good about their bodies, necessarily. When you get older, you feel like you're redundant, like, 'nobody wants me anymore,' you know, and I just want people to stop feeling that way.”
I think there is this stigma attached to body image issues, that men don’t suffer from it, but they do. Body image has no sex or gender. Pevsner states that he would like for society to embrace the difficult conversations around sex and ageing.
Pevsner is the author of a memoir called Damn Shame: A Memoir of Desire, Defiance and Show Tunes. He hopes to end ageism, sex-shaming, body shaming and help promote healthy self-esteem for all ages.
There are ways to tackle the issue to give you a more satisfying life in and out of the bedroom. This can include exercise, a new haircut, or simply just embracing who you are, flaws and all. I think it’s time people make it a priority to talk about the negative and positive sides to body image and sex.