Body image perception among men in three countries

Objective: The authors tested the hypothesis that men in modern Western soc ieties would desire to have a much leaner and more muscular body than the b ody they actually had or perceived themselves to have. Method: The height, weight, and body fat of college-aged men in Austria (N= 54), France (N=65), and the United States (N= 81) were measured. Using the somato-morphic matrix, a computerized test devised by the authors, the men chose the body image that they felt represented 1) their own body, 2) the b ody they ideally would like to have, 3) the body of an average man of their age, and 4) the male body they believed was preferred by women. The men's actual fat and muscularity was compared with that of the four images chosen . Results: Only slight demographic and physical differences were found among the three groups of men. Modest differences were found between the men's me asured fat and the fat of the images chosen. However, measures of musculari ty produced large and highly significant differences. In all three countrie s, men chose a ideal body that was a mean of about 28 lb (13 kg) more muscu lar than themselves and estimated that women preferred a male body about 30 lb (14 kg) more muscular than themselves. In a pilot study, however, the a uthors found that actual women preferred an ordinary male body without adde d muscle. Conclusions: The wide discrepancy between men's actual muscularity and thei r body ideals may help explain the apparent rise in disorders such as muscl e dysmorphia and anabolic steroid abuse.