According to this article, males who peruse mens magazines (i.e. Maxim, FHM, Stuff, etc.) and are exposed to the highly sexualized images of women suffer from more body-image problems than their non-perusing peers.
I had conflicting thoughts about bringing this article up. They do not have any links to the actual studies (despite being a ‘science’ website) and the research methods they used are somewhat questionable. The method of assessment was self-report after being split into either an experimental or control group. The two groups data was then compared against each other. Other than the common problem of the majority of psycho-social data coming from college undergraduate males, identifying actual body-image problems from self-report questionnaires is problematic. Even if clinical therapeutic measures were used to define the dividing line between possessing or not possessing a body-image problem, the conclusions for why this might occur are mostly opinion.
The researchers say that by looking at idealized, sexualized women, guys feel less-than because they start thinking they need to measure up on the attractiveness scale to snag such a mate.
"Men make the inference that in order to be sexual and romantic with women of the similar caliber they see in Maxim magazine, they also need to be attractive," said lead researcher Jennifer Aubrey of the Department of Communications at the University of Missouri, Columbia.
Even if the statement about men making the inference is true, this does not directly connect to why the men would have body-image problems. For example, if I tried to run the 100 meter dash against an Olympian, not only would I lose but I may also feel like less of an athlete than my competitor. It is debatable whether or not my feelings are realistic and even if unrealistic, the feelings may be transitory. In other words, next week I may return to my original conclusions about how much of an athlete I actually am.
Nevertheless, Aubrey said lad magazines send the message that guys should be having lots of sex.
"So you have that in your head while you're looking at these magazines. If you want to get as much sex as possible with these types of women, then what's left but the feeling you need to look a certain way in order to do that," Aubrey told LiveScience.
What message the magazines send is also contestable, particularly since it is problematic to separate the effects of the images out from those of the words. These magazines often directly offer suggestions and advice on securing more sexual encounters and descriptive techniques on how to master the sexual encounters obtained. But even if the statement is technically correct, and men viewing the pictures believe they need to look a certain way in order to secure sex, if that view is correct in actuality then the researchers whole premise (i.e. the views are signs of body-image problems) fails. An example of this would be if you wanted to physically lift a 1972 Volkswagon beetle over your head, but you believed you would first have to go to the gym and work on weightlifting for three months before you would succeed. Unless you already are a ‘strongman’-style bodybuilder, this is likely the correct view. In other words, if you believe you need to work out, wear nicer clothes, and maintain your personal grooming to secure sexual encounters with more attractive women, you are likely correct.
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