How Perspectives of Masculinity Impact The Validity of Male Body Ideal

Society has formulated a type of box of masculinity containing unrealistic male body ideals that suggest higher praise for muscularity and physical strength, which may have direct negative impact on the individual (Gattario et al., 2015). Male-identifying individuals are placed under immense pressure to fit into society’s standards of masculinity. When unable to meet such unrealistic standards, sense of identity and sense of belonging may be damaged. Reiteration of the importance of visual strength continues to feed into the male body ideal (Aubrey et al., 2021). It is important to explore how early perspectives of masculinity were created in order to dismantle toxic masculine ideals. Views of the self, or of others that are pressured to fit into society’s idea of masculinity, are damaged when the idealization of acceptance towards some body types and exclusions of others are created (Levant & Wong, 2017). The goal of this research is to explore where the ideology of masculinity begins and reinforcing it can lead to negative consequences throughout development and adulthood. This research also aims to widen views of acceptance in socialized gender roles.