The Secret World Of Male Modelling

Jade Kidd
Feb 25, 2017
3 min read

Through reading several research articles on online, I have noticed that most of the downsides of modelling for example body dysmorphia, anorexia and bulimia are centred around women. Now, I want to focus on men. Do they suffer insecurities or body dysmorphia? Are there any personal stories?.

Recently whilst I was researching body dysmorphia in male modelling I came across a story from 2013, regarding a 19-year-old boy called Danny Bowman. It was Danny’s lifelong dream to become a model and at the age of 15, he attended a casting for a modelling agency in London.

However, he was turned away after being told he needed to lose weight and rectify his poor skin condition. This changed his life forever. Speaking to The Telegraph in 2013 he stated:

“That day I went from a normal teenage existence to being a housebound wreck.

“I weighed around eight and a half stone but after measuring every part of my body, even my jawline, they told me I wasn’t good enough.

“I got home I made the decision to change myself. When I looked in the mirror all I could see was a big nose, bad skin, and an overweight figure.”

Soon after, Danny’s insecurities started to take over his life. He stopped going to school, deleted all of his social media pages and cut off contact with his friends. He often spent hours in front of the mirror scrutinising his body, exercising, purging, becoming addicted to face creams and taking 10 or more selfies a day to analyse for faults.

At this point, not even his parents knew he was suffering from body image insecurities. It was only in April 2012, after Danny took an overdose and had to have his stomach pumped at the hospital, did he finally receive professional help.

It was at this point that Danny first heard the words Body Dysmorphia Disorder. Following this, he received Cognitive Behaviour Therapy and was treated with anti-depressants. At 19, Danny felt much happier and worried less about his appearance and body image.

Danny is now campaigning to raise awareness of body dysmorphia. In 2013, he worked on a campaign with a charity called Fixers, which helps young people 'fix' the issues that matter to them. He is now a mental health spokesperson at Parliament Street.

When typing in 'body dysmorphia' into Google, I noticed that this was one of the only stories that came up and it was from four years ago. Even in 2017, I feel the subject of body dysmorphia and body image is extremely taboo amongst males. But this shouldn't be the way. the issue should be highlighted more in the media.

Men should be able to talk about their problems just as much as women do. Many young boys and men feel that showing emotion and talking about feelings is not 'manly' or 'macho'. However, I feel this stigma is the reason young men grow up feeling embarrassed and as though they can't talk about what they are going through and how they are feeling.

Personally, I believe that schools should do more to highlight body dysmorphia just as much in boys as they do with girls. The issue should also be highlighted more in the media. There should be more government funding for mental health as I feel it is often missed, especially in men. This would also help to create more organisations like Mind and Sane.

This is why Danny speaking out about his battle with body dysmorphia is such as positive thing as it brings the issue to light and makes lets younger boys and men know that it is ok to talk about these issues. Hopefully, his continuing campaigns will encourage other boys and men to come forward and talk about their experiences with the disorder and mental health in general. I feel this is the only way men will feel comfortable enough to talk openly about the subject.

Danny's Fixer Campaign: