Posts

Showing posts from February, 2021

Coronavirus and Body Image: How the Pandemic is Affecting How We Feel About Our Bodies

Image
It shouldn�t really surprise anyone that the COVID-19 pandemic, and restrictions to curb the spread of the virus, have devastated mental health [1]. In the United States, for instance, nationally representative surveys have reported that the prevalence of depressive symptoms and serious psychological distress tripled during the pandemic compared to levels measured in 2018 [2-3]. In the United Kingdom, data from the Household Longitudinal Study panel shows that the first nationwide lockdown led to an increase in the prevalence of clinically-significant mental health distress [4]. With as many as 10 million people in the United Kingdom needing new or additional mental health support as a result of the pandemic [5], some have suggested that the crisis poses the greatest threat to mental health since the Second World War [6].   Illness or fear of illness, limited opportunities for social contact, the loss of loved ones, reduced access to educational and work opportunities, and disrupt...

Dad Bods and Six Packs � We�re All to be Looked at Now

Image
  Zac Efron�s �dad bod transformation� caused a furore on social media after his Netflix show, Down to Earth , was released. Some loved his �new look�, others argued that calling his physique a �dad bod� shows just how far the male beauty ideal has gone . Zac Efron isn�t the only celebrity shamed and praised for his �dad bod�. Jason Momoa was shamed last year for holiday pictures without a six-pack. And, Jamie Jewitt and Antony Costa have been praised by fans for working on their �dad bods�. The term �dad bod� was coined by Makenzie Pearson in a 2015 article Why Girls Love the Dad Bod , and the term quickly went viral with many debating whether this type of male body should be a source of shame or pride . The �dad bod� phenomenon is just one of the beauty ideals which men try to attain. In Perfect Me , Heather argues pressures to be perfect are increasingly affecting men. �The men�s personal care industry is predicted to hit $166 billion by 2022� and men�s skin-care products ...