NEWS COPY – WITH VIDEO
- 40% of blokes suffer from manxiety with teasing from friends named as a top reason.
- 35% say receiving a compliment can be a great boost, while 27% feel good after sex or intimacy.
- Freddie Flintoff and Jack Whitehall star in #ladmiration video to support findings.
Millions of British men suffer from ‘manxiety’ – a dissatisfaction with their body image, according to a new report.
Being the butt of their mate’s jokes, getting undressed in front of more attractive men and feeling the need to live up to super-fit celebrities and models all contribute to men’s overall lack of body confidence.
While being compared to an ex-partner or even a sibling can make men doubt their own good looks and desirability.
In a response to Jacamo’s ‘Modern Man-ual report’, cricket legend Freddie Flintoff and his comedian pal Jack Whitehall have teamed up to help blokes deal with their 'manxiety'.
The poll of 2,500 men revealed almost half (48%) desperately want to lose weight and two in five (41%) want to tone up, while 54 per cent are most unhappy with their midriff.
A major complaint shared by those suffering with ‘manxiety’ is watching films or television which constantly feature unrealistically attractive men with good bodies (16%), and around one in 16 (7%) say this is made worse when their partner looks at images of men with fantastic bodies they don’t feel they could ever achieve.
Another thing which bothers blokes is that fact that, in their opinion, most of their mates have great bodies (13%), while one in 20 (4%) feels under more pressure because their partner has a good body.
When it comes to key problem areas, more than half of men dislike their stomachs, while one in seven (14%) wish they had bigger pecs.
One in six men (14%) dislike their hair while 14 per cent of blokes dislike their face, and 11 per cent feel self-conscious about their upper arms.
Even getting dressed causes a certain amount of anxiety for blokes – with one in seven (14%) admitting they struggle to find their own sense of style.
A further third (34%) of those polled struggle to find clothes which suit them, and 18 per cent say they’d like to buy more fashionable clothes but find clothes shops intimidating.
But there are some positives to be drawn from the research – most notably the fact that many men say their body confidence can be improved by taking certain measures.
Doing more exercise (42%), getting a new haircut (24%) and wearing a new outfit (20%) all make men feel slightly better about themselves.
Almost four in 10 (35%) say receiving a compliment can be a great boost, while almost a third (27%) feel good after sex or intimacy with a partner.
Even getting a promotion at work (7%) can make men feel a little brighter as can a bit of pampering (6%).
Most blokes say that wearing the right clothes makes a big difference to their confidence (61%) – such as a brand new outfit, suit or tux – but a resounding 57 per cent of men feel high street shops are too focussed on women’s fashion and that men are often overlooked.
A further 28 per cent don’t feel the high street has a big enough range of shops to cater for their size.
Jenni Bamford, spokeswoman for Jacamo, said: “The idea of having a ‘perfect’ body is an unrealistic and unobtainable ideal that can have long-lasting consequences for people’s mental and physical wellbeing.
“We hope ‘The Modern Man-ual’ gives men the chance to talk about their concerns about body image along with encouraging a conversation around how retailers, advertisers and the media portray men to better reflect the diversity of the healthy male population. With more than 24 million men in Britain, it can only help to normalise this topic with both men and those influential in his life.”
“To help support this message we’ve teamed up with Freddie Flintoff and Jack Whitehall, who have been filmed discussing the report findings as well as sharing their own experiences.”
Stuart Donaldson MP, Vice-Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Body Image added: “The report reveals that anxiety about body image is an issue for men just as it is for women. It’s refreshing in its approach about raising awareness of the issue of male body confidence, a subject that many men may find it difficult to talk about.”
Helping other men deal with manxiety, Freddie Flintoff and Jack Whitehall filmed an intimate video chat in which Flintoff admits he felt "old" in the dressing room when he was surrounded by younger, fitter team-mates.
Speaking of his feelings towards the end of his career, Flintoff says: “You’re 37 with your belly hanging over your trousers and you’re surrounded by fit lads in their early twenties, you feel old.”
During the video Whitehall confesses he suffers heartburn during intimate situations, and keeps a bottle of Gaviscon by the bed for such occasions. He remarks “she knows as soon as that cap comes off, its business time.”
“To watch the video search @Jacamo, Facebook.com/JacamoUK or visit www.jacamo.co.uk.”
Jacamo is a sponsor of the Be Real campaign which campaigns to change attitudes to body image. www.berealcampaign.co.uk
TOP 10 CAUSES OF ‘MANXIETY’
- Having to uncover on a beach when surrounded by other ‘fit’ blokes (20%)
- Being teased by mates about my appearance (19%)
- Watching films or TV with attractive men with good bodies in (16%)
- Seeing pictures of men in advertising and media with bodies they feel they will never be able to achieve (16%)
- Being in a sports changing room with younger or more attractive men (14%)
- My friends having good bodies (13%)
- My partner looking at images of men with bodies I feel I could never achieve (7%)
- Being compared to my partner’s ex-partners (4%)
- My partner having a really good body (4%)
- Being compared to my siblings (3%)
TOP WAYS MEN CAN IMPROVE BODY CONFIDENCE
- Exercise (42%)
- Receiving a compliment (35%)
- Sex / intimacy (27%)
- A new hair cut (24%)
- Wearing a new outfit (20%)
ENDS
Notes to Editors
The field work was carried out online in February 2015 and involved 2,517 men aged 16+. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all GB men aged 16+. A second survey was also carried out online in June 2015 and involved 978 men aged 18+. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all GB men aged 18+
About Jacamo
With over seven year’s expertise in menswear fit and fashion, Jacamo, part of the N Brown Group, caters for 500,000 customers. They refuse to adopt a ‘one size fits all’ approach, instead focusing on clothes that fit and flatter, making shopping for fashion easy and enjoyable - regardless of size or shape. Jacamo has collections in an extensive size range with clothing from S to 5XL and shoes from seven to 16. www.jacamo.co.uk
