Do you suffer from an ‘Adonis Complex?’
What is an ‘Adonis Complex?’
The phrase ‘Adonis Complex’ is used to refer to a variety of body image disorders found in men usually aged around twenty. In Greek mythology Adonis was a young man who grew up to be extremely handsome with the ideal body. The Goddesses Persephone and Aphrodite both fought over Adonis as a lover and he chose Aphrodite. The Adonis belt or ‘v’ that can be found in the lower abdominal region is named after Adonis.
The above image is Titian’s 1554 painting Venus and Adonis. Here we say Aphrodite (Venus) holding Adonis in her arms. In comparison to today’s fitness models and bodybuilders Adonis looks somewhat out of shape and this indicates the changes in what society holds to be the ideal human body over the years. Since the Renaissance and especially over the past forty or so years with the rise of the internet, magazines and steroids, the ideal male physique has become increasingly muscular.
Body image and teenage boys
A survey1 of 2000 British teenage boys found some startling statistics regarding the Adonis Complex:
- Eighty per cent of the boys were unhappy with their looks.
- One third wanted to loose weight.
- One quarter were willing to consider plastic surgery.
With so much discussion of body image focusing on women, this study demonstrates that body image disorders very much prevalent in men. While the media have constantly churned out images of the ‘perfect’ women for decades and some psychologists argue that this has contributed to the rise in eating disorders amongst females. Similarly, some experts believe that the media is now having a similar effect on men and body image.
There are two main disorders linked to the Adonis Complex:
- Muscle dysmorphia (bigorexia)
While many women will starve themselves (anorexia) or make themselves sick (bulimia) in order to get slim, many men worry that they are too small so they try to gain weight to get a muscular physique. Dr Olivardia did a survey2 along with two other psychologists for their book: The Adonis Complex. The survey comprised of 1000 men and the majority of these men said that they would like to have 28lbs more muscle than the average man. A similar trait can be seen in many bodybuilders who are never satisfied with their size and as a result spend hours in the gym and thousands of dollars on anabolic steroids in order to gain mass. This can in turn lead to these men loosing control of their lives as these obsessions put careers and relationships with family and friends at risk.
About ten per cent of the UK’s 90,000 anorexics and bulimics are male according to Steve Bloomfield of the Eating Disorders Association. While there are significantly fewer male anorexics and bulimics than females, the amount of men with these eating disorders is ever increasing. Three of the main causes of these disorders in both men and women are trauma, depression and social pressure caused by the media. Anorexia and bulimia come with a host of dangers. In anorexic individuals mild anemia, swollen joints, reduced muscle mass and light- headedness are all common. Bulimia can cause severe damage to the body even if the individual manages to maintain a normal weight due to dehydration and a loss of valuable minerals such as potassium.
1, 2
https://www.netdoctor.co.uk/healthy...and-body-image-do-you-have-an-adonis-complex/
