Abstract

CERVANTES-LUNA, Brenda Sarahi; ESCOTO PONCE DE LEON, Consuelo; CAMACHO RUIZ, Esteban Jaime  and  BOSQUES BRUGADA, Lilián Elizabeth. Aesthetic ideals, body image, eating attitudes and behaviors in men with different sexual orientation. Rev. Mex. de trastor. aliment [online]. 2019, vol.10, n.1, pp.66-74. ISSN 2007-1523.  https://doi.org/10.22201/fesi.20071523e.2019.1.529.

Although there is a lot of information available about body image and eating disorders, little is known about the issue in sexual minority groups, especially in our culture and context. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to compare the body satisfaction, the internalization of aesthetic ideals (thin and muscular), the attitudes and eating behaviors in a sample of Mexican men with different sexual orientation. A total of 217 men (94 heterosexuals, 30 bisexuals and 93 gays), with an age range from 14 to 41 (M = 22.0, SD = 4.59) participated in the study. Bisexual men and gay men, compared to heterosexual men, reported greater body image discomfort, influence of thin shape and more motivation to lose weight. Bisexual men reported more concern about food than heterosexual men and gay men, but gay men had greater food restriction. These results support the hypothesis that body dissatisfaction in men of sexual minority groups is not oriented towards the development of the musculature, since they have internalized a thinner ideal body. On the contrary, the results related to muscularity did not register a clear tendency based on sexual orientation, which highlights the need to deepen its analysis, prioritizing the use of more specific evaluation instruments on the motivation to increase muscle.

Keywords : Body image; Risky eating behaviors; Eating attitudes; Body ideal; Sexual preference.

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