Masculinity: A Leading Health Risk for Young Men in Canada 

Traditional ideals of masculinity such as appearance, leadership, and emotions can have a negative impact on a young man’s health, especially here in Canada. For some men, the desire to meet the ideal of being attractive and in shape can have a negative effect on their physical and mental health. The media influences men's appearance but does not help them develop realistic body images. Men who are regularly exposed to unrealistic images in the media may also encounter a poor body image. For instance, young men can take drugs like steroids to build up muscle mass and decrease body fat. This presents younger men with unrealistic expectations to live up to. The development of eating disorders is a serious challenge for men with physique image issues.

According to CBC news, “about one-third of eating disorders occur in males and 28 to 30 percent of men have some body image concerns or experience negative body image”. ( para 15). Gallant says, “ the most frightening part is how young it begins with children as young as nine avoiding certain foods because it will make them fat or disliking particular parts of their bodies.” (Gallant, 2018, para 16). As reported by a survey conducted by Psychology Today, “men believe their appearance is much more important to women than women report it is; for instance, men believe if they lose their hair women will not want to date them, even though many women say they are willing to date bald men. (mirror-mirror, n.d. Para 6). Men can spend millions of dollars on cosmetic surgery due to feeling insecure. This can cause depression, high levels of stress and anxiety.

Secondly, the ideal of masculinity as leadership makes men want to take control of their own life and not listen to others, resulting them to avoid seeking treatment for health issues. As stated by Global News Canada, “Many men who work hard to be the providers of their households will shelve emotions in order to ‘get the job done,” Heide says. “Their No. 1 focus is ensuring that their family has security, and anything that would get in the way of functioning at a high level on a daily basis is put aside until ‘it’s more convenient.” (Dube- D-E, 2018, para 15). “Twenty-eight per cent of Canadian men said they believed their job could be at risk if they discuss mental health issues at work, and more than 33 percent of men worry they could be overlooked for a promotion if they mention a problem.” (Collie, 2019, para 3).

Lastly, the ideal of masculinity that men are supposed to act impassive may have a negative impact on their health. Common phrases that people say to men when they get emotional is “man up!”, “do not be such a baby” or “ do not cry like girl.” Men have been adapted to conceal their emotions, yet this leads to concealing their sentiments and feelings. This often leads to high rates of depression among men. This will also increase alcohol and illicit drug use, and sucicide rates compared to ladies because men do not feel comfortable expressing their thoughts. In fact, according to Statistics Canada, “the suicide rate for men was three times higher than the rate for women in 2009 (about 18 versus 5 per 100,000)”. (Dube- D-E, 2018, para 10). There is a lot of pressure from the media that portrays young men to be in the best appearance possible, physically and mentally. Possessing all these masculine character traits can cause health risks, physically and mentally. Men should be more comfortable expressing themselves to others and to love themselves for who they are.