OUT AND ABOUT: Working Out An Image

From television programs such as Beverly Hills, 90210 and Melrose Place, American mainstream society finds that the "ideal" woman measures 36-24-36, while the perfect man is toned with bulging muscles. But for many individuals, the lines are not as clear- cut. The gay community faces many dilemmas in terms of body image. There are a multitude of different gay "images" and fitting in can become a problem. Before College sophomore Melissa Krakowski came out of the closet, she had preconceived ideas of what gays and lesbians looked like. "All lesbians were these butchy women who wanted to be men and had some hormonal imbalance," she said. "All men had lisps. Or at the other end, that men were always working out or very slutty." But after actually joining the gay community, Krakowski discovered the reality behind the stereotypes. "It's true for some lesbians, but not for all," she said. "There are lesbians who are a little more in touch with their masculine sides, but it's definitely not true for all." Amidst the various opinions about body image facing gays, bisexuals and lesbians, one thing is usually agreed upon: Just as much -- if not more -- emphasis is put on body image in the gay community as in the straight community. "Male images, advertising, the increase in the depictions of pecs, biceps and rippling stomachs -- the glamorous torso has had an impact on how the male is being idealized," said one student who asked to be identified only as Bill S. "It's common among straight men, but for the gay man, it's male to male. It's pressure to be this way." The stereotypes for gay men usually fit into two categories -- either extremely effeminate or extremely masculine. The former is often portrayed as having a higher voice or lisp and the latter as constantly working out and wearing tight apparel. Many said living up to these images, especially the ultra-masculine one, is often the top priority in the lives of many gay and bisexual men. "I think gays and bisexuals struggle with [body image] a lot more because there is a lot of pressure to have the 'perfect' body," said Kurt Conklin, a health educator at Student Health Services. "A lot of gay and bisexual men increasingly are turning to the gym." Along with the photos of semi-clad, musclebound men found in the pages of gay magazines, new stereotypes about gays resulting from the AIDS epidemic have also put pressure on homosexuals to look their best. "The impact of HIV and AIDS on our community has had an effect," Bill S. said. "The image of the gay men wasting away to emaciated figures has influenced our community to try to look muscular, bulky and really, really healthy. We're still alive, we're vital, we're an alive community. That has impacted on our body image." Another motivation for gay men to tone their bodies is self-defense. "Some men go to the gym and try to bulk up because we know there is a lot of violence toward gay men," Conklin said. "They may be trying to bulk up as a defense. One of the side benefits [of starting to work out] was that I felt more physically prepared for physical assault." Although lesbians are also very concerned about body image, some students have said they don't think lesbians put as much emphasis on it as gay men. "Lesbians are much less image-conscious than gay men," said Jennifer Manion, a College junior and co-editor of the campus women's magazine Generation XX. "Lesbians are less likely to compromise themselves to fit the image which straight women have because it's seen as ideal by the heterosexual society." Gay women also encounter two different stereotypes: One extremely masculine --often called "butch" -- and one very feminine, not surprisingly dubbed "femme." According to many students, both body types are almost equally accepted in gay communities. "Both are accepted in homosexual societies," Manion said. "Some people go for the opposite, some people go for the same, some people go for both." But because of the heterosexual paradigm of the "perfect" woman and the more historic homosexual stereotype of the "butch" female, "femme" lesbians say they have a harder time coming out of the closet. "My take is that a lot of people don't give you much credit for being serious in your sexual identity if you are femme," said Bronwyn Beistle, Graduate Student Associations Council president. "If you look androgynous or butch you get more credit. If you try to look femme, it's like you're trying to pass [as a heterosexual]." But regardless of gender, overwhelming body image concerns can be very detrimental to many members of the homosexual community. "Look at the 'hunks' " in the gay newspaper, said Bob Schoenberg, director of the Program for the Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Community at Penn. "The gay subculture does put a great deal of importance on body image. I think that's unfortunate. There are a great many gay men that suffer as a result." Students said that some gay men spend all of their time working out, which is problematic for a more than a few obvious reasons. "Physical exercise and fitness becomes a problem when it's dominating your life," Conklin said. "For men who spend a lot of time in the gym, that's time they're not spending helping the gay community become stronger politically and socially. If people are going to gyms mainly in pursuit of the perfect body, that's not, in fact, very healthy." As in the heterosexual community, poor nutrition is often a problem resulting from a desire to change one's physical appearance. "Feeling anxious about your body may mean that you're not eating very well," Conklin said. "I think that also plays out in the gay and lesbian community as well." Eating disorders also afflict the gay community. Bill S. struggled with food for ten years before coming to the University. Upon arrival, many factors -- including his still-hidden homosexuality-- resulted in a long, hard struggle with bulimia. "Where my bulimia most surfaced was the intense experience of going to college and not yet coming out, going to a new school, coming from a working class background and going to an Ivy League institution," Bill S. said. "Food was my coping mechanism for dealing with these feelings." Bill added that his lack of friends and what he perceives as homophobic feelings at the University contributed to his lack of self-esteem. "Pressures of homophobia in the society turned me to food for comfort," he said. "When you can't call a friend, you can always call a pizza. All you need to do is have $10. Friends have faults, but pizzas are pretty consistent." And even after dating and acquiring a few friends, Bill's insecurities took control and he began a cycle of binging and purging. "During college, I had relationships with other men on campus and the thing is that the body image issues would get in the way and I would wonder whether or not they would leave because I was too fat," he said. "I started to forget who I was and why they were attracted to me." After two years of struggling with the disorder, Bill S. sought counseling on the advice of a friend. But Bill found that the University could not accommodate him. The Student Health representative "told me that she really couldn't meet my needs. Most of her resources are for women. There are aren't services on campus for men who have these problems." Bill said he felt frustrated and angry. "Here I was feeling inadequate and half in denial about seeking treatment and Student Health was deflecting me and telling me, 'Well, there's nothing we can do.' And she wanted to refer me to outside services which I would have to pay for. It was bullshit." Through outside counseling, Bill overcame his bulimia, but wishes that the University had the necessary resources to help people in his situation. "I know both gay and straight [male] athletes have problems with body image," he added. "It would be nice if we could find help on this campus." Susan Villari, Director of Health Education at Student Health Services, said that Student Health does provide services for men, but attitudes are actually what prevents students from taking advantage of them. "I don't necessarily think there need to be more services, it just needs to be more publicized," she said. "There's a lot more stigma for men to come forward and use the services." She did say, however, that if there were demand for new services they would be created. "It's difficult to provide services for only one person -- especially a support group," she said. Student Health "would create a new support group if there were enough men who were willing to be in a support group."

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