A recent report suggests that, despite being generally more overweight than women, Irish men are less motivated to get in better, healthier shape, writes KEVIN COURTNEY
TWO LADS ARE sitting in a bar, having a pint and a chat. “Look at you!” exclaims the first bloke. “You’re so skinny – I hate you. You’re like, what, a size zero?” The other bloke replies, “Oh, get away. I’m like an elephant. I’ve been going mad on the Guinness. I need to go to the gym big-time.” “No, no, you look like you’ve been running marathons.”“Oh, no, I’ve completely let myself go. I can hardly fit into these jeans.”
This conversation couldn’t, of course, have happened between two typical Irishmen. We just don’t talk to each other like that. In fact, we hardly even look at each other, so we probably wouldn’t notice if our best friend suddenly turned into Jabba the Hutt. We just don’t think about our bodies in the same way women think about theirs.
If a woman detects a milligram of extra fat, she runs to the gym. When an Irish man discerns what seems to be a large sack of mashed potatoes under his jumper, he’ll shrug his shoulders, order another side of fries, and say, “Sure I’m the right weight for my age.” But a recent report by the Nutrition and Health Foundation suggests we need to start thinking more about what’s under the jumper, and start taking some serious steps to redress it. Researchers at the foundation found that, despite being generally more overweight than women, Irish men were less motivated to lose weight. It would seem we’re happy to be heavy, glad to be gross and over the moon to be overweight.
So, does this simply mean that Irish men have a healthy attitude to their weight, or does it mean we are in serious denial about our growing obesity? If we were to be brutally honest with ourselves, probably the latter. But since when have Irish men seen themselves as they really are? We like to think of ourselves as charming rogues, burly rather than obese, and carrying just enough weight to keep us balanced on the dancefloor.
“It’s not just an Irish thing,” observes fashion guru Brendan Courtney. “I’ve been living in London, and English men are also in denial about their weight problems . . . Unlike men in California or in Mediterranean countries, we don’t have to expose our bodies, so we’re not confronted with it all the time. The cold weather allows us to keep it all under our hats . . . You see fewer beer bellies among the younger generation. They’re seeing well-toned people on X Factor, and they want to look like that.”
Courtney reckons Irish men have been well insulated from the reality of their unhealthy lifestyles. “We know we’re not very buff, but we don’t apologise for it. I call it ostriching: it’s a real Catholic thing – don’t mention it and it doesn’t exist.”
Many Irish men think eating disorders are only for women, and that by ignoring their own weight issues, men are avoiding crash dieting, anorexia and binge eating. Not a good idea, says Jacinta Hastings, CEO of Bodywhys, the Irish eating disorder association. “There are 200,000 people with eating disorders in Ireland, and 15 per cent of those are male. While obesity itself is not diagnostically classed as an eating disorder, one third of obese people would have an eating disorder. Body image is associated with self-perception, often a distorted perception. For males, the macho image is the traditional ideal, while for women it’s the feminine image. We’re only beginning to explore the effects these traditional images have on men, but certainly the media and the fashion industry set the context for an ideal that’s impossible to attain.”
Whatever the context, it’s plain that Irish men can no longer shield themselves behind their bellies. Obesity is a growing problem in Ireland, and more men are at risk from its effects, including diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease. We’re in danger of going from cuddly to coronary unless we shake off the complacency and develop a healthy concern for our health.
Although more young Irish men are going to the gym, Courtney reckons many go for all the wrong reasons. “It should be something you do for the feeling of well-being, but 95 per cent of men see it as a chore . . . Still, when a man does make a commitment to go to the gym, he usually sees it through to his ultimate goal. Believe me, there’s nothing like being back on the shelf to get you back in the gym.”
