Body image concerns more men than women

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1 Key words
Fill the gaps in the sentences using these key words from the text. boobs chubby belly forego symptomatic physique fuel commission

laxative respondent

1. __________________________ is an informal word for stomach. 2. __________________________ is an informal term for womens breasts. 3. To __________________________ means to officially ask for a piece of work to be done for you. 4. A __________________________ is a medicine, food or drink that helps you to pass solid waste more easily when you use the toilet. 5. Someones __________________________ is the shape of their body, especially a mans. 6. If you describe a person as __________________________, they are slightly fat in the way a healthy baby or a young child is. 7. __________________________ is a formal word that shows the existence of a problem or bad situation. 8. If you __________________________ something, you decide not to do or have it. 9. A __________________________ is someone who answers questions in a questionnaire. 10. To __________________________ means to make something increase or become worse, especially something unpleasant or negative.

2 Find the information

The article is about a survey on men and what they think of their bodies. Decide whether the following statements are true (T) or false (F) according to the survey. Then check your answers in the text. 1. Women worry more about how they look than men do. 2. More than one third of men would give up one year of their life in exchange for a perfect body. 3. More than 50% of men think their arms are not muscular enough. 4. 92% of men think about their appearance at least five times a day. 5. Obsession with appearance is a growing phenomenon in men. 6. 20% of men have made themselves sick to control their weight.

Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2012 NEWS LESSONS / Body image concerns more men than women / Advanced

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Body image concerns more men than women

Level 3

Advanced
women do, but it is clear from this research that men are also guilty of commenting on one anothers bodies, and in many cases this is having a damaging effect. Mens high levels of body talk were symptomatic of a growing obsession with appearance, she added. 6 Some three in five men (58.6%) said body talk affected them, usually negatively. Around 12% said they would trade a year of life if they could have their ideal body weight and shape, 15.2% would give up two to five years, 5.3% would forego six to ten years and 5.3% would sacrifice a decade or more. 7 Some 4% said they had made themselves sick to control their weight, while 3.4% reported using laxatives for the same purpose. Almost a third (31.9%) had exercised in a driven or compulsive way in pursuit of that goal, although that might have been partly due to 52% of the respondents being gym members, when the average is 12%. 8 Respondents, of whom about a quarter were gay men, blamed the media and celebrities for unhelpfully reinforcing unrealistic ideals of physical perfection. Girls want to be slim and males want to be big and lean, and while it isnt a bad thing for people to want to look better, it has become more like a competition, which has a bad effect on most peoples mental health, said one respondent. 9 Alan White, a professor of Mens Health at Leeds Metropolitan University, said: These findings are worrying but not surprising. Theres been a big increase in the numbers of British men having cosmetic procedures such as a nose job or removal of breast tissue; thats gone from almost nothing to quite a significant industry over the last ten years. All this fuels the idea of the body beautiful and encourages a quick fix rather than appropriate diet and physical fitness levels.
Guardian News & Media 2012 First published in The Guardian, 06/01/12

Body image concerns more men than women, research finds

Denis Campbell 6 January, 2012 1 More men worry about their body shape and appearance beer bellies, man boobs or going bald than women do about how they look, according to research. More than four in five men (80.7%) talk in ways that promote anxiety about their body image by referring to perceived flaws and imperfections, compared with 75% of women. Similarly, 38% of men would sacrifice at least a year of their life in exchange for a perfect body again, a higher proportion than women. 2 These findings tell us that men are concerned about body image, just like women. We knew that body talk affected women and young people, and now we know that it affects men too, said Dr Phillippa Diedrichs, from the Centre of Appearance Research at the University of the West of England. She conducted the study, of 394 British men, which was commissioned by Central YMCA (Young Mens Christian Association) and the Succeed Foundation, an eating disorders charity. 3 The survey revealed that men have high levels of anxiety about their bodies and that some resort to compulsive exercise, strict diets, laxatives or making themselves sick in an attempt to lose weight or achieve a more toned physique. 4 80.7% talked about their own or others appearance in ways that draw attention to weight, lack of hair or slim frame. 30% have heard someone refer to their beer belly, 19% have been described as chubby and 19% have overheard talk about their moobs (man boobs). 23% said concerns about their appearance had deterred them from going to the gym. 63% thought their arms or chests were not muscular enough. 29% thought about their appearance at least five times a day. 18% were on a highprotein diet to increase muscle mass, and 16% on a calorie-controlled diet to slim down. 5 Rosi Prescott, Central YMCAs Chief Executive, said: Historically, making conversation about your body has been perceived as something
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NEWS LESSONS / Body image concerns more men than women / Advanced

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D

Body image concerns more men than women

Level 3

Advanced

3 Comprehension check
Choose the best answer according to the text. 1. Why are the results of the survey newsworthy? a. because 52% of the respondents were gym members b. because three in five men are affected by negative body talk c. because previously it was assumed that only women worry about their appearance 2. What is the effect of men commenting on each others bodies? a. It makes them exercise in a driven or compulsive way. b. It has a negative or damaging effect. c. It makes them join a gym. 3. What, according to the respondents in the survey, is responsible for the obsession with appearance? a. lifestyle b. the media and celebrities c. stress 4. According to Professor White, the results of the survey are a. b. c. worrying. surprising. unhelpful.

4 Find the word

Find the following words and phrases in the text. 1. a two-word noun meaning a fat stomach that a man gets from drinking too much beer over a long period of time (para 1) 2. two nouns meaning a mark or fault that spoils something and makes it less beautiful or perfect (para 1) 3. a two-word noun meaning medical conditions such as anorexia or bulimia in which someone tries to control their weight in a way that makes them ill (para 2) 4. an adjective that is used about people who have a habit they cannot control (para 3) 5. a noun meaning the particular shape or size of someones body (para 4) 6. a two-word phrasal verb meaning to lose weight (para 4) 7. a three word expression meaning with the aim of achieving something (para 7) 8. a two-word expression meaning something that can be done quickly in order to solve a problem or repair something that is broken, though it may not last long (para 9)

Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2012 NEWS LESSONS / Body image concerns more men than women / Advanced

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Body image concerns more men than women

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5 Prepositions
Complete the phrases based on words from the text using appropriate prepositions. 1. deter someone ______________ doing something 2. obsession ______________ something 3. concern ______________ something 4. in exchange ______________ something 5. comment ______________ something 6. blame someone ______________ something

6 Word-building
Complete the sentences using the correct form of the words in brackets at the end of each sentence. 1. A lot of men believe that their arms are not ____________________ enough. [MUSCLE] 2. Many have ____________________ ideals of physical perfection. [REALIST] 3. Many believe their bodies have flaws and ____________________. [PERFECT] 4. A lot of men have high levels of ____________________ about their bodies. [ANXIOUS] 5. The high level of body talk is ____________________ of an obsession with appearance. [SYMPTOM] 6. Some say that the media and celebrities ____________________ reinforce ideals of physical perfection. [HELPFUL]

7 Discussion
Should men be worried about their physical appearance? Why? Why not?

Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2012 NEWS LESSONS / Body image concerns more men than women / Advanced

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Body image concerns more men than women

Level 3 KEY

Advanced

1 Key words
1. belly 2. boobs 3. commission 4. laxative 5. physique 6. chubby 7. symptomatic 8. forego 9. respondent 10. fuel

4 Find the word

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. beer belly flaw; imperfection eating disorder compulsive frame slim down in pursuit of quick fix

5 Prepositions
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. from with about for on for

2 Find the information

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. F T T F T F

6 Word-building
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. muscular unrealistic imperfections anxiety symptomatic unhelpfully

3 Comprehension check
1. 2. 3. 4. c b b a

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NEWS LESSONS / Body image concerns more men than women / Advanced

O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D