RESET - A Conversation About Boys' Body Image

Author

The Butterfly Foundation


Visit website: thebutterflyfoundation.org.au


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Australia's first digital body image program for boys, RESET is a digital education program designed to start a deeper conversation with boys about negative body image and eating disorders. In today's society the pressures on young boys to look and be a certain way are increasing and body dissatisfaction is on the rise.

RESET supports schools and other youth organisations in raising awareness of body image issues, reducing stigma and encouraging help seeking in boys. 

It’s about helping adolescent boys realise that they don’t have to sign-up to society’s ‘rules’ about male bodies and masculinity, that bottling-up feelings is never good and talking about this kind of thing and asking for help is OK.

 

Why is this program important?

  • Over-exercising and an extreme pursuit for muscle growth are often perceived as healthy behaviours for males
  • 90% of adolescent boys report that they exercise primarily to gain muscle
  • Two thirds of adolescent boys report making specific changes to their diet to gain muscle
  • 25% of people experiencing Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia Nervosa are male
  • Almost an equal number of males and females experience binge eating disorder
  • Eating disorders have one of the highest mortality rates of all psychiatric disorders
  • Suicide rates are 20% higher in eating disorder patients than in the general population

 



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