I'm old enough to remember seeing the adds in comic books that showed the big, muscular guy at the beach kicking sand in the face of the skinny guy. Like most gangly adolescents, I wanted what the big guy had. I don't remember what the add was selling but I do have a rather tragic memory of me endlessly lifting weights in the basement or our house to pump myself up... body image isn't just a female issue.
Anorexia, bulimia, and binge eating disorders are predominantly "female" problems, they also affects boys. NEDA, the National Eating Disorders Assn., says that "In the United States, as many as 10 million females and 1 million males are fighting a life and death battle with an eating disorder such as anorexia or bulimia..." and another 25 million are dealing with binge eating.
This link on their site has especially good advice for helping boys have a positive body image and dealing with others around this issue.
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