In a conversation dominated by women, where are men’s voices around body image and eating disorders? Friends Alec Fischer and Ryan Sheldon are on a mission to answer that question and show that body image and eating disorders affect people of all backgrounds—including men. Alec is an activist and award-winning documentary filmmaker, while Ryan is a brawn model, motivational speaker and National Eating Disorder Association ambassador.
Bringing knowledge and curiosity to the issues from their unique perspectives, the duo are teaming up to produce the docuseries, “States of Perception: Body Image.” From Hollywood to middle America, both men want to show that body image insecurities vary from state to state—across 50 states in the U.S.. The series will feature 50 powerful individual stories from folks of different backgrounds and intersecting identities across several episodes.
The Producers
Alec
Alec and his childhood friends didn’t see themselves represented in the models or the fashion industry celebrated by the media. Even though he was unofficially diagnosed with anorexia in high school, Alec didn’t consider the possibility that a man could have an eating disorder. Meanwhile, his body insecurities were further heightened by his identity as a gay man.
Before launching the campaign, Alec had only talked about his body insecurities to his therapist. He shared a little about his story in an email and a video about the campaign launch, which he sent to friends and family. Almost stalling, a terrified Alec texted Ryan for reassurance to follow through as planned.
Ryan
Prior to discussing his eating disorder on national television, Ryan only shared his struggles with his close group of friends, along with his mother and sister. The disinformation and stigma associated with ED resulted in those closest to Ryan not believing him. On top of revealing his own personal struggle, Ryan had to educate his loved ones on what eating disorders really were and who they affect.
Ryan created a blog and Instagram account to document his journey through recovery, which was an eye-opening experience for him—and his audience. Soon after, he was compelled to step up and produce the “States of Perception” docuseries to raise further awareness of the impact of body dissatisfaction issues.He hopes their docuseries breaks stereotypes and allows for more inclusive media representations, like those in the TV show “This Is Us” that portrays a large, white woman with an eating disorder.Ryan also believes that being gay is more acceptable now than before, because it has become a national topic of social, cultural, and political conversation. He wants the same to happen with body image and ED.
Both, Alec and Ryan are passionate about breaking socially constructed “ideal” beauty standards and hope their docuseries facilitates open discussions about body struggles. They aim to use their privilege and status as white men to amplify the struggles of folks whose identities differ from theirs and call for more diversity in the media.
A Conversation with Adios Barbie
At Adios Barbie, we were thrilled to have opportunity to interview Alec and Ryan about the project.
AB: What inspired you to create this docuseries around body image and eating disorders inclusive of different intersecting identities?
Alec: You always see the societal stereotypes of what the ideal body looks like both for men and women. They’re white, they’re societally “attractive”, and there’s not much diversity at play there.
Growing up in the gay community [there was this pressure to fit into] an image of this attractive white chiseled man who you had to look like if you wanted to be successful, have a romantic partner, or do anything that you are dreaming of. And it’s something that people in the community and outside of the community are sick of.
Ryan: I’m a 6’4’’ guy in a larger body. My doctors overlooked the possibility of me having an eating disorder, even though they knew my struggles. In fact, when I brought it to their attention that I might have an eating disorder, they chuckled. I don’t think they really understood the nature of eating disorders.
I realized quickly that there were so many people out there struggling with these issues…These issues can truly affect anyone no matter your socio-economic background, gender, orientation, race, and religion.
Alec: We’re starting to hear more diverse stories, but we’re not doing so at the rate that is acceptable for how much diversity there is in our world.
Ryan: Why can’t they showcase a person of color, or a gay person with this issue, or a transgender person?. . . We’re all connected because we’re all impacted by body image and how the media portrays it.
AB: What role does toxic masculinity play in how body image and eating disorders affect men?
Alec: It stops a lot of men, or male-identifying folks, from coming into their story and accepting that they may be struggling with negative body image and/or eating disorders.
Ryan: Toxic masculinity is generated by [our culture’s] warped definition of masculinity. It’s a struggle for men to have their masculinity defined by having muscles and by being aggressive. There are a lot of guys out there who suffer in silence because they feel that if they talk about their negative body image or disordered eating struggles, they will be perceived as being “weak” or “gay”.
As a gay man, I believe there is nothing wrong with gayness, of course. But, breaking the stigma around discussing negative body image and masculinity is crucial. Thirty million Americans struggle with eating disorders—it is estimated that 10 million of those folks are men. Toxic masculinity leads men to under report their struggles, however, so these numbers most likely don’t truly reflect reality.
Alec: I have friends and family that I love dearly and I was so afraid of having them know that I had been struggling with this.
Ryan: There was so
much fear because I thought that people were going to judge me harshly. I didn’t even know why, to be honest. I
associate my body struggles and ED with some of the darkest moments of my life. They took over my life. Opening up that wound
was really challenging. In turn, what
happened was really the opposite. I
always say that we all have the ability and the power to impact someone’s life
in a positive way, just by sharing our stories.
AB: If you were women, do you think it would have been easier to talk about this?
Alec: Men, women and non-binary folks all struggle with different aspects of negative body image. There is still so much shame and stigma attached to women with eating disorders, despite the privilege they hold as being the most researched and treated population. People automatically box them into a stereotype that is hardly everyone’s experience. Everyone goes through a unique experience and no one person’s experience is necessarily easier than another’s.
Ryan: If you see a really thin white girl, people automatically assume that she is anorexic. If I were a woman with this body type, I’d have the privilege of my experience being recognized. People would think, “Oh, another skinny white woman talking about it,” but at the same time, I think I would have been diagnosed much sooner. Yet people assume there is no way to be anorexic as a 6’4’’ guy who is a little bit overweight.
AB: As men producing the docuseries, what different ideas and experiences do you hope to bring to your audience?
Alec: As a filmmaker it’s important for me to co-create the episodes with the subjects. We want to be the vessel for folks to reach mainstream audiences without adding our lenses in a way that distorts their stories.
Ryan: Racism, homophobia, transphobia, misogyny, toxic masculinity—all play into how we perceive body image and what that looks like in our society. We’re interested in exploring this as well because on a surface it’s just about weight. But when you go deeper, it’s about so much more than physical appearance.
It’s time to celebrate all bodies. When people see me on the cover of something, they’re like, “Oh my gosh, there’s a guy who does not have the cultural ideal body who is making it.”
How To Get Involved
Here’s how you can support the launch of their docuseries:
- Donate to their fundraiser
- Nominate yourself or someone you know to be featured as a subject in their docuseries
- sponsorship form
- Sign up to receive email updates
For more information about “States of Perception: Body Image,” please visit their Indiegogo campaign.
Follow Alec @fischrmedia and Ryan @bingeeaterconfessions on Instagram.