Male Body Confidence And Why James Corden Is A Brilliant Role Model For It

 
Male body confidence is a subject which just isn't discussed enough, it's that simple. Just like mental illnesses, self esteem issues and other things along those lines, it does always seem to be that we talk about it referring to females more.
I know that women are under a lot of pressure, and have been for decades. I'm female myself and struggle daily with the idea that I am "supposed" to look a certain way. Women's body confidence, or rather lack of it, is something which we openly discuss, the idea that women should have flat stomachs, thin thighs, long, luscious hair, they should wear make-up and dress according to what society deems 'ladylike.' Not all women are or want to be that way and so this results in many of us feeling insecure about the way that we look, which is truly saddening. However, I want to discuss male body confidence in this blog post, because not enough people do. It's easy to sit there and say "Well yeah but men have it easy!" ...do they though?

Personally, I believe men are under just as much pressure as women when it comes to feeling as though they should look a certain way but many don't recognise that as it's always been women's appearance we talk about. Throughout history, women have always been the ones whose appearance is hot gossip. What they wore, their hairstyles and their make-up has always been under scrutiny, whereas what was focused on for men was their careers. Today, it's still women's appearance hitting the headlines more than men's, leaving people to believe they are totally happy with the way that they look, when in reality, many suffer in silence. 

I want to talk about a male in the public eye who I believe to be the ideal role model for male body confidence - James Corden. You may be thinking this is a bit random, like Emily, why are we talking about the guy who hosts The Late Late Show? But, you see, if I was to write a blog post about a female celebrity, for example Beyoncé, who represents female body confidence, nobody would flutter and eyelid, but because it's a male, it's weird? Strange, right?

Now, I just love James Corden in general. I think he's hilarious, extremely creative and an all round entertainment genius, but I also think he is a truly brilliant, inspiring, public figure when it comes to empowering other males to feel confident about their bodies.
There is a lot of pressure on men today to look a certain way, whether we realise it or not. They are expected to have six packs, muscly arms, toned thighs and to be groomed to perfection. They're supposed to have heroic personalities, be ready to protect women at any possible moment and it's always apparently a shock when a man cries. In the media, the press will write about a male star when he looks like he's put weight on, yet no one cares, but when it's a female they write about, apparently it's disgusting and unnecessary. Men are just generally under a lot of pressure to all look the same and have the perfect, gym honed body.

James Corden isn't like that, which we all know. He doesn't have abs, he isn't the tallest of the bunch, he is no Daniel Craig. However, he doesn't allow this to knock his body confidence. He has a wobbly stomach and a bit more body fat than some people, but he still embraces who he is and, if anything, uses his appearance to his advantage. For example, he's written great comedic scenes in which he pokes fun at himself for being overweight. You only need to watch a few episodes of one of my favourite TV series, 'Gavin and Stacey' to see that his sense of humour can be self deprecating. Of course, I'm not telling you to start picking yourself apart and laughing at your body, but it's good to just take it all in your stride! James knows that he isn't just going to wake up with abs overnight so he may as well just accept the way he his for now until his body changes, if he wants it to. That goes for everybody, change takes time so whilst change is slowly occurring in your body, you really can't do anything to speed it up, so just accept how you are for the time being. 

 

Additionally, I think it would be extremely easy for James to spend his life wearing baggy t-shirts and jeans and hiding his body, like a lot of men his age, sadly, do. Instead though, he wears tight suits, he goes shirtless on holiday whilst allowing himself to be photographed. He shows off his body instead of feeling ashamed of it and feeling the need to keep it a secret, which I think is a great step to take to start to love your appearance. We've all got a body and everyone can see it, you can only hide so much with an oversized shirt. To me, James Corden is PERFECT living proof that, once you have accepted your "flaws," nobody can use them against you. Sure people call him "fat" and tell him that he "needs to lose weight," but he doesn't take that personally and, instead, uses his appearance as part of his character and to benefit his career. Now, I know that everybody has down days and, of course, hateful comments will have affected him at some point. He probably has some really rubbish days, because he's HUMAN. However, for the most part, on the outside, James Corden is an incredibly positive being with a bubbly personality. He jokes around on TV and social media, posing in his underwear and silly costumes for other peoples entertainment, and for me, he's a breath of fresh air. I think it's a shame how so many men in the public eye don't feel as body confident as he does. 

 

So to any guys out there who are perhaps looking for some body confidence inspiration, or even females, look in the direction of James Corden. He spreads a lot of light in every situation he is in and I feel glad to live at a time when a celebrity like him is in the public eye. Not only is he showing diversity in the entertainment industry is possible by being a slightly bigger guy on TV, but he is also an inspiration to all males out there as he shows that it is possible to love your body, no matter your shape, and people will still love you no matter what you look like. He encourages men to not feel ashamed of how they look and to not feel as though they can't wear certain outfits or do certain things because of their size. James lives a really happy and successful life and I reckon he's someone we need in the public eye. 



And to any boys out there who may be struggling with their lack of body confidence, you aren't alone, despite perhaps feeling like as though you are. Everyone has insecurities and things that they wish they could change about themselves. But I would like you to know that, those things you want to change? Those are the things that mark you beautiful. It's totally fine to want to maybe want to go to the gym and tome up, but please learn to love yourself in the process. You're only alive for so long and it would be a real shame if you spent most of your time hating how you look. Plus, body confidence comes with age. If you're worried now that you don't have abs like your friends or arms as big as the guys in your class, it really doesn't matter and, in time, I promise accepting yourself will be easier. If everyone was the same, the world would be boring. I know that's cliche, but it's true. We need diversity to keep moving forwards and to make life more exciting. 
Finally, please don't be afraid to speak out about your issues. It isn't girly to want to have a moan every now and again about not liking the way you look and it isn't a sign of weakness to admit that you aren't totally happy with the way that you look. And, if anybody was to see that as a sign of weakness, know that they are wrong. Nobody is perfect and we all have things about us which other people won't like but, honestly, don't let that bother you. Besides, there really is SO much more to love than how you look. 

I would like to conclude this blog post with a video I stumbled upon on YouTube. A lovely guy names Jimmy talks about his battle with body confidence and his journey to accepting himself. It made me emotional whilst watching it and I love everything he asks, definitely give it a watch if you can spare the time. Click HERE to listen to what he has to say. 

I would love to know who you think are good role models for male body confidence! And it can be anyone! I think it's great how a lot of male celebrities are so body confident, it's something we need. <3

Love, Emily. :) xx

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