1. "I hate the scars on my face."
“I suffered from bad acne when I was growing up. Now I’ve been left with mini-craters over half my face. I’ve treated the scars over the years, which has helped, but I’ll never have the smooth skin I really want.”
– Sam
2. "My hair doesn't do what I tell it to do."
3. "I'll never be happy with my chest."
“As a former fat kid, I'm obsessed with obtaining a toned chest... It was my biggest source of embarrassment when I was a teenager. Now I work this area out twice as hard as any other. But even as I see more definition and bench-press more than I thought I ever could, I still don't think I look good in half the T-shirts I try on, and sort of wish I was just a really skinny guy who didn't need to think about it.”
– David
4. "I suffer from serious beard envy."
5. "My legs look like they don't belong with my body.'"
“I worry about my skinny legs. They’re disproportionately thin compared to the rest of my body, and they look like bony Twiglets. This is probably why I’m amazing at playing FIFA but terrible when it comes to actually kicking a football IRL.”
– Jason
6. "I don't like the way my ribs stick out from my belly."
7. "I long for the perfect torso."
“I have wide hips and a narrow waist which gives me a feminine hourglass-ish figure, no matter my weight. I'd love to have the masculine V-shaped torso, but it's not in my ability to change.”
– Craig
8. "The standards I set for myself are way too high."
9. "Singledom is dragging my confidence down."
“I’m approaching 30, and most of my friends are properly settled into serious relationships. The others have tied the knot. It might not sound like a big deal, but being single for the past few years has dealt a massive blow to my confidence.”
– Ranil
10. "My hair has the style and grace of an actual mop."
11. "Don't ask me to smile."
“My bottom row of teeth are badly crooked. I had the option of wearing braces when I was growing up, but my naive and vain younger self said "no". I obviously regret that decision now.”
– Peter
12. "People judge me based on my height."
13. "I worry that my birthmark is really obvious."
“I have a large birthmark that stretches across my back. It's not always a problem because I don't exactly make a habit of walking around topless. But I do hesitate when I'm on holiday. It makes me feel a little uneasy.”
– Jon
Names were changed upon request of the authors.
How important is body image? Lynx asked some guys and girls how a man should look. Watch the video below and tell us what you think.
