Abstract
Background and Aims: Body image concerns are highly prevalent among gay men, yet much of the
literature has located these difficulties within the individual, with comparatively less attention to the
sociocultural and relational contexts through which they are produced and maintained. This study
aimed to explore how gay men understand the development and maintenance of body image standards
in their social worlds, with a particular focus on masculinity and stigma, the psychological impacts of
these standards, and the extent to which these experiences illuminate, extend or challenge the
synthesised stigma model (Bonell et al., 2023).
Method: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 15 gay men residing in the United
Kingdom. Data were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis within a critical realist epistemology.
Analysis: Six themes were developed from the analysis. These were: “The ‘Valued’ Gay Body”, “The
Masculine Blueprint” , “Ranking and Evaluating” ,“Coping Through the Body”, “The Hyper-focused Self” and “Barriers to Support”.
Discussion: This study highlights the multifaceted and socially embedded nature of body image standards in gay men. Broadly, participants’ narratives were structured around the centrality of a socially shared “valued” gay body, organised through hegemonic masculinity, which was historically rooted in developmental experiences and reinforced within contemporary gay communities. Participants described how these standards were reproduced through intracommunity stigma, practices
of comparison and categorisation, and intensified through digital environments. Psychological distress
appeared to most prominently arise through internalisation of these standards, shaping maladaptive
bodily, intrapsychic and interpersonal attempts to manage distress. However, participants also
described processes of resistance, including acceptance and corrective relational experiences. Barriers
to accessing professional support were also evident, with participants highlighting culturally mis-
attuned care, lack of clear pathways, and cultural minimisation of body image concerns. The findings
also broadly support the synthesised stigma model, whilst suggesting some refinements to the
processes proposed.
