Superheroes are a big inspiration for a lot of people across the world, whether they take form in a movie, TV show, or comic book. They can do bigger-than-life tasks, but they also come with unrealistic body images. They're typically unusually slim with huge muscles everywhere, but let's be real: No one looks that like.
Sure, superheroes are supposed to be preternatural, but the ideal body images they impart on fans can greatly affect their self-esteem. For this reason, Bulimia.com "reverse Photoshopped" comic book covers of some pretty iconic heroes to show them in a more realistic light. Low self-esteem and body image issues can affect anyone, but having more positive images out there can help combat that issue.
*This post discusses eating disorders in detail. If you or someone you know needs to speak with someone about an eating disorder, please contact the National Eating Disorders Association's helpline.
Superhero bodies may be doing more harm than good.
Superheroes, regardless of the universe they belong to, tend to all look the same. Their powers and abilities might differ, but the same kind of bodies are always featured across comic books in particular. Each one of them has a slim yet chiseled figure that certainly doesn't depict the average American body. Bulimia.com "reverse Photoshopped" some comic covers to give them a real-life depiction of the human body.
The average American body does not look like the average hero's body.
This post on Bulimia.com mentions that more than one half of men and women are considered obese in the US. On top of that, more than two thirds of the population is overweight. This can have various effects on the human body and increases the risk of diabetes and heart disease.
These false body images, presented under the guise of characters who are inhuman, have extensive negative effects on self-image, further increasing readers' chances of developing an eating disorder.
Eating disorders affect millions of people in this country regardless of age, gender, sexuality, and more. Even people who don't "look" like they have an eating disorder can have one. There is no one way to be mentally ill.
Eating disorders aren't a choice, and they can be fatal if not addressed. In fact, the National Institute of Mental Health states that anorexia nervosa is the most fatal mental disorder. It is characterized by starving oneself or limiting the amount of food intake. This is typically done to achieve a certain body type and to ease the fear of gaining weight. Many people with anorexia and other eating disorders believe they are overweight even when they aren't.
Having more realistic images of the human body can give people a positive image of themselves. If people can see themselves in a superhero, someone that they can look up to, they can feel better about the way they look.
Women characters in comic books also tend to have unnecessary, unclad, and unrealistic breasts.
Not all women have big boobs, and not all women with big boobs have slim waists. However, comics covers often feature feminine women with large rears, tiny waists, and unavoidably large breasts. Female superheroes are hypersexualized to appeal to men, because comic books have always been marketed specifically to them. Why do you think Wonder Woman fights half-naked while Batman, Superman, and the rest of the Justice League get to keep their clothes on?
This overtly sexualized view of women hurts everyone in the end.
Children love these comics, and that can be a big problem when it comes to how we as a society perceive women. People exposed to comics growing up in turn think that this is what women are supposed to look like — and that can be damaging to girls' self-esteem.
It's already hard enough not to compare yourself to other people, especially in today's world of social media. It's even harder to compete with a body that's literally not even real.
And let's not forget to mention the laughable way women's bodies respond to gravity in comic books.
If you look at the original image on the left-hand side, you can see Black Widow's (Natalia Alianovna Romanova) nipples poking through her suit so it appears she's not wearing a bra. But her cleavage is still very visible in a way that would only make sense if she was wearing a bra. FYI, boobs don't push themselves together on their own. If anything, her suit is just so tight that it's forced to squish her chest together. How convenient!
The Phoenix barely even has arms, for crying out loud.
The Phoenix (Jean Grey) has the thinnest arms imaginable here. Her body is very slim yet very muscular and she still has a large chest. This image of her on the left side also has a thigh gap. There are plenty of skinny women who don't have thigh gaps. Some body types just make thigh gaps unattainable. Other women just naturally have them. Thigh gaps are heavily determined by genetics — but they also don't even matter at all. If you have one, you have one. If you don't, you don't. Either should be seen as normal and beautiful, but images like these prevent us from seeing it that way.
Men need positive images of their bodies, too.
Men also don't have proper representation when it comes to body image, but they can deal with the same issues women do. NationalEatingDisorders.org states that one in every three people with an eating disorder is male. 10 million men in the US will develop an eating disorder sometime in their lives. And there are so many things that make men insecure about reaching out for help as well.
We have this idea in society that men have to be tough and strong all the time. Being vulnerable enough to say that you have an eating disorder, or that you need help in general, may be looked at as a form of weakness for men. Eating disorders are also incorrectly perceived as an issue that affects only women — if you're a man with an eating disorder, you might be seen as feminine or gay.
FYI: Being feminine and/or gay is great! Neither of those things makes anyone less a man. If you identify as a man, you are one. End of story.
Iron Man is literally inside a giant tin-man suit, and he STILL looks ripped! Come on.
Tony Stark, the man and the money behind Iron Man, could look like anything inside his suit. But on the cover of this comic, even the suit looks muscled and unrealistically slim. In actuality, the suit doesn't have to look like that at all, it just has to function at an optimal level. I'm sure Stark's suit would still work if it had, I don't know, a plain metal exterior.
Batman is just privileged all the way around.
Not only does Batman have the ideal male body type, he's also got a lot of money. Anyone who's ever followed Batman's (aka Bruce Wayne) story knows he was born into wealth. He was never bitten by anything radioactive, and he wasn't born on another planet. He's a nighttime vigilante with the financial backing to be and look like whatever he wants. If anything, that just makes him more unrealistic. Maybe he's also paying for a gym membership.
There are plenty of resources out there to help address and treat eating disorders.
Eating disorders are treatable. If you or someone you know is dealing with an eating disorder, you can call the National Eating Disorders helpline at 1-800-931-2237. You can also use its chat function if you're someone who doesn't like speaking on the phone.
If you're a member of the LGBTQ+ community, you can also be matched with a specialist here. And if you're part of a racial minority group, you can search for counseling here that also gives you options to pick a therapist based on your religious beliefs and the language you're comfortable with.
