Men, we need to talk. The stereotypical eating disorder sufferer is a young, wealthy, white woman, but there’s a lot of evidence telling us that the stereotype is inaccurate.
Based on current numbers, one in three people living with an eating disorder are men, and there are a lot of men suffering in silence. In this episode of the Butterfly podcast: Let’s Talk, one of the country’s top eating disorder researchers, Dr Scott Griffiths from the University of Melbourne, says there could be a significant number of dudes with eating disorders we don’t know about.
“Men are really reluctant to go and see a doctor in the first place,” he tells us.
That rings true for the three men we profile in Episode Two of Butterfly: Let’s Talk, including Carlton and Melbourne Football star Brock McLean.
The truth is, anyone, from primary school kids to middle-aged men—including sports stars like McLean—can get an eating disorder. This mental illness doesn’t discriminate.
“I grew up in a very old school family,” he tells us. “No complaining, no wingeing. If anything went wrong you just had to suck it up and get on with it.” Experts say that traditional ideas around masculinity discourage men to seek help when they know they have a problem.
The Butterfly National Helpline is free and confidential and we encourage anyone who thinks they may need help with their body image or eating—or just want to find out more—to call 1800 ED HOPE (1800 33 4673) or visit butterfly.org.au.

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