This Guy With Bigorexia Disorder Proves Body Struggles Are a Universal Feeling

When it comes to body image, we typically imagine the whole curvy versus skinny debate for women, but an emerging trend has driven the conversation in a whole new direction — towards bigorexia in men. As first reported by the BBC, this disorder is an obsession with getting bigger and more muscular; essentially, the opposite of anorexia. Pradeep Bala, 25, who lives in the UK, reveals he's been suffering from this little-known disorder since he was 17. Similarly to how women constantly look in the mirror and zero in on what they don't like about their bodies, Pradeep says he looks in the mirror and picks himself apart for looking too small, despite his bulging muscles.

Part of the reason for this warped views on one's body is due to social media, where images of the ideal body can negatively affect men and women's perceptions of themselves.

"There are all these media pressures now, and one of our theories is that it might actually be that women have adjusted a little bit and have become better prepared to deal with these sort of images and these pressures," said Rob Wilson, chair of the Body Dysmorphic Disorder Foundation. "And men are probably going to have to catch up a bit in terms of coping with the pressure to look a certain way.

While all women can definitely relate to body struggles, there have also been plenty of celebrations for a woman's body, and every month a new hashtag emerges to help remind us that perfection doesn't exist. We'd like to think more men will soon join in on celebrating their bodies as well, big or small.