Guys admit their biggest body insecurities
While women’s bodies are under way more scrutiny on the daily, it turns out dudes have some insecurities too.
A recent Reddit thread had dudes digging deep to talk about what part of their physical appearance irks them the most. Of course, below-the-belt concerns were pretty common. But it might surprise you to learn that there are plenty of guys who worry about more than just their dick size.
Below, we rounded up some of the most commonly cited concerns guys have about their bods.
Don’t feel too bad for them, though. Everybody knows all a guy has to do to go from a 4 to a 10 is get rich, no plastic surgery necessary! (I’m only like 30% joking.)
1. Height
It seems that since the dawn of dating apps, men have realized women have pretty exacting standards when it comes to height.
Back in the olden days (2002?) when people primarily met their partners in real life, the height thing was self-selecting. If you thought someone was too short, too tall, too whatever, you just wouldn’t talk to them, or you’d kindly shut them down if they talked to you.
But now, if height is something you get bent out of shape about, dating apps make it tough to figure out ahead of time if a guy will fit the bill. That’s why so many dudes put their height in their Bumble bio — or if they’re not listing their height, they’re clearly short and they might even feel bad about it.
A couple of the guys on Reddit said their height is what bugs them most.
“I don’t mind it day-to-day, but obviously it has a huge impact on dating and how much of society in general sees me,” one 5’2″ redditor said.
Another guy didn’t completely agree — “Thankfully I don’t see a difference on how the society sees me,” he said. But then he admitted, “on dating, it certainly is a problem.”
One guy who was 5’7″ said his height was a problem, too.
“I’d rather be taller like 5’10”-6’1″,” he said. “Every girl I’ve dated though says they like tall men, even got rejected once by someone who had feelings for me, but said I was too short because she, herself, was like 5’9”/5’10”.”
That is a bummer. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: there’s nothing hotter than a couple where the girl’s taller than the guy and neither of them gives a fuck!
READ ALSO: How to tell if a guy is secretly short based on his dating profile
2. Gynecomastia
Gynecomastia is a medical condition in which — okay, let’s just come out and say it, gynecomastia is what the kids call “man boobs.”
A lot of guys have it, and a lot of them feel bad about it.
“I’m 19, and have had it for four years,” one redditor said. “I’m skinny too so I can’t just lose weight to get rid of it.”
Another one said he was 22 and dealing with the same issue, adding that he plans to get surgery if getting in shape didn’t help.
This was somewhat surprisingly the most common insecurity on the whole thread. I don’t think I know any girls who’d actually dump a guy over this, though. Let’s face it, any guy we end up with has a pretty solid chance of going lumpy and bald one day anyway, no matter how hot he starts out. Cheer up, fellas.
3. Acne
I’ve always felt bad for guys with acne, because at least girls can wear makeup to cover it up. Guys can wear makeup too, obviously, but if they’re in the middle or high school years, it’s tough to tell what their horrible classmates would torture them for more: the makeup or the zits.
A few of the guys complained about acne on the thread, and one said his biggest insecurity was “Anything and everything covered in acne. So everything.” :'(
4. A gut
“Beer belly is real,” one guy wrote.
“I’m starting to look like I’m in my third trimester,” another guy moaned on the thread.
If nothing else, it’s nice to know guys compare their food babies to actual fetuses, too.
5. Baldness
“I’m bald,” one guy said. “Lucky for me I have a nicely shaped dome piece.” At least he knows how to look on the bright side.
Another guy was totally in denial, saying his main insecurity was his “big forehead.”
“My forehead is huge and so I have to wear hairstyles that shrink it,” he said, “despite me not really liking the haircut options I have. But if I get a haircut I like more, I won’t look as attractive. It sucks.”
This is a very longwinded way to announce your combover to the world. Thankfully, a bunch of other guys on the thread gave this guy the great advice to just embrace his baldness and own it.
This is definitely the best advice — especially because guys who own their baldness often overcompensate by getting totally ripped from the neck down. Pretty sure plenty girls would prefer an in-shape dude with less hair to the alternative!
6. Skinny legs
This was the most surprising common insecurity, but guess there’s a reason why bros are always yammering on about leg day.
“[My c]alves, they just won’t grow,” one dude lamented. “High calves that are hard to get muscle in. But I’m not giving up!”
Another guy is also doing his best to rid himself of the dreaded skinny legs.
“I have no problem putting on muscle upstairs, but my legs are stubborn growers,” he said. “Funny thing is I actually like leg day but instead I look like I do bro curls every day of the week.”
Don’t even wanna know what bro curls are.
7. Small dick
Ah, and now for the least surprising insecurity.
“Penis,” one guy on the thread said succinctly. “Billions of us afraid it isn’t big enough.”
Another guy was happy with his dick size, just not its ratio in relation to the rest of his bod.
“It’s not even that it’s small,” he said, “it’s just that I’m 6’4″, 235 [pounds] and it looks small on me. Like Andre the giant holding a .38”
Well at least he’s got a good imagination to make up for it!
READ ALSO: 4 benefits of dating a dude with a small dick
8. Soft dick
Guys think about their dicks a lot, and size isn’t the only thing they’re freaking out about. Some of them are also perturbed by their inability to keep the flag at full mast, so to speak.
“Sometimes it just doesn’t work,” one guy said, “and I end up an embarrassed flaccid fool.”
Thankfully, there was a lot of solidarity from the peanut (lol) gallery.
“It’s okay,” another redditor said. “Me too.”
