If anyone can help me identify the model in the pics below please state it in the comments/notes your help would greatly be appreciated. “But it’s almost more insidious that the queer community polices or generates these unattainable standards. This post only contains pictures that I was unable to connect a name too. “Queer people often try and prove heteronormativity by having a muscled or thin body,” Pandjiris said. She said high rates of disordered eating in the LGBTQ community are often reactions to the homophobia internalized in youth. The organization found gay men struggle disproportionately with body image issues and eating disorders: Though they are thought to make up only 5 percent of the national male population, gay men account for 42 percent of men who report having an eating disorder.Īsher Pandjiris is a therapist in New York City who treats LGBTQ people with eating disorders and was also a program director at an eating disorder center. “Instagram helps create this idea that gay life is only for the ‘six-pack pals.’ I’ve felt this insecurity I couldn’t shake unless I fit the façade of beauty.” Patrick Lehe, 29, says that Instagram often reinforces the stereotype that gay culture is only for 'ripped, statuesque men.' Courtesy of Patrick LeheĪpproximately 20 million women and 10 million men in the United States will have an eating disorder at some point in their lives, according to the National Eating Disorder Association. “I’m at a healthier weight now, but it’s not one that is accepted by most in the community,” Lehe told NBC News.