Men have body issues just like women, but it is not widely discussed in society. Everyone wants to feel good in their bodies. This desire is not gender-specific.
Singer Ed Sheeran opened up about his feelings of inadequacy in this area in a recent interview with Rolling Stone magazine. He also disclosed he struggled with bulimia, although it was hard for him to label it as such. He believes more men should be open about their struggles to help alleviate the social stigma.
Ed was always painfully aware his body did not match many of his counterparts in the music industry. “I’m self-conscious anyway, but you get into an industry where you’re getting compared to every other pop star,” he began.
It was especially difficult to be compared to members of boy bands. "I was in the One Direction wave, and I’m like, ‘Well, why don’t I have a six pack?’ And I was like, ‘Oh, because you love kebabs and drink beer,’" he continued.
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“Then you do songs with Justin Bieber and Shawn Mendes. All these people have fantastic figures. And I was always like, ‘Well, why am I so … fat?’” Ed said. This caused him to make some unhealthy choices.
“So I found myself doing what Elton [John] talks about in his book — gorging, and then it would come up again,” Ed explained. It was difficult for him to label it as bulimia like Elton, but that’s essentially what it was. It was not easy for Ed to reveal this.
“There’s certain things that, as a man talking about them, I feel mad uncomfortable,” he explained. “I know people are going to see it a type of way, but it’s good to be honest about them.” He hopes his honesty helps other people who might be in a similar situation.
“So many people do the same thing and hide it as well. I have a real eating problem. I’m a real binge eater. I’m a binge-everything,” he admitted.
Ed is now making healthier choices. “But I’m now more of a binge exerciser, and a binge dad. And work, obviously,” he concluded.
Ed is a proud father of two daughters he shares with wife Cherry Seaborn. Lyra Antarctica Seaborn Sheeran was born in August 2020. Their second daughter, Jupiter Seaborn Sheeran, was born in May 2022.
