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Biography : Michael Feldman
Michael Feldman received his BFA from New York University’s Tisch School of the Art where he created and performed numerous solo pieces including Diagnosis: Jew Pain (jewpain.com) which was accepted into the 2003 New York and San Francisco Fringe Festivals. It was voted one of the top 25 NYC fringe shows (out of over 200) from Show Business Weekly, and was recently performed in Jerusalem, Israel. At NYU he studied with many prominent theater artists including Deb Margolin and Liz Swados.
Michael worked behind the scenes on the award-winning television show “The Daily Show with John Stewart.” He is also a member of the sketch comedy troupe Fresh Meat (FreshMeatNYC.com), which toured across the country and Canada to critical acclaim. He is currently writing a new show about the Jewish life cycle with solo performer Jon Ross. His latest project, MuscleBound, tackles the prevalent yet rarely discussed topic of male body issues and eating disorders. Michael created this piece based on his own experiences dealing with an eating disorder and muscle dysmorphia. MuscleBound has been performed at college campuses and conferences across the U.S.
Top 10 Signs of Body Image Issues in a Male
- Refusal to go out with friends if he hasn’t been to the gym.
- Refusal to eat certain foods if he hasn’t been to the gym, or feeling bad when they eat certain foods.
- Constantly commenting that he needs to go to the gym more when eating certain foods.
- He puts the gym before work or school. Often to the point where he will leave his job if it doesn’t allow him enough time to go to the gym. Also, he feels anxious if he misses a workout even if it’s because he’s injured or ill.
- He tells his girlfriend/wife that she comes second to working out (possibly even third, to working out and eating right)
- Works out constantly but refuses to take his shirt off in front of other people, or only wears baggy shirts because he feels small and he doesn’t want anyone to see his body. Also, he feels “small” or “puny,” while he actually has a better than average physique.
- Eats mostly protein bars/supplements/shakes. More than solid foods. Also, more prone to steroid or supplement abuse.
- Refusal to go out to eat because he’s not sure if they’ll have anything healthy.
- Refusal to go on vacation out of town, or travel, because he’s not sure if they’ll have a gym on the road.
- Only time he eats certain foods (i.e. cake, chips, etc.) is when he’s alone.
The number one thing I would say is to be aware of these issues in males and don’t be quick to complement the behavior. Muscle dysmorphia is very hard to diagnose because it appears that the person is just being healthy. But putting the gym before everything else in your life is not healthy. I used to go to the gym every single day, 530AM before school started. People often complimented me: “You’re really disciplined!” or “That’s so great that you’re so diligent and healthy.” These comments reinforced my behavior because I would often think, “Well, if I stop going to the gym at 530AM, people will think I’m not disciplined.” There is a double standard in our society that people need to be aware of – in high school I had friends that were women, and they would exhibit the same behaviors that I would engage in: obsessing over food and working out as well as disordered eating patterns. A lot of people would tell them that they had a problem. Many people, because I was a guy, would tell me that I was healthy and really disciplined. Again, these types of comments just fueled my gym addiction. |
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