Masculine body ideologies as a non-gynocentric framework for the psychological study of the male body

•Research on the male body centers mostly on body-appearance and objectification.•To broaden the field we identify three normative Masculine Body Ideologies (MBI).•First, unattended, functional body ideology linked to traditional masculinity.•Second, metrosexual body ideology associated with consumer masculinity.•Third, holistic body ideology emphasizing inner-harmony and authenticity.

Psychological research of the body disproportionately centers on body-appearance concerns. Grounded in women's experience of objectification, it neglects much of men's bodily experience. To address this we introduce Masculine Body Ideologies (MBI), a set of belief systems that prescribe how men should engage with their bodies. Three MBI ideal-types are identified and situated within broader masculinity ideologies: unattended, functional body ideology associated with traditional masculinity rooted in modern industrial society; metrosexual body ideology associated with post-industrial, consumer masculinity and reemploying signifiers of body functionality to form an objectified body esthetics; and holistic body ideology emphasizing inner-harmony, authenticity and expressivity, manifesting post-industrial trends of self-aware masculinity. As a normative framework, MBI underscores how similar body practices may be motivated by different body concerns associated with alternative body ideologies. This framework can clarify conceptual and empirical inconsistencies in studies of male body-appearance concerns and inform emerging research and mental-health considerations.