Body Image among Ariaal Men from Northern Kenya

To test attitudes toward male body image in a society with relatively little media exposure, the authors surveyed 53 men, ages 20-35, among the Ariaal, pastoral nomads of northern Kenya. Measures of body image were obtained using a somatomorphic matrix. Height, weight, and percentage of body fat based on bioelectric impedance were also obtained. Results indicate that men exhibit very little discrepancy between what they perceive as the degree of muscularity preferred by women and that of the average man (.21 kg/m 2 ). Comparison with findings from the United States and Western Europe indicates that Ariaal men show significantly less discrepancy between their judgment of women’s preference for muscularity and the muscularity of the average man. These results support a role for media exposure in attitudes about male body image.