Although it is estimated that 25% of those with anorexia and bulimia are men, there is not a lot of public attention to males with eating disorders. However, it is so important to change the conversation around eating disorders and highlight men who are struggling with them. Here are six male celebrities who have opened up about their eating disorders:
1. Zayn Malik
Pop star Zayn Malik opened up about the eating disorder that he developed while touring with his former band, One Direction.
He says that his busy touring schedule often meant that he would deliberately go for days without eating, saying "It wasn't as though I had any concerns about my weight or anything like that, I'd just go for days—sometimes two or three days straight—without eating anything at all. It got quite serious, although at the time I didn't recognize it for what it was."
2. Dennis Quaid
In the 1990's, actor Dennis Quaid lost 40 pounds for a movie role. Even though his weight loss for the film was temporary, Quaid admits that he still struggled with the mentality surrounding obsessive weight loss and his own body image, saying, "For many years, I was obsessed about what I was eating, how many calories it had, and how much exercise I'd have to do."
3. Elton John
Singer and songwriter Elton John struggled with bulimia for 16 years before finally seeking treatment for his disorder in 1990. He told Larry King in an interview that he knew that he was going to get better once he finally admitted that he needed help to overcome his eating disorder.
4. Tyler Oakley
YouTube star Tyler Oakley opened up to Seventeen about his ongoing struggle with body image after having overcome an eating disorder.
"With videos, meet and greets, and a million pictures a day, it's definitely a thing that I think about...Talking about it is really hard because it's something I suppress and work through every day," he revealed.
5. Eminem
Rapper Eminem revealed that he turned to obsessive exercise as a way to lose weight. He admits, "I would get up in the morning, and before I went to the studio, I would run eight and a half miles in about an hour. Then I'd come home and run another eight and a half."
His obsession with weight loss and burning calories eventually began to cause him physical injury and luckily he was able to recover from his obsession.
6. Russell Brand
Comedian Russell Brand has admitted that he has struggled with binge-eating and purging since he was 11, and that his bulimia returned, briefly, when he was older which he attributes to issues with his self-esteem.
Celebrities have an incredible amount of influence over their fans, and so the more that celebrities open up about their battles, the more likely it is that someone will see their struggle and be willing to seek help for their own.