Featured Image Credit: JEP Celebrity Photos / Alamy Stock Photo. Warner Bros.
Topics: Robert Pattinson, Celebrity, Mental Health
Stewart Perrie
Topics: Robert Pattinson, Celebrity, Mental Health
Robert Pattinson has highlighted the struggles men go through on a daily basis to live up to society's 'insidious' body standards.
Women have long spoken out about how they've been affected by images of toned, slim ladies having a laugh on advertisements.
However, The Batman star says men are also targeted with pictures of ripped lads all over social media and that can have a serous impact.
Speaking to ES Magazine, the actor is worried how this messaging is reaching men and boys and whether it will cause them to have an unhealthy outlook on their body.
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"Yeah, it’s crazy," he said.
"And it’s very, very easy to fall into that pattern as well, even if you’re just watching your calorie intake, it’s extraordinarily addictive — and you don’t quite realise how insidious it is until it’s too late."
He said he's tried virtually every diet and eating fad under the sun to monitor his image.
While he said he's never been that conscious of how his body looks, he explained that he would seek out these diets to see if they would work.
"I once ate nothing but potatoes for two weeks, as a detox," he said. "Just boiled potatoes and Himalayan pink salt.
"Apparently it’s a cleanse… you definitely lose weight.
"And I tried to do keto once. I was like, “Oh, there’s a diet where you just eat charcuterie boards and cheese all the time?'
Sadly for Pattinson, he didn't realise beer isn't allowed while on keto.
The actor was praised when he revealed he hadn't been duped into getting super ripped to play Batman.
Superhero films often show the heroes with these bulging muscles and skintight costumes.
However, Pattinson bucked that trend in preparation for his role.
Speaking to GQ, he said: "I think if you're working out all the time, you're part of the problem.
"You set a precedent. No one was doing this in the '70s. Even James Dean - he wasn't exactly ripped."
Those comments got him into a lot of trouble, he explained to ES Magazine.
"Even from my trainer, who was like, 'Why would you say that?'" he explained.
However, he realised that it seemed pointless to rabble on about doing pushups and sit ups to play Batman.
"[It's] quite embarrassing when you get into a pattern of answering questions about your workout because there’ll always be a guy who’s in better shape than you," he said.
Will Poulter was similarly congratulated when he admitted it wasn't a joyful experience bulking up to play Adam Warlock for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.
In an interview with The Independent, the British actor outlined the detrimental effects of such a total and rapid bodily transformation, while noting the tolls it took on both his physical and mental health.
"The most important thing is that your mental and physical health has to be number one, and the aesthetic goals have to be secondary, otherwise you end up promoting something that is unhealthy and unrealistic if you don’t have the financial backing of a studio paying for your meals and training," he said.
"I’m in a very privileged position in that respect, and I wouldn’t recommend anyone do what I did to get ready for that job.”
So there you have it people, don't fall into the trap of emulating Hollywood hunks unless you have a boatload of time, money and sound mental health.