Real Bodies | ‘People don’t realise how self-conscious a skinny person can be about their body’
23-year-old Attitude reader Jack strips off to talk about body image.
By Will Stroude
Jack, 25
Occupation: PR executive
Height: 5ft. 6″/168cm
Weight: 9 stone/57.1kg
What are your guilty pleasures?
Sweets, Instagram, cappuccino and crime novels. Just like most people these days, I spend an unhealthy amount of time flicking through social media when I should be outside or reading a good book.
How do you feel about your body?
I’m happy enough but would never be the first person to take my top off. I always feel small compared with my peers. I could go to the gym more often but as a marathon runner I don’t want to put on weight.
What made you want to do this shoot?
I wanted to show that people can be fit and good athletes without having amazing bodies. There’s a perception that fitness means being buff, but most runners would probably disagree. When you’re a smaller, skinnier person, people often don’t realise how self-conscious you can be about your body.
Who’s your ideal man and why?
Aside from my boyfriend, Gabriel Macht [Harvey from Suits]. He’s cool, calm, collected and looks great in a suit.
Are apps such as Grinde partly responsible for the emphasis on physical appearance?
Yes, but it’s been an issue for way longer than they’ve existed.
What advice would you give people about loving their body?
Embrace it and if you want it to change, work hard and the results will come. But if you don’t, that’s fine. What matters is that you are comfortable with how you look.
Selected issues of Attitude are available to download here.
