Most of us think of a stick thin, starved woman when we think of body image disorders but it more and more men are struggling with the problem.

According to a report by journalist Joseph Stashko of the New Statesman, one in four suffering from eating disorders in Britain are men. A recovering anorexic, Stashko notes that most material geared towards those suffering from this kind of disorder addresses female sufferers which, he says, "makes you feel even more like a weirdo who's failed at being a man."

Not only are there limited resources for men suffering from body image disorders, but the bar for what is seen as acceptable for men to look like is set so high that many will never reach it - a problem that Stashko believes contributes heavily to the growing number of men falling victim to image disorders.

Media shows men with chiseled, bulky frames as being the de facto of what is acceptable - which is far from realistic. Magazines punt "how to bulk up" articles but less often offer advice on how to lose weight, eat healthily and accept yourself as you are.   

As it dawned on him that he suffered from an eating disorder Stashko explains that he felt emasculated.

"We are loath to admit to our vulnerability as men and would rather belittle those who show signs of it. If this is what it means to be a man, what does that mean for a man with an eating disorder?"

Stashko isn't alone in his struggle. Editor Noah Brand of US magazine Good Men Project made a rather outrageous statement in what he called "a direct confrontation with body shame" by posing nude for his own magazine.

He describes himself as almost obese but says the experience of posing nude was "intensely liberating."

He admits to suffering through self-hatred and shame over his body in the last two decades but that he has chosen to shed that shame and accept himself for what he is.

Yet another man speaking up about this growing consciousness of the male struggle with body image is Australian model James Richard Aitken who, at six feet tall and 103 kilograms, has recently posed for plus size magazine Plus Model.

Aitken told Hugo Swyzer of Jezebel.com, "I want to make guys who aren't skinny or who don't have amazing muscular bodies feel comfortable too… men also need reassuring."

Aitkin's frame is far more realistic for men to aspire to than carefully sculpted bodies that are seen in various media, yet we seem a long way off from making this simple transition.

A growing body of evidence shows that men need a broader range of images to aspire to and identify with, or risk falling into the despair of the unattainable.

Do you think men are faced with growing body image problems? Tell us in the comments section below.