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Why I love looking good

20 year-old Luke spends a lot of time and money on his appearance and thinks looking good is essential for any man. He tells us about the ups and downs he's had with the way he sees his body, and how he's finally happy with the way he looks.

Bullied about my body

I used to worry about my body because I was the fat kid at school and I got bullied for it. It made my life miserable - until I grew about a foot taller than everyone else - then they soon backed off.  By then it had already started affecting me though.

I started playing rugby and got a bit fitter, but when I began going to the gym in my late teens I was really self-conscious about my body. I wasn't comfortable wearing gym clothes and hated looking down to see my fat belly or man boobs!

Working out

I've finally learnt to accept myself now, though. I go to the gym about two or three times a week and I swim twice a week as well. In season, I'll ditch some of the gym for playing rugby. I started going back to the gym properly about two months ago, because, like everyone I know, I'm thinking about how I'm going to look with fewer clothes on this summer. I spend a lot of money on clothes so what's the point unless I can show my body off in them?

Sex-mad on supplements

I had a bad experience recently though. I didn't feel like my body was bulking up or slimming down enough, so I started taking supplements to help. I was taking one supplement to stop fat being absorbed so you pass it out in your stools instead, and one that helps you build up muscle.

I started feeling extra-hyperactive, which isn't good for me as I'm pretty much like that anyway - and to put it bluntly, I felt like a dog with two dicks. Sex was on my mind constantly! I'm 20, so it's already there a lot, but the supplements were making me even worse.

Eventually I started getting really dizzy because my body wasn't holding in the nutrients from my food. I was also really exhausted, as I'd work myself harder than I should and then would be too knackered to go out anywhere.

Finding a balance

Now, I just take whey protein as a meal replacement once a day. It helps build mass. But a lot of people I know are on steroids. I hear too many horror stories about sterility and aggression to ever consider them.

"I have a manicure every two to three weeks, I have facials, my cleansing gel costs me £38 and my moisturiser costs £35"

I did try The Atkins Diet for about two weeks, but my breath was foul, I got headaches and my skin looked like shit. Why spend so much money on skincare when a diet is going to make me spotty? It's a drastic weight loss plan and if you stop it you have to be really careful or else you put even more weight back on. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone.

What's important for me now is to make sure I follow a healthy diet that includes lots of fruit, vegetables, and snacks like pumpkin seeds. I eat four or five small meals a day rather than three big ones as I think you get more goodness from food this way.

My body budget

A fair old whack of my income goes on clothes; maybe about £200-400 a month including stuff for work, but I could easily spend £100 on a pair of jeans and for shoes, well, the sky's the limit! I have a manicure every two to three weeks, I have facials, and I use decent skincare products that look after my skin. My cleansing gel costs me £38 and my moisturiser costs £35, but they last about three months.

I also go on the sunbed every day and use body butter after it to take care of my skin. I make sure I don't burn; I used to go on it until I fried and went really red but I now know this isn't the way to tan!

Positive pressure to look good

There's a definite pressure from the media about how men are supposed to look and I don't think it's a bad thing. If men develop eating disorders it's bad, but why shouldn't they be as bothered about their looks in the same way that women are, so long as they're fit and healthy? I read Men's Health because it shows you how to take care of yourself without taking it to extremes.

You have to look after yourself if you want to meet women. Meeting the opposite sex is most people's main reason for wanting to look good. The types of men that women find attractive have changed. It used to be the rugged, builder type; but now women want to be on an equal level with men so they want men to be the same as them in terms of grooming. The equality gap is closing, and this is the same with looking good for both sexes.

I think men should take care of their appearance; if you do it the right way, it can improve everything about yourself and your life. 

Interviewed by Andrea Wren


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