You are invited to join an advisory group for research being conducted at the Centre for Appearance
Research, at the University of the West of England, in collaboration with Leeds Beckett University.
The research plans to explore men’s thoughts about their bodies, and we are looking for an advisory
group who will share their experiences to help design the research.
Why conduct research exploring men’s thoughts about their bodies?
We have known for decades that women experience concerns about their appearance. However, men
are facing increasing pressure regarding how they look (for example, being muscular, and having a full
head of hair), especially with the introduction of social media. Whilst some support has been
developed to help men feel more confident about their bodies, this has not been found to have many
benefits. Therefore, we are conducting research to explore men’s thoughts about their bodies so that
we can develop better support for men. This would involve conducting interviews with mean to
explore their views.
Why have I been invited to join the advisory group?
As this research is being conducted among men, it is really important that we have men involved in
shaping the research. This will increase the chance that the research is designed appropriately, and
the findings are interpreted accurately. Consequently, this will lead to the best possible support to
help men have a better relationship with their bodies.
What will I have to do?
We would ask for your honest thoughts and feedback about the plans we have for the research. This
would involve exploring your views about different aspects of the study, such as the topic area, the
design for the research, what demographic of men to include in the study, how we might find men
who want to take part, the interview questions we will ask these men, and your interpretation of the
findings. Your views are extremely important, and you would have an influential impact throughout
the research. It is important to highlight that you do not need to have only positive or negative
thoughts about your body, and you don’t have to share your thoughts with the advisory group or
researchers.
If you choose to join the advisory group, you will be invited to take part in 3 group meetings, which
would include the researchers, other men, and representatives from men’s charities like Beyond
Equality, Blue Ribbon Foundation, and ManHealth Organisation. We may send documents for you to
review before each meeting (for example, the interview questions we have prepared), and the
meetings should last up to one hour. The three meetings would be spread across the next 6-8
months and will be scheduled at a time convenient to everybody.
What are the benefits of getting involved?
Your valuable contribution will help inform important research, of which the findings will be used to
help develop support for men to have a more positive relationship with their bodies. You will also
receive a gift voucher for £10 to thank you for your important input.
What should I do if I’m interested?
If you are interested in joining the research advisory group, please complete this short survey.
: https://qfreeaccountssjc1.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3aOit6ClGjkcEWa)
What if I have more questions?
Please feel free to contact the lead researcher:
Dr Latika Ahuja, Research Fellow: Latika.Ahuja@uwe.ac.uk
