Mail Online Accused Of 'Fat Shaming' Rugby Player Ben Cohen After Saying He's 'Out Of Shape' And 'Portlier'

Mail Online Accused Of 'Fat Shaming' Rugby Player Ben Cohen
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The Mail Online has come under fire after "fat shaming" retired rugby player Ben Cohen.

The news site posted an article describing former rugby star, Cohen, as being "beefy", "portlier" and "out of shape" since his retirement from the sport.

The entire article appears to dig at Cohen by body-shaming him, with one section reading: "Perhaps the 36-year-old has indulged in one too many romantic meals with reported girlfriend Kristina Rihanoff."

The site has been criticised on Twitter, with one user saying: "Fat shaming is fine, as long as it's a guy. Good one. #everydaysexism"

Natasha Devon from the Self-Esteem Team tells HuffPost UK Lifestyle that the Mail Online's actions are simply not on - particularly as it promotes negative body image among young males.

"It's becoming increasingly acceptable to scrutinise and criticise male bodies, but, as we've seen with the crisis in confidence amongst women, the results of this are catastrophic.

"Men shouldn't feel that they have to be lean and buff to enjoy a beach holiday any more than women should feel the need to look like the Protein World poster."

Devon adds that her work is becoming increasingly focused on the mental wellbeing and self-esteem of teenage boys.

"Body image plays a significant role in this," she says, "with male eating disorders rising by almost 70% in the past decade."

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Meanwhile body confidence blogger, Leyah Shanks adds that "this is an excellent display of the pressure men face to have the stereotypically 'perfect' male body".

"There can be a tendency to forget or overlook how much of a problem negative body image in men exists and how it impacts lives. This article is feeding the incorrect idea that one can only be happy with one's body when it is in said 'perfect' condition."

She continues: "The idea of only loving your body when it's in perfect shape is like only loving your kids when they're well behaved.

"Ben's body will be just as strong, capable of many great things and he will be the same person regardless of his current muscle tone. Athletes bodies are just like the rest of us - they vary in shape and size."

How To Teach Positive Body Image
#1(01 of10)
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I kept superficial comments about looks on the low down -- theirs, mine and other peoples. Looking well-kempt and co-ordinated was noticed rather than looking beautiful. (credit:Getty)
#2(02 of10)
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I didn’t ban Barbies or princesses, but I added to the mix some real proportioned dolls. Check out Lottie Dolls or Lammily. (credit:Getty)
#3(03 of10)
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Story time included books like The Paper Bag Princess or anything recommended on the Amelia Bloomer Project created by the Feminist Task Force of the Social Responsibilities Round Table of the American Library Association.A Mighty Girl is another great site. It's tag line is: the world's largest collection of books, toys and movies for smart, confident, and courageous girls. (credit:Getty)
#4(04 of10)
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I made sure my children understood the word diet meant the food you eat. A monkey at the zoo has a diet and so does an athlete. Diet doesn’t mean losing weight.We all have to watch our diet to be healthy. We need to be in a healthy weight range as recommended by our doctors, not our peers or magazines. (credit:Getty)
#5(05 of10)
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As puberty approached I discussed genetics, hormones and the challenges that I faced, as had my mother before me. (credit:Getty)
#6(06 of10)
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My girls used their allowance to buy "J-14" and "Tiger Beat" magazines, but I would give them a subscription to "New Moon" as my Christmas gift. Also check out "Shameless" magazine. (credit:Getty)
#7(07 of10)
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We discussed how the human form comes in all shapes and sizes. Check out Queen Latifah and Beyonce. They are both proud women who embrace their shape and size. (credit:Getty)
#8(08 of10)
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When their bodies blossomed we looked online at what REAL breasts look like. Reality is very different from the porn sites or fashion magazines. (credit:Getty)
#9(09 of10)
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I educated my daughters about how models are Photoshopped by watching and discussing the Dove Self-Esteem campaign. (credit:Getty)
#10(10 of10)
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As they entered into high school we discussed friends who were developing eating disorders and who followed fads such as “pro-ana”, “thigh gap” and “thinspiration.”We talked about the political power to create change, as demonstrated by some magazines and organizations in the fashion industry that banned size zero models from the runway after several deaths of severely underweight models. (credit:Getty)