One of the most notable sociological phenomena of the past decade has been the re-emergence of the peacock syndrome in adolescent boys. For many years pre-occupation with appearance has been derided as ‘unmanly’, but these days young boys are as vain – and thus as insecure – about their clothes, their shoes, their hair, their bodies and their ornaments as girls – and in many cases more so.

In this context British sports scientists Amanda Daley and Beverley Hunter should not have been as surprised as they evidently were by their finding in a study of adolescent kayak racers that boys reported more concern with their appearance and lower physical self-perceptions than girls.

The study involved 12 male and 13 female members (aged 13-17) of the British Canoe Union Junior Development Squad for sprint-kayak racing. The subjects, who compete at national level and have all been identified as showing potential to develop junior international status, completed questionnaires designed to reveal their beliefs and feelings about their sports competence, their physical attractiveness and their weight, among other things.

Interestingly, when it came to sports competence, boys reported a significantly lower mean score than girls. One explanation for this finding, according to the researchers, is that sprint kayaking is a minority sport and, as such, may attract individuals (particularly boys) who have not shown competence in more traditional sports emphasised by the media, such as football, rugby and cricket.

‘Such young male athletes,’ they point out, ‘may underestimate their overall sporting ability.’

The most interesting finding, however, was that, in contradiction of previous research, girls did not report large concerns with their body image or physical self-perceptions, while boys stated the most concern with their appearance and lower physical self-perceptions.

‘The Appearance Orientation scores,’ comment the researchers, ‘may be related to the physiological and cultural demands of strength and power-based which tend to de-emphasise the notion of the “body beautiful” in girls but may well create pressure for boys to conform to ideals of a masculine body.

Since discontentment with body shape may motivate an athlete to exercise or diet to enhance their physical aesthetics to the detriment of their physical health of sporting performance, Daley and Hunter warn that ‘Perhaps the major concern for coaches and practitioners is that the nutritional requirements of young athletes may be compromised by concerns about body physique and adoption of unhealthy eating patterns.’

Percept Mot Skills 2001 Dec 93(3) 626-30