Real Bodies | ‘I try not to be naked, even in front of my husband’
Attitude reader Przemek strips off to talk body image.
By Will Stroude
Przemek Nowak, 37
Occupation: Nurse
Height: 5ft. 5″
Weight: 11 stone
How do you feel about your body?
I’m not very comfortable with my body, maybe because I had a “gym body” two years ago but lost it due to my heart condition and the medication I take. I try not to be naked, even in front of my husband, and I wear a vest even when having sex. I used to love posting topless pictures and I felt good about myself, but then I abused my body by using drugs. My arms were covered in needle marks and eventually I suffered heart failure. After weeks of intensive care my body did not look the same and I was told that my heart was permanently damaged and that I will never be able to return to the same gym routine.
What made you want to do this shoot?
I wanted to fight my fear and insecurity and to show myself and other guys that a good body is not everything.
Who’s your ideal man and why?
My husband, Ben. He is sexy, cheeky and he loves me and cares about me no matter how I look. When he met me I had a gym-fit body but during two years I gained 20kg and he still accepts me and it doesn’t matter how I look.
Do you think apps such Grindr fuel the emphasis on physical appearance?
Oh yes, but I remember being on Grindr before I met my husband and I was the same ignorant guy who didn’t even look at guys with average bodies. Now as a guy with an average body, I know that some of those “fatties” are not people who let themselves go and don’t care how they look. They can’t look different even if they wanted to.
You can read more from Real Bodies in Attitude’s January issue. Buy in print print, subscribe or download.
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