Musician James Brittain-McVey has told MPs of the mental and physical toll of his body image struggles. The Vamps’ guitarist and singer, 28, detailed how he spent thousands of pounds on private liposuction surgery to have tissue removed from his chest at the age of 20.
Speaking to the House of Commons Health and Social Care select committee, he said he first experienced pressure to change his body as early as 14 when he perceived physical differences between him and his school friends. He added he was affected by unrealistic body types in advertising and on social media, causing him to “fall down a rabbit hole” of unhealthy eating and exercise habits.
Mr Brittain-McVey said he only had six per cent body fat when he underwent surgery to address his gynecomastia, or overdeveloped breast tissue. “One of the biggest misconceptions in my opinion is people presuming that this is a strive for vanity or because I absolutely love myself – that wasn’t what it was”, he said.
