EATING disorders in males are on the rise, an expert has said, but Southern Downs headspace manager Mark Goddard seems to think Warwick is bucking the trend.

"We're not seeing it in Warwick, but we're generally finding that across the board, young people's nutrition is compromised," Mr Goddard said.

"They're not eating or their eating habits are not healthy."

But it seems on a wider scale, the Barbie image forever admired by women is somewhat being emulated by boys too; and not just in the form of chiselled Ken.

Catwalks today are sprawled with skinny male models flaunting the hipster look and experts fear this could be pushing young boys into a false sense of social acceptability and that the bony physique is healthy.

Though women still lead the pack when it comes to body image concerns, Eating Disorders Association Queensland co-ordinator Desi Achilleos said eating disorders in men were definitely on the rise.

She said it was a case of men becoming more commodified.

"Men are treated more as sex objects by the media, as women have been traditionally," Ms Achilleos said.

With skinny jeans and tight T-shirts on the majority of store shelves, experts are worried those who try to conform to the fashion when their body type is not built that way could face serious health issues such as anorexia and bulimia.

Another media outlet reported that cases of anorexia among young boys treated at to EDA Queensland had grown 100% in 2010-11, but after the Daily News queried that statistic, Ms Achilleos clarified it had been slightly blown out of proportion.

"I told the reporter that we had treated two males and the next year there were four, so it's not as if it's out of control or up with the girl figures, but it is definitely on the rise," she said.

She said the reason males always trailed behind women when it came to body image concerns, was because men had a range of "acceptable" body types whereas girls struggled to imitate just one.

In the boys category there's the buff footballer, the toned triathlete and the thin hipster - all as "acceptable" as each other - which is why more eating disorders were prevalent in women because to them, the Jessica Alba or Kate Moss look is "the look".

Help is here

IF you know someone with an eating disorder, see headspace and they can refer a specialist. headspace: 4661 1999.

Anyone with queries about health and nutrition or thought they may have, or know someone who may have, an eating disorder to contact headspace and speak with the dietician.