All men have hang-ups about their bodies, even Olympians. So why don’t we talk about it more?

Men don’t talk about the way we glance in the mirror and are pummelled by the physical flaws that seem so obvious, says Danny Wallace

Adam Peaty celebrates winning 100m breaststroke gold (Getty)

With the Olympics over, I’m relieved I’m no longer subjected to perfect male bodies twisting through the air or pounding away at pedals with thighs the size of Fife.

Yes, it’s supposed to be inspiring, this triumph of physical and mental perfection in tandem, but what message is it sending our youngsters? That simply by training extraordinarily hard, eating healthily, sacrificing all vices and striving single-mindedly to represent their country in the best way possible, they too can have the perfect body? What are we being told here? That if we just work hard, we can not only bring glory to these shores but look great in shorts and potentially extend our lives through fitness? It’s sick.

I believe that in all future broadcasts, the male Olympian form should be pixelated from neck to shin. Let me watch a head and a pair of feet spiral beautifully in the air from the diving board and let me just imagine the rest. Because only then could I picture someone like me doing it, because I’m someone who would actually quite like it if my body was pixelated.