Rise of the ‘ick’ damaging men’s mental health, experts claim

Article here. Excerpt:

'Telling men they give you the “ick” is driving a hidden mental health crisis, experts have claimed.

The expression is used to describe a feeling of disgust or repulsion at a specific behaviour and moved from a popular slang word to being recognised by the Cambridge Dictionary in 2024.

It is particularly used by young women to describe things they find unattractive in men.

Across social media, users have shared their lists of things young men and teenagers do that give them the dreaded ick.

Wearing skinny jeans, running for the bus, putting on a baby voice and doing doggy paddle in a swimming pool are among the most commonly featured.

One viral “ick-list” included things such as drinking milk, applying lip balm and waiting for the green man before crossing the road.

Dan Somers, the founder of men’s mental health charity, Manup?, said it was the “kind of language that can cause men and young boys to really lose self-worth”.

He said: “Everyone feels they can have a laugh and joke about men, and nobody will call it out.'