Australia's Adonis: Understanding what motivates young men's lifestyle choices for enhancing their appearance

Abstract

Objective

Increasing numbers of young Australian men are training and dieting to attain high muscle mass and low body fat and using steroids and performance and image enhancing drugs to expedite this process. This study explored men's identification with a muscularity‐centred subculture and what contributes to the pursuit of masculine body image defined by muscularity.

Method

Participants were 14 young men who (a) weight‐trained >3 times per week, (b) used bodybuilding supplements daily, and (c) used/had used steroids/other performance and image enhancing drugs.

Results

Interview analysis identified precipitating (e.g., low self‐confidence), perpetuating (e.g., social media pressures), and resultant factors related to strict regime adherence, including simultaneous recreational drug use. This range of influences gives support to a sociocultural framework for explaining the development and maintenance of striving for a muscular ideal among this cohort.

Conclusions

Understanding the factors contributing to the attainment of a muscularity‐defined masculine body image is important given the risky health behaviours young men may engage in to reach this ideal.

Key words:

• body image
• male
• muscularity
• social influence
• steroids

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The authors would like to thank Dr. Ioni Lewis and Dr. Daniel Demant for their assistance with this study. Timothy Piatkowski would like to acknowledge his Australian Postgraduate Award (APA) scholarship and Centre for Youth Substance Abuse Research (CYSAR) scholarship.