Unsurprisingly, there is an increase in eating disorders and anabolic steroid use which corresponds with the global increase use of social media (Instagram, Facebook and Twitter to name a few). 

These platforms allow for users to post videos or pictures of themselves in a favourable lighting, and other methods for idyllic but untruthful body representations (click the link to see a YouTube example). Subsequently, research has revealed that young men are becoming disappointed with how they appear (Mosley, 2008). 

The role of social media has a massive influence on young boys with research stating that 57% of the participants (boys) felt pressure from social media around their body image and to look a certain muscular way. 

Whilst social media has its positive side for promoting a healthy and active lifestyle, it can alternatively lead to body dissatisfaction (Olivardia, Pope, Borrowiecki & Cohane, 2004), which expectedly, intensifies the longer a person engages with social media platforms. 

Men, just like females, are the target audience by marketing campaigns which seek to gain advantage by targeting their insecurities around body image. Males who expose their ripped physique are frequently used in advertising just like semi-naked women have been used for years, encouraging the sales of everyday products (Pope, Olivardia, Borowiecki, & Cohane, 2001). 

Upsettingly, the message we receive from society today is that the lean, steroid-enhanced, muscular alpha male leads a healthy lifestyle which is easily attainable. Males are told that this is what they should all aim for, and that women would be impressed by. 

If we take a social perspective and look at gender roles and their changes, women outperform men in education and the workplace and therefore may feel challenged and insecure. This perspective could offer a fractional explanation for the development in a bodybuilding, hypermasculinity and a narcissistic industry (Mosley, 2008). 

Muscle dysmorphia or otherwise known as bigorexia is a condition which mainly affects male bodybuilders. This term was based upon the concept of anorexia nervosa and the likeness in body image concerns and behaviours from individuals that suffer from eating disorders. 

Men conveyed a yearning to gain more muscle and not get fat (Choi, Pope & Olivardia, 2002). This pathological pre-occupation with muscularity and leanness is a fairly new concept and in 2000, it was said that body dysmorphia affects 1 in 10 males that attend the gym (Pope et al., 2000). 

These individuals become obsessive about their “inadequate muscles.” Such behaviours could include spending hours at the gym, spending lots of money on ineffective sports supplements, unusual eating patterns and even substance misuse.  

Additionally, this strong fixation on muscle development will mean that they may not turn up to social events, could and have ended up losing their jobs and will train through considerable discomfort as they don’t want to mess up their training schedule. 

It can be a wholesome and enjoyable journey to develop a healthy body through a gratifying exercise routine, however some body builders overtly focus on body image which is lead to them craving an unattainable shape. 

Bodybuilding is the pursuit of creating a muscular physique by training with weights, bespoke nutrition plans and a desire to be “ripped.” This is primarily a male activity although there are female body builders as well. These competitors enter competitions and comes up with a flexing routine to judges who score them of their symmetry, size and muscular definition.

This is obsessive in nature and striving to be the best bodybuilder and win competitions. Or on the flip side, as people aren’t happy about their image, they strive for a “perfect” shape to feel better about themselves. Even though perfection is more often or not, unattainable. 

“...Do I have a problem? I guess so. I sometimes wonder what the point of my life is. I work so hard at my body but underneath I still hate the way I look. In my mind I know I am bigger than most of the guys on the street, but I still feel inadequate. I don’t like undressing in front of my girlfriend, and I don’t enjoy sex because I’m too busy worrying about the way I look. Even just looking at my body in the mirror when I come out of the shower makes me feel horrible...” (Mosely, 2009).

To appropriately address muscle dysmorphia, there has to be a paradigm shift in society and how we approach our bodies and body images. In traditional terms, males are not thought to be worried about their looks, let alone speak about them. Males, in particular boys, don’t want to be seen as feminine or weak. “Social mores of forced silence add fuel to a building’s internal fire (Pope et al, 2000).” 

If you know of anyone who is struggling to cope with muscle dysmorphia, then kindly refer them to a specialist who can help with the acceptance of the problem and put the correct steps in place. This can be done with a referral to your physician. If you would like to know more about this process or anything mentioned in this blog, then please leave a comment in the section below or equally send me a direct message. 

This flow chart below shows the first steps. Personally, I wouldn’t choose to go down the antidepressant route as this just covers the problem rather than rectifying it. Additionally, recognition may not be that obvious in the athletic world. It is common that the disorder is undetectable due to the demands of the sport.

Coaches and other members e.g., strength and conditioning or nutritionists expect a motivation and physical fitness to be able to compete at a high level. If an athlete were to be predisposed to bigorexia, this environment in which they train in would be an ideal place for the disorder to develop. Similarly, with other disorders, there are symptoms and signs that exists on the continuum. For bigorexia, an excessive amount of time staring into mirrors would be one sign to look out for (APA, 2000; Dawes & Mankin, 2004; Pope et al, 2000; Phillips, 1991).   

References: 

American Psychiatric Association. (2000). Diagnostic criteria from dsM-iV-tr. American Psychiatric Pub.

Choi, P. Y. L., Pope, H. G., & Olivardia, R. (2002). Muscle dysmorphia: a new syndrome in weightlifters. British journal of sports medicine, 36(5), 375-376.

Dawes, J., & Mankin, T. (2004). Muscle dysmorphia. Strength & Conditioning Journal, 26(2), 24-25.

Leone, J. E., Sedory, E. J., & Gray, K. A. (2005). Recognition and treatment of muscle dysmorphia and related body image disorders. Journal of athletic training, 40(4), 352.

Mosley, P. E. (2009). Bigorexia: bodybuilding and muscle dysmorphia. European Eating Disorders Review: The Professional Journal of the Eating Disorders Association, 17(3), 191-198.

Phillips, K. A. (1991). Body dysmorphic disorder: the distress of imagined ugliness. The American journal of psychiatry.

Pope, H., Pope, H. G., Phillips, K. A., & Olivardia, R. (2000). The Adonis complex: The secret crisis of male body obsession. Simon and Schuster.

Pope Jr, H. G., Gruber, A. J., Mangweth, B., Bureau, B., Decol, C., Jouvent, R., & Hudson, J. I. (2000). Body image perception among men in three countries. American Journal of Psychiatry, 157(8), 1297-1301.

Olivardia, R., Pope Jr, H. G., Borowiecki III, J. J., & Cohane, G. H. (2004). Biceps and body image: the relationship between muscularity and self-esteem, depression, and eating disorder symptoms. Psychology of men & masculinity, 5(2), 112.