Muscle Boys by Erick Alvarez

Author:Erick Alvarez [Alvarez, Erick]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781560234043
Barnesnoble:
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
Published: 2008-02-22T00:00:00+00:00

FIGURE 7.3. Different points of view concerning the use of anabolic steroids for cosmetic purposes.

has used steroids without a prescription wrote, “I find it very sexy!” Another college student, a twenty-three-year-old self-described jock, has not used the drugs and thinks that those who use them are “pussies.” And a thirty-seven-year-old who identifies as a Bear/Muscle Bear just wanted to know: “How do I get a script?”

A few thought out their answers a little more, but in general their responses were divisive and in disagreement with one another. A twenty-nine-year-old white-collar professional who has used steroids without a prescription and who also indicated that he would use them in the future wrote:

I feel that it is a personal decision that like EVERYTHING should be used responsibly. For example, when I did try them, my doctor monitored my health closely.

And a fifty-one-year-old from Macon, Georgia, who identifies as a Muscle Bear said:

I think it is sick, actually. It’s so obvious when somebody does it. The look is exaggerated and not attractive. And as soon as you grab their balls you know they are on them.

An HlV-negative, forty-one-year-old from Florida, offered yet another interesting perspective on his use of steroids:

I view doing steroids the same as cosmetic surgery. It is a very serious, personal decision that should not be chosen on a whim nor done to excess. For me, the decision to use steroids was one that I wrestled with for a long time. I have never done ANY illicit drugs. After talking with my doctor, I chose to do it. I wish I had done it ten years earlier. It has helped me erase much of a very bad body image that resulted from being very small (5-foot-9, 140 pounds) and from some sexual abuse between ages eight and ten. It is NOT the right choice for everyone. For me it was. The increased social and sexual attention was remarkable and unexpected. I feel more confident about myself whether I am at the beach or in a suit for work. People respond to a muscular man with increased attention and intrigue. Socially, I now have social and sexual access to the guys I always fantasized about. I no longer see myself as the skinny, 140pound weakling.

Many others reiterated the ambiguity about the “magic potions.” This thought came from a forty-two-year-old in New York: “It’s a personal decision, but one often wrapped in what I see as a lack of self-image and a need to conform to falsely imposed standards of male beauty.” This quote is from a forty-three-year-old in New Jersey: “I have mixed feelings about it. For the most part they look great, but since I don’t do them, it tends to make me feel inferior.” And these feelings from a thirty-eight-year-old in Chicago: “Sad/disappointed, with a tinge of jealousy in terms of results; but never think it’s worth it to do myself.”

When I discussed the type of debate that goes on among gay men in regard to steroid use for cosmetic purposes with Dr.

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