Men are taking drastic measures in order to reach an unrealistic body
The image is ideal, and pornography has fueled their desire for perfection.
Gay men are particularly vulnerable to physical discomfort, which can lead to a psychological disorder called muscle deformity --
The other side of anorexia
A disease characterized by obsessive-compulsive disorder in the perceived small body.
Research shows that the most commonly used injection drugs in Australia --
Anabolic steroids
There are often signs of muscle deformation.
Dr. Scott Griffiths, an early career researcher at the National Board of Health and Medical Research, said that while not all steroid users have psychological disorders, this is definitely a "red flag" for screening muscle deformity ".
Dr. Griffiths said that while there were no popular statistics for muscle deformity, half of men with muscle deformity used steroids.
Dr. Griffiths said the use of steroids was shocking.
"It's ahead of meth and heroin and all the other drugs," said Dr. Griffiths . ".
"It's not like we have an outbreak of athletes in this country right now, we just have more and more men who are not happy with their appearance, and a lot of people have muscle abnormalities.
Dr. Griffiths said there have been many studies on the impact of women's idealized image on women's population.
But he says research into the use of pornographic content by men, especially gay men, is not deep enough.
Dr. Griffiths and his colleagues recently released the results of a national survey of 2,733 gay men in Australia and New Zealand, and found that the increase in the use of pornography is related to physical discontent.
"The more you come into contact with pornography, the more likely you are to have symptoms of eating disorders," Dr. Griffiths said . ".
He said the people surveyed said their grievances included concerns about height, muscle and body fat, and more frequent thoughts about steroid use.
The hypothesis of the survey includes the difference between amateur pornography and more "ordinary people" and more professional pornography characterized by unrealistic bodies.
"The strength of this relationship [
Between anabolic steroid use and pornography]
"If you look more professional than amateur porn, it's stronger," says Dr. Griffiths . ".
He said that the gay male community is under greater pressure because the appearance and physical standards of the gay male community are more important than those of the heterosexual community.
"To a certain extent, this may reflect that men value attraction as a preference more than women," said Dr. Griffiths . ".
"Men are more attractive than women.
"Paul, who often goes to the gym, agrees that there is a lot of pressure in the gay community to fit the idealized male image.
"Anyone knows that many gay communities in Australia and around the world are very beautiful," he said . ".
"It's all about body image, body type, what he looks like, muscles and the like.
"Part of me is trying to fit in. "Paul [
Not his real name.
Single gay men often use dating apps like dating dr, he said, but 40 of the images on the site are unexposed, undecorated torsos.
"They will get more attention than a photo with a face," 39-year-old.
He admitted that he was watching amateur gay porn every day when he was young and said he had a hard time looking in the mirror.
When he finally came out in his 20 s because of his strict Greek background, he had suppressed his identity for many years and he found it liberating him.
But he also found a new pressure.
The pressure in the male gay community seems certain.
Until today.
Over the past three to four years, he has raised the stakes in the weightlifting program, including 6-
A year ago, synthetic metabolic steroids were injected for a month.
"I bought four to five for five to 600 dollars --
"The cycle of the week, give yourself an injection, or have my partner give me an injection to help gain weight and become the person I want to be," he said . ".
"No matter how many times people say, 'You look great, you look depressed '--
I'm still thinking, I'm the one with skinny.
Although Paul's weight has increased and his confidence has increased, there is a price for the use of steroids.
Under the supervision of a clinician, a cocktail was also injected as a precaution against physiological side effects such as insufficient testosterone production and accumulation in the bodyup of estrogen.
While he eventually stopped taking steroids, part of the reason was for financial reasons, he said he would "never say never ".
To keep the young thin boy behind, Paul is still trying to expand his size.
But he started seeing a psychiatrist, too.
"My therapist dig deep and discover these issues that I need to deal with," he said . ".
"What I find useful to me is to focus on my personal happiness, to focus on my own reflection, not to get this recognition from the community, which is a big deal that I have taken a long time to understand.
"If you or anyone you know is experiencing eating disorders or physical image problems, you can call the Butterfly Foundation National Helpline 33 4673 or email support @ thebutterflyfoundation on 1800. org.
Topic: community-and-
Society, exerciseand-
Fitness, Sports, gay, bisexual and transgender
health, mens-
Melbourne-health, health, male