Masculinities, practices and meanings

A critical analysis of recent literature on the use of performance- and image-enhancing drugs among men

Bibliographic Data

ID4218014
AuthorsDavid Moore (0000-0002-5860-3109, Curtin University, corresponding author), Aaron Hart (0000-0002-7872-7678, The University of Melbourne), Fraser (0000-0003-1018-5865, Curtin University), Suzanne Fraser, Kate Seear (0000-0002-0886-7069, Monash University)
Year2020
Volume24
Issue6
Pages719-736
Publication date2020-11-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueHealth An Interdisciplinary Journal for the Social Study of Health Illness and Medicine (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1363-4593 • E-ISSN: 1461-7196
PublisherSAGE Publications Inc (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1177/1363459319838595
PMID30922123
OpenAlexW2926775769
LanguageEN
Citations received13
References cited34

The use of performance- and image-enhancing drugs (PIEDs) has been a topic of considerable research interest since the 1980s, with the vast majority of PIED consumers being men. In this article, our departure point is a 2005 article by Helen Keane, in which she critically analyses 'the discursive constitution of male steroid users' as psychologically disordered subjects. We extend Keane's insightful feminist analysis by examining the constitution of masculinity in post-2005 social science research on PIEDs. We ask (1) to what extent do the discursive trends identified by Keane persist in the more recent literature on PIED use among men? (2) how have her insights been taken up in the post-2005 literature, and (3) to what extent does this work attend to the specificity and varied meanings of steroid practices? We argue that men who use PIEDs continue to be pathologised as insecure, inadequate and vulnerable, and marked by 'obsession', 'compensatory behaviours' and crisis. In some of the analysed texts, the male steroid user becomes doubly disordered as both insecure in his masculine body and at risk of drug dependence. Of the articles that engage with Keane's work, only two recognise the value of her insights. The others misinterpret or apply Keane's argument in inconsistent or incoherent ways. Finally, in some of the post-2005 texts, we begin to see attention to the wide variety of practices and meanings encompassed by the term 'PIED use' although much remains to be learned

Constitution · Masculinity · Political science · Sociology · Eating Disorders and Behaviors · Gender Studies · Hormonal and reproductive studies · Law · Medicine · Psychology · Sexuality, Behavior, and Technology

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