Skip to main content

Re-conceptualizing Doping and Masculinity

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
  • 374 Accesses

Abstract

The aim of this chapter is to present a dissection and analysis of how fitness doping can be understood in relation to the notion and doing of masculinity. Among other things, the chapter discusses the ways in which users conform to gender fantasies that rest on binary understandings of gendered, doped bodies. However, the chapter also develops a line of argument regarding possible negotiations and inclusive subversions of traditional gender norms. As such, the underlying aim of the chapter is to challenge the gender politics of fitness doping and more specifically the kind of masculinity that has traditionally been attached to how fitness doping is understood.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.

Buying options

Chapter
USD   29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD   69.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD   89.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD   89.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Learn about institutional subscriptions

References

  • Anderson, E. (2002). Openly gay athletes: Contesting hegemonic masculinity in a homophobic environment. Gender & Society, 16(6), 860–877.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Anderson, E. (2009). Inclusive masculinities: The changing nature of masculinities. London: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Andreasson, J. (2013). Between performance and beauty: Towards a sociological understanding of trajectories to drug use in a gym and bodybuilding context. Scandinavian Sport Studies Forum, 4, 69–90.

    Google Scholar 

  • Andreasson, J., & Johansson, T. (2013). Female fitness in the blogosphere: Gender, health, and the body. SAGE Open, 3. https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244013497728.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Andreasson, J., & Johansson, T. (2014). The global gym: Gender, health and pedagogies. Basingstoke, UK: Palgrave Macmillan.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Andreasson, J., & Johansson, T. (2017). Doped manhood: Negotiating fitness doping and masculinity in an online community. In C. Haywood & T. Johansson (Eds.), Marginalized masculinities: Contexts, continuities and change. New York and London: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bach, A. R. (2005). Mænd och muskler: En bog om stryketæning og anabole steroider [Men and muscles: A book about weight lifting and anabolic steroids]. København, DK: Tiderna skifter.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bordo, S. (1990). Reading the slender body. In M. Jacobus, F. Keller, & S. Shuttleworth (Eds.), Body/politics: Women and the discourse of science. London: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bourdieu, P. (1984). Distinction: A social critique of the judgement of taste. London: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Braidotti, R. (1994). Nomadic subjects: Embodiment and sexual difference in contemporary feminist theory. New York: Columbia University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Budd, M. A. (1997). The sculpture machine: Physical culture and body politics in the age of empire. London: Macmillan Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Cheng, C. (1999). Marginalized masculinities and hegemonic masculinity: An Introduction. Journal of Men’s Studies, 7, 295–315.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Christensen, A.-D., & Jensen, S. Q. (2014). Combining hegemonic masculinity and intersectionality. NORMA: International Journal for Masculinity Studies, 9(1), 60–75.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Christiansen, A. V. (2009). Doping in fitness and strength training environments: Politics, motives and masculinity. In V. Møller, M. McNamme, & P. Dimeo (Eds.), Elite sport, doping and public health. Odense: University Press of Southern Denmark.

    Google Scholar 

  • Christiansen, A. V. (2018). Motionsdoping: Styrketræning, identitet og kultur [Recreational doping: Strenght training, identity and culture]. Aarhus, Denmark: Aarhus Universitetsforlag.

    Google Scholar 

  • Coad, D. (2008). The metrosexual: Gender, sexuality, and sport. New York: Sunny Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Connell, R. W. (1987). Gender & power. Cambridge: Polity Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Connell, R. W. (1995). Masculinities. Cambridge: Polity Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Connell, R. W., & Messerschmidt, J. W. (2005). Hegemonic masculinity: Rethinking the concept. Gender & Society, 19, 829–859.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dahl-Michelsen, T., & Nyheim Solbrække, K. (2014). When bodies matters: Significance of the body in gender constructions in physiotherapy education. Gender and Education, 26, 672–687.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Denham, B. E. (2008). Masculinities in hardcore bodybuilding. Men and Masculinities, 11(2), 234–242.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • DeReef, J. F. (2006). The relationship between African self-consciousness, cultural misorientation, hypermasculinity, and rap music preference. Journal of African American Studies, 9, 45–60.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • DuRant, R., Escobedo, L., & Heath, G. (1995). Anabolic-steroid use, strength training, and multiple drug use among adolescents in the United States. Pediatrics, 96, 23–29.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fracher, J., & Kimmel, M. (1995). Hard issues and soft spots: Counselling men about sexuality. In M. Kimmel & M. Messner (Eds.), Men’s lives. Boston: Allyn and Bacon.

    Google Scholar 

  • Glasner, B. (1990). Fit for postmodern selfhood. In H. S. Becker & M. M. McCall (Eds.), Symbolic interaction and cultural studies (pp. 215–243). Chicago: The University of Chicago Press.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Guttmann, A. (1978). From ritual to record: The nature of modern sport. New York: Columbia University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hall, M., Gough, B., & Seymour-Smith, S. (2012). ‘I’m METRO, NOT gay!’ A discursive analysis of men’s accounts of makeup use on YouTube. The Journal of Men’s Studies, 3, 209–226.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hammarén, N., & Johansson, T. (2014). Homosociality: In between power and intimacy. SAGE Open, 4. https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244013518057.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Johansson, T. (1996). Gendered spaces: The gym culture and the construction of gender. Young, 4(3), 32–47.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Johansson, T. (1998). Den skulpterade kroppen: Gymkultur, friskvård och estetik [The sculptured body: Gym culture, wellness and aesthetics]. Stockholm: Carlsson Bokförlag.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kimmel, M. (1996). Manhood in America: A cultural history. New York: The Free Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Klein, A. (1993). Little big men: Bodybuilding, subculture and gender construction. New York: State University of New York Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lentillon-Kaestner, V., & Ohl, F. (2011). Can we measure accurately the prevalence of doping? Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sport, 21, 132–142.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Locks, A., & Richardson, N. (2012). Critical readings in bodybuilding. New York: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Malcolm, N. (2003). Constructing female athleticism: A study of girls recreational softball. American Behavioral Scientist, 46(10), 1387–1404.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Markula, P. (2001). Beyond the perfect body: Women’s body image distortion in fitness magazine discourse. Journal of Sport and Social Issues, 25, 158–179.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McCreary, D., & Sasse, D. (2000). An exploration of the drive for muscularity in adolescent boys and girls. Journal of American College Health, 48(6), 297–304.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McDowell, L., Rootham, E., & Hardgrove, A. (2014). Precarious work, protest masculinity and communal regulation: South Asian young men in Luton, UK. Work, Employment & Society, 28, 847–864.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McGrath, S., & Chananie-Hill, R. (2009). ‘Big Freaky-Looking Women’: Normalizing gender transgression through bodybuilding. Sociology of Sport Journal, 26, 235–254.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Messner, M. (1992). Power at play: Sports and the problem of masculinity. Boston: Beacon Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mogensen, K. (2011). Body Punk: En afhandling om mandlige kropsbyggere og kroppens betydninger i lyset av antidoping kampagner [Body punk: A thesis on male bodybuilders and the meanings of the body in the light of anti-doping campaigns]. Roskilde: Roskilde Universitetscenter.

    Google Scholar 

  • Monaghan, L. F. (2001). Bodybuilding, drugs and risk: Health, risk and society. New York: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Monaghan, L. F. (2012). Accounting for illicit steroid use: Bodybuilders’ justifications. In A. Locks & N. Richardson (Eds.), Critical readings in bodybuilding. New York: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mosher, D. L., & Sirkin, M. (1984). Measuring a macho personality constellation. Journal of Research in Personality, 18, 150–163.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mosse, G. (1996). The image of man: The creation of modern masculinity. New York and Oxford: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nixon, S. (1996). Hard looks: Masculinities, spectatorship & contemporary consumption. London: UCL Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Parkinson, A. B., & Evans, N. A. (2006). Anabolic androgenic steroids: A survey of 500 users. Medicine and Science in Sport and Exercise, 38(4), 644–651.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Plummer, D. (1999). One of the boys: Masculinity, homophobia and modern manhood. New York: Harrington Park Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pronger, B. (1990). The arena of masculinity: Sports, homosexuality, and the meaning of sex. New York: St. Martin’s.

    Google Scholar 

  • Robertson, S. (2007). Understanding men and health: Masculinities, identity and well-being. Berkshire: Open University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rohlinger, D. A. (2002). Eroticizing men: Cultural influences on advertising and male objectification. Sex Roles, 46(3), 61–74.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Saltman, K. (1998). Men with breasts. Journal of the Philosophy of Sport, 25, 48–60.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sas-Nowosielski, K. (2006). The abuse of anabolic-androgenic steroids by Polish school-aged adolescents. Biology of Sport, 23(3), 225–235.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sassatelli, R. (2010). Fitness culture: Gyms and the commercialisation of discipline and fun. London: Palgrave Macmillan.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Skeggs, B. (1997). Formations of class and gender: Becoming respectable. London: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sparkes, A., Batey, J., & Owen, G. (2012). The shame-pride-shame of the muscled self in bodybuilding. In A. Locks & N. Richardson (Eds.), Critical readings in bodybuilding. New York: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tasker, Y. (1993). Spectacular bodies: Gender, genre and the action cinema. New York: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Thualagant, N. (2012). The conceptualization of fitness doping and its limitations. Sport in Society: Cultures, Commerce, Media, Politics, 15(3), 409–419.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wolf Wendel, L., Toma, D., & Morphew, C. (2001). How much difference is too much difference? Perceptions of gay men and lesbians in intercollegiate athletics. Journal of College Student Development., 42(5), 465–479.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jesper Andreasson .

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2020 The Author(s)

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Andreasson, J., Johansson, T. (2020). Re-conceptualizing Doping and Masculinity. In: Fitness Doping. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-22105-8_7

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-22105-8_7

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-22104-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-22105-8

  • eBook Packages: Social SciencesSocial Sciences (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics