ABSTRACT
Steroids and violence have been causally implicated in recent years, becoming the subject of adverse lay, media and scientific discourse. The risks of steroid-taking reportedly extend not only to users but to the general public by increasing the odds of violent and anti-social behaviour (Lubell 1989: 185). Women have also been identified as victims of physical abuse when their male partnersuse these drugs (Choi and Pope 1994). Steroid-using bodybuilders, in particular, have been constructed as problematic and have been located in the gallery of violent types along with various other historical figures. Similar to the Mods and Rockers, Hell’s Angels, and Skinheads, bodybuilders have become new ‘folk devils’ (Cohen 1980). Ideological supports enabling gym members to question established medical ‘truth claims’ and engage in the ‘risky’ practice of chemical muscle-building therefore acquire particular significance.
