Presenter: Kymberlie Crosby
Authors: Kymberlie Crosby
Faculty Advisor: Leandra Hernandez
Institution: Utah Valley University
When the words “body image” are said, they are often associated with women. The history of body dysmorphic disorder (also known as body dysmorphia) is deeply connected with womanhood, and large society refuses to believe it affects the male genderexperience. The cause of body dysmorphia includes but is not limited to; environmental, psychological, and biological background, and because of this, we know that this behavior is not subject to just one gender’s experience. Relatedly, muscle dysmorphic disorder (or muscle dysmorphia) is a subtype of body dysmorphia which causes males to become preoccupied with achieving an idealized muscular or lean body. Men with muscle dysmorphia perceive themselves as small and weak, which causes harmful thoughts and excessive monitoring of both diet and workouts (Harrison & Hefner, 2009). This behavior has been popularized by social media influencers who normalize this lifestyle, causing hundreds of thousands of viewers to be influenced by this harmful mindset. Through a thematic analysis, this paper will explore male fitness influencers on YouTube and Instagram and consider how public comments reflect body dysmorphic ideologies about fitness, muscle dysmorphia, and overall health. Preliminary analysis reveals certain YouTube channels and Instagram profiles reflect a growing suspicion regarding the use of performance enhancing drugs, injurious body image praise, illustrating the power of male fitness influencers’ social media profiles on audiences’ perceptions of body image and fitness.