Abstract

Over the past two decades, scholarly and popular interest in body consciousness among homosexual men has increased. Analysis of current print and electronic media (print advertisements and editorial photos, both on and off line) targeting gay men reveal muscular, well-defined men are the norm. In fact, most of the males displayed are muscular with broad chests, well-defined shoulders and biceps, and highly developed midsections. This heightened emphasis on the muscular ideal, also known as the “Adonis Complex,” (Pope, etc., 2000) led to this primary research regarding media influences among gay men and body image issues. HYPOTHESIS There is a correlation between increasing gay media focus on unrealistic body images and the body consciousness and body building behaviors of the gay male community. METHODOLOGY An online survey consisting of 13 questions was disseminated to 300+ randomly selected males 18-65 years old. This paper will analyze the results.