Abstract
Anabolic-androgenic steroid consumption is considered a significant public health issue in a number of countries but particularly in the northeast of England. Informed by ongoing ethnographic work on steroid use, this paper aims to explore two particular dimensions of bodily capital within the overarching context of hyper-masculinity. Towards this end we focus on aesthetic pleasure as the ‘boosted’ body becomes a site of contemporary consumption before taking a look at the instrumental utility derived from a sufficiently primed and tuned body. Accordingly, and with a view towards the changing currency of bodily capital, we explore the contemporary importance attached to both attaining and maintaining both elements of a ‘boosted’ bodily capital. The significant role steroids play in facilitating this is then discussed; yet rather than locating its consumption in the realm of ‘deviancy’, we view it as a means of hyper-conforming to neoliberalism’s cultural norms and values. By drawing upon a range of perspectives, we hope to offer up new insights into the demand for steroids apropos the pursuit for an aesthetically pleasing and instrumentally effective body.
Original language | English |
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Article number | 0 |
Pages (from-to) | 0 |
Number of pages | 0 |
Journal | Journal of Consumer Culture |
Volume | 0 |
Issue number | 0 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 9 May 2019 |
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Profiles
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Georgios Antonopoulos
- Centre for Social Innovation
- SSSHL Department of Humanities and Social Sciences - Professor (Research)
Person: Professorial
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Justin Kotzé
- Centre for Social Innovation
- SSSHL Department of Humanities and Social Sciences - Senior Lecturer in Criminology & Criminal Justice
Person: Academic