Analysis Of Judith Lorber's 'Getting Huging, Getting Ripped'

Attention material: According to Do Something.Org, Science Daily quotes that “A recent study found that 57%of high school steroid users said that they would risk shortening their life for increased performance”. Also according to Science Daily, Oregon Health & Science University states "In 2003, seventh-grade girls were the fastest-growing group of steroid users, with more than seven percent

What is the first thing that comes to mind when steroids are discussed? Is it positive? Negative? What comes to mind for me is the vision of an extremely large man with bulging muscles like we see in bodybuilding competitions. These types of images are becoming extremely commonplace in society today, and also increasingly disturbing considering just a few short years ago the ‘bodybuilder’s body’ was just a niche in the sports world. But what drove this movement? There is no way to possibly limit this phenomenon into one single cause, but rather I can hazard a guess as to what I believe may be at the root of this ideal change. America, since the time it was founded, has grown increasingly confident in itself. This mindset has

In “We, the Public, Place the Best Athletes on Pedestals,” William Moller strongly criticizes the “. . . self-righteous media types who make a living by drumming up indignation from the masses” (Moller 548). In addition to criticizing the media, Moller also condemns the general public for demonizing professional athletes because “. . . the reason [insert name of professional athlete] did [or does] steroids is you and me” (Moller 547). In other words, he claims that society is to blame for athletes’ usage of performance enhancing drugs because “[w]e, the public, place the best athletes on pedestals, gods on high” (Moller 547-48). Therefore, Moller argues that you and I are hypocrites because at some point in our lives, we all cheat and do wrong, yet we expect athletes to be superhuman without the aid of banned substances. While I agree with Moller’s assertions, his explanations as to why athletes use PED’s are limited, thus lacking the oomph necessary to propel his argument to a new dimension. Ultimately, fame and fortune, pressure from fans, and the human nature to perform as best you can are all factors that cause athletes to use illegal stimulants.

Individuals really get behind their beliefs. It is this reason that these body builders will put everything on the line to meet society’s standard. Their beliefs are very important to them. Many believe steroids have no negative effects. These steroids may not have physical effects on these particular users, but it can have legal, and psychological effects on the user's. But due to their beliefs, these guys are willing to risk it, to fit the social construct of society. “Others believed steroid enforcement was such a low law enforcement priority, that only either the very stupid or the very brazen need to be concerned.” This belief is very strong among many bodybuilders, thinking that it won’t happen to

The dream of some become the dream of many, athletes and people in general are looking for ways to achieve their ambitions without caring about the results. Now we often hear the word Steroids mostly in national TV and radio stations in news related to scandals, athletes are using it to enhance and maximize their performance,

Abstract:  With the increase of competition has also come the need to become bigger and stronger than the opponent.  The use of steroids among athletes has caused the focus of the game to change.  No longer does an athlete want to win by doing their best, but they want to become bigger and have an advantage over the opponent.  Ultimately, all athletes feel that they need to use performance-enhancing drugs to compete at the same level. Despite all of the warnings and information on performance-enhancing drugs, athletes continue to use them and overlook the potential health risks associated with steroids.

Throughout the history of athletics, humans have pursued new and innovative ways to construct better, faster, stronger athletes. Steroid use is one of the most popular choices among these athletes. Steroids, first created in the 1930s, are synthetic hormones that produce specific physiological effects on one's body (Center for Substance Abuse Research). Although the German scientists who discovered steroids did not intend its use for body building or creating better athletes, steroid use has developed into a controversial subject concerning the health of users and other moral issues. Overall, the use of steroids in athletics is physically and morally wrong because it essentially promotes the deterioration of the health of athletes and

The documentary called Bigger, Stronger, Faster by Chris Bell demonstrates Americas want to be the best vs. their desire to be moral. Throughout the movie Bell uses multiple examples on how steroids affect us both physically and mentally as well as their potential dangers. There are several things that make us American but Bell chooses this particular subject because of his own personally experiences with it as well as his families. As the audience we are taken into a glimpse of the Bell family’s everyday struggle with this emanate problem. Similar to what many of us have to face in society today.

One of the most-treasured items a person can have is their health. Consequently, a great deal of money is spent on healthcare on account of people want to be healthy to do the things they enjoy in life. In the article “Steroid Abuse in Today’s Society,” states “There is increasing concern regarding possible serious health problems that are associated with the abuse of steroids, including both short-term and long-term side effects.” ("Steroid Abuse in Today's Society" 3). Unfortunately, there are side effects that will accompany someone who takes steroids. For women and men, steroids can cause masculinizing effects. These symptoms can cause fertility problems in both genders. Fortunately, by stopping the use of drugs can cause a shift in changing men’s health for the better, but for women the symptoms may never go away. Studies have not concluded the long-term effects of steroids, but in the worst cases, death can occur. Performance enhancement drugs are dangerous to an athlete’s

Anabolic Steroids are commonly viewed as a miracle drug in order to increase muscle growth and definition, but what most users of the drug don’t know are the life altering effects that prolonged use can cause. When the drug was released in the late 50’s by scientists working for the Soviet Union, they had no idea what the lasting effects were going to be. At first the drug seemed to be almost a miracle, it helped the Soviet weightlifting team beat the American team by a long shot, but then the lifters began to experience certain bodily changes that were actually the onsets of horrendous life changing side effects that could have been prevented with further studies. Since that time, most states in North America and around have banned the distribution and use of the drug completely due to its adverse effects on the body, if caught using such drugs in professional sporting communities, it could land the athlete thousands of dollars’ worth of fines and they can even face up to five years in jail if they are found with the drug in their possession. On top of this, the risks involved can potentially alter the normal way of life for that athlete for the rest of his life, such risks include hormonal changes, cardiovascular problems, behavioral issues, and even problems with the reproductive system.

Famed writer Grantland Rice once wrote, “When the great scorer comes to mark against your name. He'll mark not won or lost but how you played the game” (World of quotes, 1). That buoyant attitude of selflessness and heart has slowly diminished throughout the course of time. Now, George Allen’s booming voice, former coach of the Washington Redskins, runs throughout head of America, “Only winners are truly alive. Winning is living. Every time you win, you’re reborn. When you lose, you die a little” (Harris, 67). It is with this frame of mind that athletes are pushed beyond the edge of reason. Although peer pressure and pressure from coaches are central reasons why one may use steroids, most users begin using in order to improve their self image or excel in sports. Ethics, integrity, and legality aside, some athletes will stop at nothing to attain “that extra edge”.

The problem with today’s society is that steroids are everywhere and companies are finding ways around the steroid label by producing drugs that contain the same ingredients but are labeled differently. Professional athletes are also becoming big icons for people and many athletes are using steroids to enhance their performance. Athletes are supposed to be role models and by getting involved in these kinds of things people see it as an ok thing to do. Steroids are common everywhere, baseball and football players are constantly finding ways to take these drugs. Pro wrestling

This is a material world promoting material values, thus meaning that it should not be surprising to see individuals being willing to do everything in their power in order to make profits. Or should it? The sports community today is troubled by a series of athletes who have yielded to society's pressures and abandoned their principles with the purpose of taking performance enhancing drugs. It is difficult to determine if it would be normal for the masses to judge these individuals, concerning that they are actually one of the reasons for which these people have come to consider taking performance enhancing drugs in the first place. However, the only ones who can judge them are other hard-working sportspersons who have stood by their principles and who respect the idea of sport in general.

Currently it is an estimated that at least 6.67 percent of high school seniors in the United States have tried steroids, which is 500,000 males between the ages of 17 and 18 (Anabolic Steroids). The pressure of steroids on teenagers is constantly drilled into their heads because they associate increased strength with perfection. Teenagers are under immense pressure to be perfect. Kids are pressured to do well in school, sports, and any other activities that they are participating in. Anything other than the best is unacceptable and failure which strikes and leads to disrespect. Failure has the sole purpose of tearing people from their self confidence and lending them to be insecure, questioning their abilities and themselves. It does

In the Judith Lorber's article, “From Believing Is Seeing: Biology as Ideology”, Lorber writes about the effects of fake biological beliefs that society makes everyone believe, such as gender roles, binary genders and most of all, gender based capabilities, such as muscular prowess. All of this shown by the quote that, “...people do not emerge from physiology or hormones but from the exigencies of the social order”(Lorber 732). In Matthew Petrocelli, Trish Oberweis, and Joseph Petrocelli’s article, “Getting Huge, Getting Ripped: A Qualitative Exploration of Recreational Steroid Use”, they address the culture of recreational steroid users and their motives, most clearly shown between the statements, “...frustration seemed to be a primary motivator…” and, “They believed what they read and thought that a good diet and hard workouts would get them the ‘magazine look’