Author: Timothy Piatkowski, Lecturer in Psychology, Griffith University

Men have cared about their appearance throughout the centuries, and ideals of masculinity and “manliness” are ancient – with strong emphasis put on physical fitness and virility. In ancient Greece, the ideal male body was considered strong, symmetrical and athletic. Now, with easier access to performance and image enhancing drugs (PIEDs) and their promotion on social media, ideals of masculinity and muscularity have taken on a whole new level. PIEDs are a class of drugs that some people use to enhance physical appearance or athletic performance. They include anabolic-androgenic steroids, human growth hormone, and other medicines used “off-label” such as…