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Why Is There Such A Stigma Surrounding Performance Enhancing Drugs? Is It A Legal Issue?

Jun 22, 2023 - permalink

Someone I follow posted a video, and in the comments, someone basically said "she's on the juice, listen to how deep her voice is". Which is obviously true, her voice has changed dramatically the last two years. She, however, retorts "I never said if I was natural, I don't talk about PEDs. But I never said if I was."

This is just the latest example I've seen of someone dancing around the question or lying completely. And I really just don't understand why. Are they afraid of legal repercussions? Isn't it obvious enough by general appearance? Are they trying to maintain plausible deniability? Unless you're in a Natural Fed, just admit it, no one cares, lol.

cgsweat
Jun 22, 2023 - permalink

The legal ramifications is one side of it.

The other side of it is her, being an "influencer," needing to have control of her image. There is still a perception amongst the general public that those who use PED's are "cheating" to get their physique. Obviously this isn't true since they still need to put in the work (diet and exercise). PED's basically allow them to perform past their normal physical limitations.

Jun 22, 2023 - permalink

The legal ramifications is one side of it.

What, in this day and age, are the legal ramifications? Some competitors obviously work outside the fitness industry in office jobs or otherwise, so why take that risk?

Jun 22, 2023 - permalink

The legal side is definitely an issue, in the US, Australia and other countries especially. Morality aside, wherever personal use and/or possession for persona use are crimes, you obviously need to take it into account in public expression.

In other jurisdictions they might be legal all the way, sometimes personal us is OK so as long as you prove you're not smuggling/selling you're fine. And even when legal, you might get into trouble for "bootleg" compounds with no proper certification etc.

Jun 22, 2023 - permalink

There are plenty, even among schmoes like us, who get on their high horse about PEDs, even though it should be obvious to even a casual viewer that most, if not all the women here are using. Most of them cover it by building up the health risks and side effects, but the honest ones just say they don’t like the way it makes FBBs faces look. If a woman is concerned with support and financial gain from the schmoe community, she’s got to pay lip service to the natty lifestyle.

Jun 22, 2023 - permalink

It's illegal in most countries. they will never admit it or the cops May show up at their house one day.

Jun 24, 2023 - permalink

I can only speak from an American point of view, but this country puts a strong emphasis on meritocracy where praise is heaped upon people who are perceived to have "made it" whether that's in sports, fitness, career, entrepreneurship, etc. If you ever watch our coverage of the Olympics (which is terrible, btw,) you'll always see broadcasters hawk an athlete's "rags to riches" story or whatever. They credit "working hard and never giving up" as the recipe for their success.

Fitness influencers and high-level strength athletes promote the same concept. You look at any influencer's social media page and they will constantly post motivational reels and quotes where they talk about working hard, being disciplined and never giving up as to the reasons for their success. What they won't admit to, however, are the things that they "lucked out" on that helped them reach their goal, like genetics, their upbringing and their social-economic standing. With diet and exercise, anybody can make positive changes to their weight and physique, and if you are a strength athlete, winning an amateur local competition can be possible by proper training, nutrition and recovery. But to reach that "elite" level, or to be a fitness model, if you don't have the genetics for it, you'll never make it.

This all ties back to why steroid (PED) use is stigmatized. Since the 80s, American culture and media have always purported using drugs for athletic performance as "cheating," and that only people who don't want to work hard would stoop down to using drugs to take away from all the hard working athletes. Also, your average American has no idea what PEDs actually do, how prevalent they are in sports and Hollywood, and they how they really aren't a substitute for hard work. When using PEDs, you still have to work hard and train properly in order to get good results. I know quite a few people who use them but still look like shit because they don't have their training and diet dialed down, not to mention that they don't know how to manage negative side effects.

The fitness industry is really based on a fantasy. It's the fantasy that Joanne and Cletus can achieve the same physique as their favorite influencer so long as they follow THEIR program and of course believe in themselves. The knowledge of those influencers admitting to using PEDs shatters that illusion, and sponsors ranging from clothing to supplement companies really don't like the general public to know that. Not only that, but even with PEDs your genetics have a strong impact on what your physique will look like (and also how well you respond to them.) You can follow the EXACT training program, eating program, recovery protocol and PED cycles of your favorite influencer and never look like him or her. And in an platform where hawkers are selling promises, it does no good for them if some of those factors are outside of a client's control.

Someone mentioned the legality of PEDs being part of this, and while that does contribute to it, law enforcement in general doesn't give a shit about individual users (hell, quite a few cops use them.) They only really care and try to prosecute those who sell them. So as long as you aren't selling them, the police aren't going to go after you. If they did, you would see a lot more bodybuilders, powerlifters and other strength athletes getting arrested.

TLDR: The stigma for PEDs extends back to the 80s with culture and media portraying their use as cheating, and going against Americans' romanticization of the "positive values" of competitive sports. That's also coupled with an ignorance of how PEDs work, the fact that a natural athlete cannot compete with an enhanced one no matter how hard they work, and how prevalent they are in competitive sport, gym culture and Hollywood.

Chainer
Jun 24, 2023 - permalink

ahhhhahahahahqhqahahahaahawaawww broooooooooo pleeeeeeeeeaaaaaase

Such a strong rebuttal to his post! I am instantly convinced by whatever point it is you're making.

(/s)

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