A recent study showed that most Indian teenagers living in South Africa depend on anabolic steroids to enhance their image and body physique. The culture and emotional problems are the main factors that influenced these young boys to try these drugs. It was also found out that Bollywood movies have a strong impact on the way these teenagers build their body. They idolize Bollywood actors who have masculine body which are being portrayed in movies as Adonises who can easily get and loved by women.

Jarred Martin of the University of KwaZulu-Natal studied 500 Indian schoolboys aged 13 to 19. He investigated the relationship between traditional masculine beliefs, body-image discrepancy and socio-cultural influences on appearance of Indian teenagers. This was a follow up on a previous study which showed that there was high level of anxiety about the appearance among young Indians as compared to their black or white counterparts. Moreover, it was also noted that other races perceived these teenagers as having a “softer” masculinity. The reason could be due to the close family ties among Indian families thus there were perceptions that they were “mommies boys.”

Martin’s findings were significant because it helps explain why these teenagers, who are not involved in sports, used anabolic steroids. Of the 500 respondents, 57 percent said that Bollywood films put too much pressure for them to look muscular. Most of them believe that having a muscular body will improve their self-worth. 79.3% of the respondents have this perception.

The study also revealed that 25% of these teenagers used supplements and other drugs to develop muscles and better body physique. There are students who admitted that they took illegal supplements or steroids to achieve this goal. Although they were only composed of 5.5%, this could still become a major concern for the authorities. Taking steroids at a very young age could pose many health risks to the users.

This was explained by Professor Yoga Coo-poo of the University of the Witwatersrand’s Centre for Exercise Science and Sports Medicine. He told the Times Live that the use of steroids can cause a number of ill-effects on young users which may include muscle tears and reduced HDL - the high-density cholesterol that helps reduce heart disease. Coopoo said that the Indian community generally has lower HDL levels, and a further decrease in it with the use of steroids creates greater risk of heart disease as they grow older.

It was also noted that these steroids were available in most local gyms and pharmacies. Some doctors and veterinary nurses and assistants were also involved in the sale and distribution of some anabolic steroids used for animals like the equipoise which is mainly used as a horse steroid. Other anabolic steroids commonly used by these teenagers were deca durabolin and dianabol.

“The way in which these cinematic heroes are portrayed is that they always get the girl. They get respect, adoration and envy from other men,” Martin told the Times Live. “It may be that Bollywood cinema, in its portrayal of its action heroes and leading men as muscular Adonises, simply capitalizes on the anxieties of young boys about their masculinity and body image,” he added.

According to Rakhi Beekrum, a Counselling psychologist, the six-pack is portrayed as being favourable and desirable among Bollywood stars. “This can be seen in the shift from Amitabh Bachchan and Rishi Kapoor to Salman Khan, Hrithik Roshan, John Abraham and even Shahrukh Khan,” Beekrum said. A respondent said that these Bollywood stars are so popular with girls and he wouldn’t mind looking like his idol. Another respondent said that the only way they can look like these stars is by using steroids.

Sherona Rawat, a Clinical psychologist, said that the findings on these young Indians were not surprising. They being perceived as “soft” was a “contributing factor” in the young Indian male’s decision to use a substance that has been clinically proven to be dangerous and damaging to the body said Rawat. “The pull on South African males of Indian descent to prove themselves masculine in relation to their South African counterparts of other cultures and communities is understandable in this light,” Rawat added.

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