Judy Garland at the Gymgay magazines and gay bodybuilding

Abstract

The aim of this essay, then, is to explore the evolution of bodybuilding in relation to gay culture, through representations of bodybuilding in magazines, both straight and gay. Firstly, the significance of magazines as a site of gay cultural capital will be discussed, in terms of Pierre Bourdieu’s notion of habitus. Secondly, the ways in which bodybuilding codes and knowledge have become part of gay culture will be explored, through an examination of the history of bodybuilding and its representation in particular magazines. Key moments in bodybuilding representation in Outrage will then be addressed, through articles in Outrage about bodybuilders Con Demetriou and David Bruno, gleaned from a random sample taken from issues from the period January 1994 to January 1997. The transformation of the gay body and its unique position within the world of the gym, provide insights into a culture that is continuing to experience what can be termed a ‘crisis of habitus’.

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