And it's not just those cartoonishly huge wrestlers who are on steroids, he says. Most of those guys on the covers of health and fitness magazines are using steroids as well. Studies by Pope and others have shown that while men think women prefer very muscular guys, in reality most women find big muscles unattractive almost to the point of being repulsive. In fact, most women preferred to cuddle up to a more average physique. Men with BDD are obsessive about their appearance, often fixating on one aspect of it.
Hair tops the list of body obsessions.
Other big issues include muscularity, chest size, penis size , and body fat. Men with BDD may constantly check themselves in the mirror, work out compulsively, or avoid situations that require them to take their shirts off in public. One man with BDD, interviewed in The Adonis Complex, described spending over an hour every morning trying to style his hair just right. Most men who have BDD know it, but feel powerless to do anything about it. They are usually expert at hiding it from the people closest to them.