Bodybuilding competitions once stood as a testament to extreme physical discipline, showcasing the most muscular, powerful men in the world. Platforms like Mr. Olympia turned athletes into icons, and bodybuilding was seen as the ultimate expression of (toxic) masculinity. But today, these competitions are fading into obscurity, following the same path as beauty pageants—which crumbled under the weight of outdated patriarchal ideals.
What Happened to Bodybuilding Competitions? The Decline of a Hypermasculine Sport and the Rise of a New Era – The Patriarchal Foundations of Bodybuilding Competitions – by Maxwell Alexander, Fitness Model, MA, BFA, Author, Artist, Photographer, Designer, Activist, Certified Fitness Trainer, Bodybuilding and Sports Nutrition Coach
As bodybuilding competitions lose relevance, a new generation of bodybuilders is emerging, one that uses social media to reclaim and express their bodies and sexuality without the limitations of toxic masculinity. These modern athletes are not only reshaping the physical form but also reshaping the very purpose of bodybuilding itself.
Much like beauty pageants, bodybuilding competitions were built on patriarchal ideals. Beauty pageants existed largely for the pleasure of male audiences, objectifying women under the guise of celebrating beauty. Women were judged by a narrow standard of femininity, and their worth was tied to how well they could perform within those confines.
Bodybuilding competitions, while focused on men, followed a similar script. These events were driven by toxic ideas of what men should be: bigger, stronger, and more aggressive than everyone else. The sport was less about the appreciation of the male body as an art form and more about establishing dominance, both physically and symbolically. It wasn’t about aesthetics, it was about asserting patriarchal power—power over other men, and over their own bodies while ignoring the incredible connection between bodybuilding and sexuality. And it was all fueled by a deep, often unspoken, homophobia that kept competitors from fully embracing the sensuality of bodybuilding.
The Role of Toxic Masculinity in Bodybuilding’s Decline
The underlying force behind the decline of bodybuilding competitions is toxic masculinity. These events glorified strength, aggression, and physical dominance while denying any expression of vulnerability, beauty, or sensuality. It’s no wonder that bodybuilding competitions began to feel outdated and unappealing as society moved away from rigid ideas of masculinity.
Bodybuilding is inherently homoerotic—whether straight men in the sport want to admit it or not. The act of sculpting your body, admiring your reflection, and posing on stage is deeply tied to the sensuality of the male form. For decades, bodybuilding tried to suppress this aspect, focusing instead on brute strength and aggression. In doing so, the sport became alienating to anyone who saw bodybuilding as more than a contest of size and domination.
The Unspoken Homoeroticism in Bodybuilding—and How Gay Men Do It Better
Gay men have long understood the truth that bodybuilding competitions tried to ignore: bodybuilding is not just about power—it’s about self-expression, beauty, and even sexuality. In the gym, gay men have embraced the sensuality of building muscle and the eroticism of admiring the male form. Working out naked, posing in front of mirrors, and connecting with their bodies on a deeply sensual level—these are the practices that straight men in the bodybuilding world often repress.
Straight men, especially in competitive bodybuilding, tend to struggle with the homoerotic undertones of the sport. They distance themselves from the sensuality and make bodybuilding about physical aggression, dominance, and rejecting any form of vulnerability. But this mindset is precisely what has disconnected those men from their nature, their bodies and the most important hormone in bodybuilding and sex: testosterone. Bodybuilding competitions lost their appeal as most of modern men basically lost their balls and testosterone to environmental and cultural factors. While the gay community has long found ways to celebrate the male body in its most erotic and artistic forms, straight competitors have clung to outdated ideals that no longer resonate with modern audiences, their bodies and Nature.
The Rise of Social Media: A New Generation of Bodybuilders
While traditional bodybuilding competitions have been on the decline, a new generation of bodybuilders is emerging, using social media as their platform. These athletes are rejecting the toxic, patriarchal control that once dominated the sport and are instead embracing bodybuilding as an avenue for self-expression, art, and even sexual liberation.
Instagram, TikTok, and OnlyFans have become the new stages for bodybuilders, where they can showcase their physiques without the rigid, hypermasculine restrictions of old competitions. On these platforms, bodybuilders of all orientations—gay, straight, non-binary—are reclaiming their bodies as something more than just symbols of power. They are expressing their sexuality, celebrating their beauty, and connecting with their audiences in a much more intimate, authentic way.
This shift is part of a broader cultural movement toward rejecting toxic masculinity and embracing fluidity in gender and sexuality. The new generation of bodybuilders doesn’t just want to be big; they want to be seen, admired, and appreciated for the work they put into their bodies. And they want to do it on their own terms, outside the confines of traditional bodybuilding competitions.
The Future of Bodybuilding: A Celebration of Beauty and Fluidity
As bodybuilding competitions fade into irrelevance, we must ask ourselves: what should bodybuilding become? The sport no longer needs to be trapped by outdated notions of size and strength. Instead, bodybuilding can evolve into a celebration of the male body as an expression of beauty, sensuality, and self-love.
For the new generation of bodybuilders, the gym is no longer a battleground of toxic masculinity. It’s a space of freedom—where men, especially gay men, can explore their bodies as more than just tools of dominance. They can embrace bodybuilding as a spiritual journey, a way to reconnect with their physical form in ways that are both empowering and erotic.
And that’s where gay men have always led the way. They have turned bodybuilding into an art form, where the male body is appreciated for its beauty, strength, and sensuality. While straight men in the bodybuilding world have often struggled with the homoeroticism inherent in the sport, the LGBTQ+ community has long recognized that bodybuilding can be about more than size and power—it can be about connection, self-expression, and even sexual energy.
If bodybuilding is to survive as an art form, it must let go of its rigid, patriarchal ideals and embrace a new, more fluid vision—one where strength is balanced with beauty, where power is intertwined with vulnerability, and where the male body is celebrated not as an instrument of dominance, but as a work of art.
A New Era for Bodybuilding
In the end, bodybuilding competitions are fading not just because they can no longer captivate audiences, but because they were built on a foundation of toxic masculinity that no longer holds power in modern culture. Social media has given bodybuilders the tools to reclaim their bodies, their sexuality, and their identities outside the patriarchal control that once dominated the sport.
The future of bodybuilding lies in the hands of those who are willing to embrace the male body as a complex, beautiful, and erotic form. The new generation of bodybuilders is leading the way, and they are doing it on their own terms, free from the constraints of toxic masculinity and homophobia.
