Are Boys Action Figures getting too buff?

Are Boys Action Figures getting too buff?

If you’re a collector than I’m sure you have noticed your favorite action figures seem to have hit the gym and maybe the medicine cabinet.

Favorites like the G. I. Joe action figure have gone from equivalent measurements (that’s the scaled up version..as in if they were real humans) of 31.7″ waist, 44.4″chest , 12.2″ biceps in 1964 to a whopping 36.5″ waist, 54.8″ chest and 26.8″ biceps by 1988.  Now that’s some master buffing-up.

A lifesize equivalent of the Wolverine action figure would equal a 62″ chest and 32″ biceps.   Not your average guy.

So does all this bigger equate  to better?

Some studies have claimed that the increase in muscular physiques may explain the increase in Bigorexia, a condition akin to the more common anorexia that seems to inflict mostly teenage girls.  With bigorexia, it is boys and young men that are most affected.  The studies claim that the boys action figures put unrealistic expectations on young boys leading to Body Dysmorphic Order (BDD).

Many of the researchers have claimed that the increase in BDD correlates to the increase in the muscle mass of boys action figures.

My opinion is that it’s more likely that the increase in BDD correlates to the increase in Steroid use and availability in this Country and has very little to do with the kind of toys or action figures available.  Correct me if I’m wrong but doesn’t the use of steroids cause psychosis?  Have you ever heard of a toy causing psychosis?

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