From the Liver King to ultramarathons, fitness influencers are glorifying extreme masculinity where ‘pain is the point’

Wed, 21 May 2025 12:08:53 +1000

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

Andrew Pam
<https://theconversation.com/from-the-liver-king-to-ultramarathons-fitness-influencers-are-glorifying-extreme-masculinity-where-pain-is-the-point-256817>

"A new Netflix documentary about a shirtless supplement salesman who claimed to
be “natural” and was exposed as a fraud might seem like a punchline.

But Untold: The Liver King is more than just a character study of a
well-known fitness influencer; it’s a case study of performative masculinity in
the world of social media.

Brian Johnson, better known as the Liver King, built a brand on extreme
workouts, eating raw organ meat, and evangelising about masculinity. He
preached “ancestral living” and radical self-control, all while secretly using
steroids.

And his rapid rise to popularity reveals how social media rewards the spectacle
of hypermasculinity – especially when it leans into extreme behaviours.

Extreme self-discipline, extreme exercise, extreme eating and extreme
“wellness” have all become forms of public performance on social media.

From influencers pushing steroids or “wellness” lifestyles, to the growing
popularity of ultramarathons, a new model of masculinity is going viral:
control your body, grit through pain, workout hard, and make sure everyone
hears about it."

Cheers,
       *** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net               Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/                 Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/            Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/               Manager, Serious Cybernetics

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