History Main / MuscleAngst

** In Chapter 36 of the main story, Ash and co. are enjoying a beach day at the Seafoam Islands, and meet with a boy named Midori [[HeroWorshipper who is an admirer of Ash]] after seeing his battles on TV. Midori sees that Ash has put up quite a bit of muscle and feels a bit self-conscious about his own physique. Ash however assures him that if his own female companions don't mind about it, he shouldn't worry too much.

* The comedic manga ''Manga/ShortCuts'' has a story in which a typical "kogal" gets trapped in a sumo wrestler costume and is forced into actual sumo competition. Eventually, she manages to get the zipper unstuck, only to find out all that exercise has made her unfashionably muscular. Not to worry though, a passing man still wants her... for the military!

* Casca from ''Manga/{{Berserk}}'' complains that the [[PimpedOutDress fancy, frilly gown]] she dressed up in for a ball looks weird because she's too muscular. Now Casca is toned, but the fact that [[SheCleansUpNicely every male character thought she looked irresistible]] proves her wrong.

* One guy in ''Manga/FrankenFran'' keeps getting picked on by bullies, so he goes to Fran for help. He ends up bulging with muscle... and still gets beaten up.
* Gender inverted in ''Manga/MonthlyGirlsNozakiKun''. Nozaki's angst is about [[{{Hunk}} having too much]]--as a ShoujoGenre {{mangaka}}, that means he can't use his own body as a model as his readers prefer {{bishonen}}.
* Shin from ''Manga/{{Eyeshield21}}'' doubles his training every time he thinks he under performed due to being too weak. It's not remotely true since he is a LightningBruiser BruceLeeClone and his performance wasn't the issue (the other team brought the play where they know he would have trouble winning) but he still thinks it's not enough and his lack of training is the problem.

* The male version is {{Inverted}} in ''Literature/MagnusChaseAndTheGodsOfAsgard:'' after becoming one of the Einherjar, Magnus takes a shower and notices that he's gone from a scrawny teenager to having a lean but muscular physique. Since he [[IJustWantToBeNormal just wants to be normal again]], this annoys him so much that he uses his newfound strength to punch a hole in the wall.

* Atalanta in ''Series/HerculesTheLegendaryJourneys'', portrayed by Cory Everson, got a little bit of this because of one guy's NoGuyWantsAnAmazon reaction, so she covers her muscles up. This doesn't last long, much to AmazonChaser Salmoneus' delight.

* The Sports Club Manager Arcana from ''VideoGame/{{Persona 3}}'' has a case of this. She's tanned and toned, but other girls tell her that NoGuyWantsAnAmazon. A likely case of TruthInTelevision as the game takes place in Japan, and girls (currently) avoid tans and aim for that "fragile" kind of thin.
* Inverted by Guan Yinping in ''VideoGame/DynastyWarriors 8''; she thinks that she doesn't have ''enough'' muscles, despite the fact that [[GlacierWaif she doesn't need them]] [[SuperStrength to hoist a weapon bigger than she is with one hand]]. Also, she's female when this type of angst is mostly AlwaysMale.

* Saber in ''VisualNovel/FateStayNight'' thinks she's too muscular. Not that you can tell by looking at her. Some promotional artwork of her leads to InformedDeformity.

* ''Webcomic/{{Bomango}}'': Gogo is an AmazonianBeauty (whose a bit {{Zig Zagged| Trope}} on the beauty part). She develops Muscle Angst in the 9-part short story, "Ego Generosity" because Andy told her she's not attractive as she thinks and she looks unfeminine. [[BrutalHonesty He only told her this]] because [[SmallNameBigEgo she thought it was a good idea to let Andy gawk at her as a birthday gift]].
* The main character in ''Webcomic/BrunoTheBandit'' is shown to suffer from this, despite being a muscular adventurer, due to comparing himself to the unrealistic proportions of fashion model adventurers, who's musculature reaches ridiculous levels (think Creator/RobLiefeld on his worst art day).
* Anvil in ''Webcomic/GrrlPower'' is an AmazonianBeauty. When she voices some anxiety about a publicity photo shoot, Sydney sarcastically asks if she's afraid of being "too physically perfect" — to which Anvil points out that a significant percentage of people find her height and build grotesque or repulsive rather than desirable or attractive. Sydney, on her part, is prone to expressing concern about how she (being short, skinny, and flat-chested) compares to all her tall, muscular, and stacked compatriots.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'': The episode where Marge goes into bodybuilding had her obsessed with gaining muscle, despite being very muscular even for a man, due to her run-in with a mugger at the beginning of the episode. The muscle gain becomes a way for her to get rid of her feeling of helplessness, until it becomes a goal in itself.

* A long running desire of Ren from ''WesternAnimation/RenAndStimpy'' was to get pectoral implants. In one episode he finally does...using the fat from Stimpy's butt.
* An episode of ''WesternAnimation/SpongebobSquarePants'' had Spongebob ordering inflatable muscular arms after realizing how skinny he is. Too bad for him that they don't actually increase his strength.
* A very early episode of ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'' features [[FatBastard Cartman]] winning an essay contest and getting to be on TV. It's PlayedForLaughs when he sees a commercial advertising a weight gain supplement, and worries that he's too thin when the commercial asks the viewer if they're tired of being a 90-pound weakling (with Cartman estimating that he weighs about 90 pounds - in a third-grader's frame). He gets a supply of the supplement, and bulks up to Jabba the Hutt-like levels. He thinks he looks awesome, but anyone else who sees him just says "Goddamn, that's a big fat ass!"
* One episode of ''WesternAnimation/BeavisAndButthead'' has the duo trying to gain a protein shake in hopes that it'll make them more attractive to chicks. After failing to order the actual thing (since they don't have any money) the two go over to Stuart's house and make their own drink using random food from his kitchen. The drink is thoroughly disgusting, but doesn't actually make any difference. The two try exercising for awhile (by which we mean badly copying the protein shakes spokesmans crappy exersize program, then jogging about 50 feet), but quit because it's too hard. When they return home, they catch a news story that the spokesman they were trying to imitate has just died of a heart attack (not in the least bit surprising considering the mans psychotically energetic behavior).
* Happens to WesternAnimation/DaffyDuck in the WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes short ''Muscle Tussle'', when he takes his girlfriend to the beach and she immediately falls for a musclebound hunk.
* In one episode of ''WesternAnimation/{{Kaeloo}}'', under the effects of TruthSerum, Mr. Cat [[BigEgoHiddenDepths reveals that he wishes he had larger muscles]].

* [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muscle_dysmorphia?wprov=sfla1 Muscle dysmorphia]] aka. "bigorexia" is a common disorder among men (and some women) who lift weights. They see themselves as scrawny weaklings and use strict dieting, hours in the gym and often steroids or other drugs to build their bodies and are never satisfied with their progression, despite being far more muscular than the average person.

* ''VisualNovel/DanganRonpa'':

* [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muscle_dysmorphia?wprov=sfla1 Muscle dysmorphia]] aka. "bigorexia" is a common disorder among men (and some women) who lift weights. They see themselves as scrawny weaklings and use strict dieting, hours in the gym and often steroids or other drugs to build their bodies and are never satisfied with their progression even though they are usually more muscular than the average person.

* [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muscle_dysmorphia?wprov=sfla1 Muscle dysmorphia]] aka. "bigorexia" is a common disorder among men (and some women) who lift weights. They see themselves as scrawny weaklings and use strict dieting, hours in the gym and often the use of steroids or other drugs to build their bodies and are never satisfied with their progression even though they are usually more muscular than the average person.

A lot of body-image issues are [[AlwaysFemale related to/centered around femininity]]. Thus, we have tropes such as ACupAngst/DCupDistress, HollywoodHomely/[[HollywoodPudgy Pudgy]]/[[HollywoodThin Thin]], FatGirl, and so on. But the same way that thinness and breasts are associated with femininity, muscles are associated with masculinity. Thus, this trope, in which a character angsts about having not enough or too much muscle. There are two versions:

A lot of body-image issues are [[AlwaysFemale related to/centered around femininity]]. Thus, we have tropes such as ACupAngst, HollywoodHomely/[[HollywoodPudgy Pudgy]]/[[HollywoodThin Thin]], FatGirl, and so on. But the same way that thinness and breasts are associated with femininity, muscles are associated with masculinity. Thus, this trope, in which a character angsts about having not enough or too much muscle. There are two versions:

* Muscle dysmorphia aka. "bigorexia" is a common disorder among men (and some women) who lift weights. They see themselves as scrawny weaklings and are never satisfied with their progression even though they are usually more muscular than the average person.

* Anvil in ''Webcomic/GrrlPower'' is an AmazonianBeauty. When she voices some anxiety about a publicity photo shoot, Sydney sarcastically asks if she's afraid of being "too physically perfect" — to which Anvil points out that a significant percentage of people find her height and build grotesque or repulsive rather than desirable or attractive.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'': The episode where Marge goes into bodybuilding had her obsessed with gaining muscle, despite being very muscular even for a man, due to her run-in with a mugger at the beginning of the episode. The muscle gain becomes a way for her to get rid of her feeling of helplessnes, until it becomes a goal in itself.

* The main character in ''Webcomic/BrunoTheBandit'' is shown to suffer from this, despite being a muscular adventurer, due to comparing himself to the unrealistic proportions of fashion model adventurers, who's musculature reaches ridiculous levels (think RobLiefeld on his worst art day).

* Hiccup of ''WesternAnimation/HowToTrainYourDragon'' is physically the weakest of all the characters, to his chagrin. It doesn't help that his father is practically a tank, and Hiccup believes that his lack of muscle is the reason behind his father's disappointment in him; in reality, as Gobber stated, it's more about "what's inside [Hiccup] that [Stoick] can't stand", which also doesn't help. Hiccup's strength lies in his smarts, but Vikings don't understand that as well as brute force. The [[WesternAnimation/DragonsRidersOfBerk show]] explores this further in the episode were Stoick has Hiccup drawn very muscular on a shield painting, which Stoick doesn't catch on how this hurts his son's feelings and only worsens his already ingrained insecurities. And while does remain leaner than most as he grows up, he ''does'' get stronger (i.e., being able punch the brawnier Snotlout so hard he also lost a couple of teeth) and many other Vikings (including the Twins and Snotlout) still point out his scrawniness in an unflattering way (either for [[PlayedForLaughs laughs]] or [[PlayedForDrama drama]]).

* Hiccup of ''WesternAnimation/HowToTrainYourDragon'' is physically the weakest of all the characters, to his chagrin. It doesn't help that his father is practically a tank, and Hiccup believes that his lack of muscle is the reason behind his father's disappointment in him; in reality, as Gobber stated, it's more about "what's inside [Hiccup] that [Stoick] can't stand", which also doesn't help. Hiccup's strength lies in his smarts, but Vikings don't understand that as well as brute force. The [[WesternAnimation/DragonsRidersOfBerk show]] explores this further in the episode were Stoick has Hiccup drawn very muscular on a shield painting, which Stoick doesn't catch on how this hurts his son's feelings and only worsens his already ingrained insecurities. And while does remain leaner than most as he grows up, he ''does'' get stronger (i.e., being able punch the brawnier Snotlout so hard he also lost a couple of teeth) and many other Vikings (including the Twins and Snotlout) still point out his scrawniness in an unflattering way (either for [[PlayedForKaughs laughs]] or [[PlayedForDrama drama]]).

[[folder: Literature ]]

[[folder: Live Action TV ]]

[[folder: Newspaper Comics ]]

[[folder: Tabletop Games ]]

[[folder: Video Games ]]

[[folder: Visual Novels ]]

[[folder: Webcomics ]]

[[folder: Web Original ]]

[[folder: Western Animation ]]

[[folder: Real Life ]]

[[folder: Advertising ]]

[[folder: Anime and Manga ]]

[[folder: Fan Works ]]

[[folder: Films -- Animated ]]

* Hiccup of ''WesternAnimation/HowToTrainYourDragon'' is physically the weakest of all the characters, to his chagrin. It doesn't help that his father is practically a tank, and is disappointed in him because he wanted a son like himself. Hiccup's strength lies in his smarts, but Vikings don't understand that as well as brute force. The [[WesternAnimation/DragonsRidersOfBerk show]] explores this further in the episode were Stoick has Hiccup drawn very muscular on a shield painting.

[[folder: Films -- Live-Action ]]

* In the ''Website/Neopets'' ''Tale of Woe'' plot, Bruno is a skinny Gelert who wants to become muscular to impress his love interest, Lily. He is offered a potion by a mysterious stranger that supposedly will make his dream come true. He takes it, only to be mutated into a grotesque monster.

** In ''IF'', [[spoiler:Enoshima]] teases her twin sister [[spoiler:Ikusaba]] to be too muscular, although that is rater an InformedDeformity. But since it's [[spoiler:Enoshima]] we are talking about, she may just trolling her.

->I think huge muscles
->Are fine on ''men'', but on ''me''
->They're kinda freaky
-->-- Titanium Maiden from ''Webcomic/TheHeroesOfCrash'' expressing the feminine version of this trope [[http://www.theheroesofcrash.com/2010Haiku11-27.htm in haiku form]].

* [[CuteBruiser Biske]] of ''HunterXHunter'' explains that the reason that she stays in her SleepModeSize is that her regular form is "too bulky".