Line #98 Main/MuscleAngst


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4	[[quoteright:236:[[Webcomic/ManlyGuysDoingManlyThings https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/jaredcommander_9027.png]]]]
5	[[caption-width-right:236:[[WesternAnimation/SheepInTheBigCity "I like a little definition. But that's just icky."]]]]
6
7
8	->''"I think huge muscles\
9	Are fine on ''men'', but on ''me''\
10	They're kinda freaky."''
11	-->-- Titanium Maiden from ''Webcomic/TheHeroesOfCrash'' expressing the feminine version of this trope [[http://www.theheroesofcrash.com/2010Haiku11-27.htm in haiku form]]
12
13	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]], WeightWoe, HeightAngst, 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:
14
15	* '''Not Enough Muscle''': The AlwaysMale version. A weak or skinny male character angsts about not being muscular. The focus may be on how this affects his [[WomenPreferStrongMen success with women]], his usefulness in sports/combat, or his attractiveness. If the focus is on his success with women, WeaknessTurnsHerOn may come into play as a solution/counterpoint.
16	* '''Too Much Muscle''': The AlwaysFemale version. A female character, usually an ActionGirl worries that her muscles are [[BrawnHilda unattractive to men]]. This version is similar to NoGuyWantsAnAmazon. Just like WeaknessTurnsHerOn may come into play in the first version, AmazonianBeauty or AmazonChaser may come into play in this version.
17
18	Might come into play during an OutclassedAtTheGym scene. Subtrope of AppearanceAngst.
19	----
20	!!Examples:
21
22	[[foldercontrol]]
23
24	[[folder:Advertising]]
25	* The ad for Charles Atlas where a bully (inadvertently) kicks sand in the face of Mac and his gal. Allegedly this actually happened to the real Charles Atlas before he started doing dynamic tension. A side note: according to several sources, Atlas built his physique with conventional weightlifting and then devised dynamic tension because he figured it would be easier to sell to young boys with plenty of Muscle Angst but without the resources to buy barbell sets or go to a gym regularly. The failure of dynamic tension to actually work wasn't a sales problem in the days before internet forums.
26	* Mixed with ACupAngst in an ad manga for Chasteberry E breast enlargement pills: the small-breasted person tries out all kinds of hoo-hah gimmicks to make her breasts grow, including drinking milk, using a suction device, and doing dumbbell exercise... The last one of course does nothing to increase her mammary mass but gives her muscled arms, which she regrets.
27	[[/folder]]
28
29	[[folder:Anime and Manga]]
30	* 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.
31	* ''Manga/{{Claymore}}'' has Undine, who always looks like an amazon warrior ready to rip your arms off if you so much as glance at her wrong. [[spoiler: She is actually just as lithe as the rest of the Claymores, but she lost a friend long ago and channels her Yoki into her muscles to keep up a strong appearance for the other Claymores.]]
32	* Shin from ''Manga/{{Eyeshield21}}'' doubles his training every time he thinks he underperformed 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.
33	* AmazonianBeauty Maki Oze from ''Manga/FireForce'' is insecure about her muscular build, becoming jealous of her teammates' "flexible and girly bodies" and getting distraught when she mistakenly hears someone call her a "gorilla". But that being said, when said teammates actually ''compliments'' her about it, she still responded positively to it.
34	* 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.
35	* [[CuteBruiser Biske]] of ''Manga/HunterXHunter'' explains that the reason that she stays in her SleepModeSize is that her regular form is "too bulky".
36	* [[Myth/NorseMythology The Valkyrie Þrúðr/Thrud]] in ''Manga/RecordOfRagnarok'' is a [[AmazonianBeauty muscular giant of a woman]] who [[BigEntrance smashes through a doorway]] in her first appearance (as one would expect of a daughter of Thor), before accusing Raiden of seeing her as a freak. When he [[AmazonChaser embraces her and says that he's fond of big girls]], she briefly looks as if she's about to cry tears of joy.
37	* In ''Manga/MadeInAbyss,'' Reg is a skinny RobotKid. Despite having SuperStrength and plenty of combat skills, at one point he gets depressed upon realizing that he's literally incapable of bulking up.
38	* 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}}.
39	* Variation in ''Manga/PokemonAdventures''. Ruby claims that he doesn't train his Pokemon for battles in fear that they will gain ugly muscles. [[spoiler:Looks to be a case of MusclesAreMeaningless, as it turns out his Pokemon are in fact very powerful and well-trained.]]
40	* 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!
41	* ''Manga/IThinkOurSonIsGay'': In one scene, 15-year-old Hiroki compares his own physique unfavorably to the muscular men he finds attractive, so Tomoko gives him a pair of dumbells in case he'd like to take up training. A CallBack twenty chapters later shows that he did, with appreciable results.
42	* ''Manga/UzakiChanWantsToHangOut'': Kiri Uzaki develops a complex about this (adding to the one he already has about [[HeightAngst being short of stature]]) when he hears that Ami likes men with six-packs.
43	* ''Anime/CyberpunkEdgerunners'': Flashbacks show that [[TheLeader Maine]] used to be really scrawny, lightly-built, and physically weak, with a strong implication that his [[spoiler:eventually fatal]] addiction to [[CyberneticsEatYourSoul cybernetically enhancing himself]] in the present day originated out of insecurity over his GeekPhysiques.
44	[[/folder]]
45
46	[[folder:Fan Works]]
47	* ([[GenderFlip Female]]) [[Literature/InfiniteStratos Ichika Orimura]] in ''The Mirrorverse'' has a little bit of this, since her [[TrainingFromHell intense physical regime]] caused her body to grew rather muscular. Understandable, since every other Cadet Rep [[{{Fanservice}} looks like a supermodel]] (or [[CuteBruiser unbelievably petite]]). Either way, [[UnluckyChildhoodFriend Dan]] doesn't give a damn, while [[ScrewYourself her male counterpart]] flat out said it's a sign of her effort and should be appreciated.
48	* ''Fanfic/PokemonResetBloodlines'' features examples of both versions:
49	** In the Whitney Interlude sidestory, the title character spots a [[MoralGuardians Johto Values Alliance]] ad. The billboard shows a muscular and lonely woman contrasted with a more conventionally attractive woman surrounded by male admirers.
50	** In Chapter 36 of the main story, Ash and co. are enjoying a beach day at the Seafoam Islands and meets up with a boy named Midori (again) [[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.
51	* In ''Fanfic/HeroicMyth'', Bell laments that he's not as tall, muscular, and manly as the likes of Archer, Gilgamesh, Sigurd, or even Welf. He's mortified when Ais briefly mistakes him for a girl after Jack calls him "Mommy". That said, he's actually [[http://i.imgur.com/MKwj8Ha.jpg quite toned for a 14-year-old]], and he's young compared to his teammates who have gone through puberty.
52	* An interesting variant in the Music/{{Vocaloid}} ask blog ''Ask Kagamine Len''--[[WordOfGod According to the mod]], Len (who appears to be [[AgeLift older than usual]] here) is a ''male'' version of the "too much muscle" variant. He also downplays the trope in two key ways; first off, he's not ''overly'' muscled, just fit and is thin enough that he can [[ClarkKentOutfit hide it just by wearing a shirt]]. Second, he's not so much angsty about his physique as he is embarrassed by it and doesn't like showing it off, to the point of wearing a hoodie to the beach on several occasions.
53	* Happens in ''Fanfic/JojosAlienAdventure''. While [[Franchise/Ben10 Ben]] isn't unhealthily skinny, he's an absolute twig compared to [[Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventure Jotaro and the rest of his companions]] with his average physique. He's especially jealous that because of their musculature, they can [[ChickMagnet easily gain girl's adoration]] whereas he only became a ChickMagnet as a result of becoming a public superhero. It is downplayed, though, as Ben recognizes that [[FutureBadass Ben 10000]] had a similar physique, and simply tries to accelerate the process.
54	[[/folder]]
55
56	[[folder:Films -- Animation]]
57	* ''WesternAnimation/ToyStory3'' has a small scene like this. After the toys arrive at Sunnyside in the butterfly room, Twitch helps Mrs. Potato Head back up and she is impressed by his biceps and asks if she can feel them. Mr. Potato Head is jealous and tries to flex to show his muscle, but his arm only limps down and gets skinny, much to his disappointment.
58	* 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 where Stoick has Hiccup drawn very muscular on a shield painting, in which Stoick doesn't catch on how this hurts his son's feelings and only worsens his already ingrained insecurities. And while Hiccup does remain leaner than most as he grows up, he ''does'' get stronger (i.e., being able to punch the brawnier Snotlout so hard he lost a couple of teeth and fainted) and many other Vikings (including the Twins and Snotlout) still point out his scrawniness in an unflattering manner (which can be used either for [[PlayedForLaughs laughs]] or [[PlayedForDrama drama]]).
59	* ''WesternAnimation/MeetTheRobinsons'' has an unusual example with Carl. He's a robot but at the end, it's all but stated that he's not very happy with being built with skinny arms and legs, and before sending his creator back to the past, he gives some suggestions that he builds him more muscular-looking.
60	* ''WesternAnimation/TheLEGOBatmanMovie'' plays this for laughs in a very subversive way. Batman learns he's unable to sneak into the Fortress of Solitude and steal Superman's Phantom Zone Projector because he's too buff to sneak past the security system (and keep in mind, this is a LEGO minifigure version of him we're talking about, so he's the same size as most everyone else). Batman merely curses his beautiful body, retorting that it's his cross to bear when 'Puter compliments him for his physique nonetheless.
61	[[/folder]]
62
63	[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
64	* In ''Film/TheRockyHorrorPictureShow'', Dr. Frank-N-Furter created Rocky because he wanted a man with muscles. Frank insults Brad's lean build, and Brad's fiancée Janet replies that she doesn't like a man with "[[ArtisticLicenseBiology too many muscles]]" ([[AudienceParticipation Just one big one!]]). [[SubvertedTrope She somehow quickly changes her mind by the end of the song, just about a minute later, singing "I'm a muscle fan."]]
65	* Steve Rogers, whose health problems and weak build keep him from joining the army and getting girls before he becomes Film/{{Captain America\|TheFirstAvenger}}.
66	* In ''Film/LetMeIn'' Owen is an extremely scrawny child which is one of the factors that results in him constantly being beaten up by bullies. In one scene where he notices a bodybuilder in his apartment complex, he looks down at his own scrawny chest ashamed.
67	* The film adaption of [[ComicBook/GenerationX Generation X]] [[SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute replaces Husk]] with a girl whose power is a form of SuperStrength where MusclesAreMeaningful that angsts over what's described as grotesquely overdeveloped musculature.
68	[[/folder]]
69
70	[[folder:Literature]]
71	* The protagonist of ''Literature/TheAbusedWerewolfRescueGroup'' is a very tall but scrawny thirteen-year-old boy. Even in the summer, when the story takes place, he wears multiple sets of clothes in order to hide how skinny he is. This turns out to be lucky, because when [[SuperhumanTrafficking the villains capture him]] he's able to squeeze between the bars of his cell by taking off most of his clothes.
72	* ''Literature/{{Konosuba}}'': Darkness is self-conscious about the muscle mass she's ([[InformedAttribute supposedly]]) building up from wearing heavy armor most of the time, and gets embarrassed or angry whenever people point it out.
73	* ''Literature/LoneHuntress'': Protagonist Lisa sums it up when she ruefully remarks, "I became a monster in order to hunt monsters." Part of her character growth comes from her gradual acceptance that the motivation for all the stares are less NoGuyWantsAnAmazon and more AmazonChaser.
74	* ''Literature/TheLockedTomb: Literature/GideonTheNinth'': Gender-inverted with Jeannemary, who's very taken with [[ButchLesbian Gideon]]'s biceps, wants to bulk up more herself, and has made respectable progress on that front for a 14-year-old. However, GenderIsNoObject in the setting and [[MasculineGirlFeminineBoy Jeannemary is the "sword"]] half of a SwordAndSorcerer duo.
75	* ''Literature/MagnusChaseAndTheGodsOfAsgard'': The male version is {{Inverted}} with Magnus. After becoming one of the Einherjar, he 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.
76	* ''Literature/ProtectorOfTheSmall'': Keladry, training to be a knight, is big and tall and develops muscle. There's a scene where someone takes her by the StandardFemaleGrabArea and she flexes her bicep so that it swells and forces his hand open. [[TheBully Joren of Stone Mountain]] tries to make her insecure about that, claiming she'd be pretty if she stopped working out, and she flatly ignores him. At times -- worrying about love interests -- she thinks they probably prefer small girls, but being a knight means a lot more to her than maybe "attracting" a man, and no one but Joren evidences disgust.
77	* ''[[Literature/ApprenticeAdept Split Infinity]]'' by Creator/PiersAnthony: A man named Hulk is a formidable opponent to Stile in athletic competition. True to his name (that was allegedly [[ShoutOut inspired by]] [[ComicBook/TheIncredibleHulk some ancient comic]]), Hulk is a towering, muscular man. He does not dislike his impressive physique, but he has a problem with the way it leads people to make assumptions about his character: he is tired of others thinking he is DumbMuscle instead of the thoughtful, sensitive, GeniusBruiser he aspires to be. This is the reason he challenges Stile to a footrace, an event that would seem to favor the smaller and lighter runner. Though Hulk is naturally slower than Stile, he almost manages to win anyway through cunning strategy and finding a shortcut. After he loses, he admits he hoped to show everyone how wrong they were. Stile, who has come to deeply respect him, assures Hulk he does not need to prove anything.
78	[[/folder]]
79
80	[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
81	* Atalanta in ''Series/HerculesTheLegendaryJourneys'', portrayed by Creator/CoryEverson, got a little bit of this in "[[Recap/HerculesTheLegendaryJourneysS4E9IfIHadAHammer If I Had A Hammer]]" because of one guy's NoGuyWantsAnAmazon reaction, so she covers her muscles up. This doesn't last long, much to AmazonChaser Salmoneus' delight.
82	* The 2005 Creator/{{TLC}} documentary ''The Man Whose Arms Exploded'' looks at an extreme degree of male Muscle Angst leading to [[PsychoSerum steroid abuse]] and (in the case of bodybuilder Gregg Valentino) ''injecting oil'' into the biceps. Can be seen [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZb-2srkbvM here]] (warning: some NauseaFuel and a fair bit of bad language).
83	* ''Series/RuPaulsDragRace'' contestant Courtney Act discussed this trope on the show and how she feels the worst of both worlds. When as presenting as her normal male self Shane Janek, he feels skinny compared to the {{Gym Bunn\|y}}ies of [[{{Gayborhood}} West Hollywood]]. But he worries that pumping weights would hurt Courtney's image, as she's famous for her ability to pass as a [[http://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/courtney-act-attends-the-rupauls-drag-race-season-6-party-news-photo/470551315 modelesque woman]].
84	[[/folder]]
85
86	[[folder:Newspaper Comics]]
87	* Peter Fox of ''ComicStrip/{{Foxtrot}}'' sometimes stresses about not being able to gain any muscle due to his superhumanly high metabolism. One Sunday strip had him and his friend Steve cramming a huge workout session into one day to prepare for going to the pool the next day. Unfortunately, the next day they're barely able to move due to being so sore.
88	[[/folder]]
89
90	[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
91	* Mentioned in ''TabletopGame/{{Pathfinder}}'' fluff as a source of self-image issues for half-orcs. Half-orc boys raised among orcs feel like ninety-pound weaklings and half-orc girls raised among humans feel like {{Brawn Hilda}}s.
92	[[/folder]]
93
94	[[folder:Video Games]]
95	* ''VideoGame/AtelierAyeshaTheAlchemistOfDusk'' has Regina's quote when levelling up, where she tries to hide how worried she is about becoming stronger:
96	--> ''Feels like my muscles... I mean, I'm gonna pretend I didn't feel anything!''
97	* Guan Yinping in ''VideoGame/DynastyWarriors 8'' is a rare female example of the "Not Enough Muscle" type, despite the fact that [[GlacierWaif she doesn't need muscles]] [[SuperStrength to hoist a weapon bigger than she is with one hand]].
98	* Yuko Nishiwaki from ''VideoGame/{{Persona 3}}'' has a case of this. She's tanned and toned, but other girls tell her that NoGuyWantsAnAmazon. This is a likely case of TruthInTelevision as the game takes place in Japan, where girls (currently) avoid tans and aim for that "fragile" kind of thin.
99	* ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWarsOriginalGeneration'': [[VideoGame/SuperRobotWars3 Lune Zoldark]] complains that, regardless of her diet or exercise routine, everything she eats turns to muscle.
100	[[/folder]]
101
102	[[folder:Visual Novels]]
103	* 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.
104	* ''VisualNovel/DanganronpaTriggerHappyHavoc'':
105	** [[spoiler:Chihiro Fujisaki]] has serious issues with his lack of muscle because of other boys bullying him for his weak body. Not soon after the Killing School Life has started, he desires to improve himself and build some muscle to overcome his weakness. [[spoiler:It's that determination that gets him killed by Mondo Oowada, whose inferiority complex, SurvivorGuilt and stress from the Killing School Life causes him to snap and kill Chihiro in a moment of uncontrolled rage.]]
106	** Sakura Oogami is aware of her BrawnHilda look and since she has a feminine side deep within her, she is sometimes insecure about her appearance clashing with her gender. In Free Time Events, hearing from Makoto Naegi that he views her as a girl really relieves her. (The only other character who does that is Sakura's best friend Aoi Asahina.)
107	** In ''IF'', [[spoiler:Junko Enoshima]] teases her twin sister [[spoiler:Mukuro Ikusaba]] to be too muscular, although that is rather an InformedDeformity. But since [[spoiler:Junko has been known to hurt and belittle Mukuro, especially in ''Anime/Danganronpa3TheEndOfHopesPeakHighSchool'']], she may just be trolling her.
108	[[/folder]]
109
110	[[folder:Web Comics]]
111	* ''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]].
112	* 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, whose musculature reaches ridiculous levels (think Creator/RobLiefeld on his worst art day).
113	* In ''Webcomic/ElGoonishShive'', Tedd seems to [[https://www.egscomics.com/comic/2007-11-24 view]] himself as scrawny compared to most men and [[https://www.egscomics.com/comic/2007-06-09 has low self-esteem]] because of it.
114	* 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 and points out that at least [[MostCommonSuperpower Anvil]] has never had to worry about being mistaken for a teenage boy.
115	* Titanium Maiden from ''Webcomic/TheHeroesOfCrash'' is very self-conscious about her hulking, amazonian body. It doesn't help that her teammate Cannon refers to her as "Chickzilla". See also the page quote.
116	* Jared of ''Webcomic/ManlyGuysDoingManlyThings'' starts trying to work out after being the one scrawny guy in a temp office full of TestosteronePoisoning. Commander Badass, the head of said office, warns him that chasing a body image as a solution to your life problems is a quick path down the road of disappointment and eating disorders. Jared, being [[CloudCuckooLander Jared]], completely misses the point.
117	** They also parody the Charles Atlas ad mentioned above. [[spoiler: Jared eventually gives up and sics his Gyarados, Mr. Fish, on the bully.]]
118	* ''Webcomic/MobPsycho100'': Shigeo is pretty insecure about being scrawny, anemic, and sickly, especially since his childhood crush [[WomenPreferStrongMen seems more interested in athletic guys]]. Thus, he joins the Body Improvement Club in hopes of getting ripped and impressing her.
119	[[/folder]]
120
121	[[folder:Web Original]]
122	* A ''Music/{{Vocaloid}}'' [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HSQZ4_LsPUs fan video]] by Kagome-P had Gakupo depressed over his lack of muscle mass, and his story of emulating figures such as [[Manga/FullmetalAlchemist Alex Armstrong]], [[Anime/UltimateMuscle Mantaro Muscle]] and an assortment of anonymous, heavily muscled figures in order to woo the girl of his dreams. [[spoiler: This backfires at the end of the video when he discovers that she's now into skinny guys and his struggle to get a toned body was for nothing.]]
123	* This is ''Creator/TeamFourStar'''s interpretation of Tien in ''WebVideo/DragonBallZAbridged'', possibly coupled with CantCatchUp.
124	-->'''Chiaotzu''': But Tien, the doctor said if your shoulders get any bigger-\
125	'''Tien''': [''darkly''] ''That's'' why we don't see him anymore.
126	* 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.
127	* Amane Kanata of ''WebAnimation/{{Hololive}}'' is very proud about having a grip strength of 50kg. When she was hospitalized due to an accident in October 2020, she found that her grip strength had decayed to 40kg. After mulling it over and talking to Towa about it, she decided to train herself back up to 50kg because it didn't feel right otherwise.
128	[[/folder]]
129
130	[[folder:Western Animation]]
131	* 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 a while (by which we mean badly copying the protein shakes spokesman's crappy exercise 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 man's psychotically energetic behavior).
132	* The first-ever CutAwayGag in ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'' followed a comment about how a poor self-body-image has created lots of problems, cut away to... a skinny and weak UsefulNotes/AdolfHitler in a gym, called Das Gym, struggling with a small set of barbells and glaring angrily at a musclebound Jewish man [[GentileJewChaser surrounded by beautiful women]].
133	* In the ''WesternAnimation/JohnnyBravo'' episode, "Jumbo Johnny", Johnny is lamenting over the fact that he's not as buff as he wants to be. He ends up getting conned into buying some bogus muscle ripper called "Uber Mass". It only makes him fat [[AttackOfThe50FootWhatever (and a giant)]] instead, mostly due to the fact that he chugged down what was supposed to last for six weeks in one night in an attempt to speed up the process. Thing is, Johnny was already pretty muscular to start with.
134	* In one episode of ''WesternAnimation/{{Kaeloo}}'', under the effects of TruthSerum, Mr. Cat [[BigEgoHiddenDepths reveals that he wishes he had larger muscles]].
135	* 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.
136	* In ''WesternAnimation/OkKoLetsBeHeroes'', Mr. Gar used to angst over his big muscles while he was in P.O.I.N.T. because he thought his crush didn't like him because of it.
137	* 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.
138	* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'': Happens in the "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS14E9StrongArmsOfTheMa Strong Arms Of The Ma]]" 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.
139	* 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!"
140	* 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.
141	* ''WesternAnimation/TheBatman'' Batgirl develops a case of "not enough muscle" in the episode "Brawn" when she is easily taken down by Joker, who is using Bane's Venom to overpower the Batman. She even starts lifting weights in an attempt to get bigger. She eventually loses this insecurity when her small stature allowed her to disconnect the Venom supply when Batman couldn't, because Joker couldn't reach her to pull her off his back like he did to Batman when he tried.
142	* ''WesternAnimation/DaveTheBarbarian'': Princess Candy feels insecure about her lack of muscles when her crush fawns over an AmazonianBeauty. So Candy gets help from Uncle Oswidge in the form of magic broccoli. She keeps eating more and more of the broccoli, getting bigger, uglier, and dumber until she's basically Queen Kong.
143	[[/folder]]

Context Main / MuscleAngst