Steroids: The Hard Truth

So there you are, standing in the grocery checkout line, waiting to buy your six-pack of pop and a couple of chocolate bars. As you idly scan the covers of the magazines on the nearby rack, you can't help but notice that everyone else's idea of a six-pack relates to rock-hard abdominals, and their bars are the ones they pump at the local gym. When you pair the quest for the perfect body in image-obsessed America with the glorification of sports, it's no wonder that teens are turning to illegal anabolic steroids to give them what working out cannot. Since steroids--basically synthetic male sex hormones--decrease fat while increasing muscle, they are seen as a shortcut to achieving athletic performance and a “flawless” body. In this episode from the long-running PBS series In the Mix, teens are informed about the dangerous side effects of steroids and supplements, and encouraged to explore alternative routes to a buff bod. Given the generally first-rate production values and solid content of previous episodes, Steroids: The Hard Truth is disappointing. Guest star Kevin Sorbo (The Adventures of Hercules, Andromeda) is lackluster (obviously reading cue cards), the teen host does little more than ask him to demonstrate a rowing machine (which, in keeping with the amateur camerawork plaguing the entire program, we never really see), the interviews are poorly framed and lit, and the script seems disjointed, jumping from talking head to talking head, many of whom are unidentified. Although it doesn't specifically address steroids, another In the Mix title, Self-Image: The Fantasy, The Reality (VL-7/98), which does focus on underlying self-esteem issues, might be a better choice here. Very optional. Aud: J, H. (E. Gieschen)