As men become as conscious of their looks as women are supposed to be, PNS commentator Stanley Joseph notes that it is he-man images not Calvin Klein models that have captured their imagination. Joseph is on the staff of YO! (Youth Outlook), a newspaper by and about young people produced by Pacific News Service.

Young men are preoccupied with their own beauty these days, according to a number of major media spreads. What does male beauty mean to us?

One thing is certain. No man in this world would mind having Bill Gates's money, but a majority of men would mind having his body. No matter how much Calvin Klein tries to force Americans to look at skinny men, it is the well-built Tyson Beckford who will be remembered as the male super-model of the 1990's.

It's not that men are asking plastic surgeons to make them look like Arnold Schwarzenegger or Ricky Martin, but men are going in to be "built" like them -- from procedures designed to "structure" stomachs to biceps and calf implants.

Just as little girls looked at Barbie as their anatomy role model, boys had Superman, the Incredible Hulk and He-Man. Even in church, Daniel and David couldn't hold a candle to Samson.

As boys grew older, cartoon role models were replaced by sports figures and actors, but the images of the sculpted body never left.

"I wanted to be as big as Hulk Hogan and the Ultimate Warrior," recalls Billy Pascual, 19, who feels that he's too skinny. These images still motivate him to go to the gym.

Although imitation may be the sincerest form of flattery, it's also a window to self doubt. "When I was younger I didn't care how my body looked, but in the past three years I started caring for my body," said Dimitri, a university student, who admires the body of pro wrestler Scott Stiner and wants better definition in his legs.

This self-awareness runs into social awareness when men go to the gym and compare their bodies to those of other men.

"I compare my body to others," admitted Leon, who started working out three years ago. "Especially when you see a guy with decent shoulders. It's good to see what he's doing and incorporate it into your own work out."

Yet in this microwave generation, working out isn't good enough. Men want results now, so they are turning to supplements, particularly Creatine, an amino acid that supposedly boosts energy.

Another supplement is Androstenedione, also known as Andro, made famous by user Mark McGwire. Rumors of serious side effects have not stopped men from purchasing and using the supplement.

Indeed, men seem willing to risk their lives to improve their shape -- and retailers know it. Earlier this year, the FDA issued a warning on supplements containing gamma butyrolactone (GBL). Though GBL improves physical performance, builds muscle and reduces stress the side effects are potentially deadly -- it has been linked to seizures, and comas -- and health food stores removed it from their shelves. However body builders still can, and do, obtain it from the web.

Who are men working out for? At one end of the periodical rack, at a good distance from the fashion magazines are the body builder's magazines. While Sports Illustrated talks about who's number one for the season and Cosmo tells women how to rekindle romantic relations, it's Muscle and Development that has the best headline: "How to get bigger biceps...get that six pack in six weeks."