Fake Natty

About

Fake Natty is a slang term short for "Fake Natural" and is used to describe a bodybuilder who secretly uses performance-enhancing drugs to attain a strong, muscular appearance. The expression is often used in an accusatory tone whenever a bodybuilder or fitness influencer is claiming to have obtained their physique naturally. Fake natty was first introduced online around 2013, increasing in prevalence over the following years.

Origin

The term "fake natty" originated outside the online environment, mainly used by bodybuilders and fitness enthusiasts. On April 27th, 2018, Urban Dictionary user @AllNattyGains^[1] explained (shown below) that "Fake Natty" refers to "Someone who uses roids[steroids] and gear but still claims to be natural."

The earliest known online mention of the term was posted as a comment by a Muscle and Strength user named John G (shown below) on August 24th, 2013. The article^[2] is an interview with pro-bodybuilding athlete Victor Egonu.

Spread

In 2016, fake natty became a more widespread expression to expose or call out bodybuilders trying to hide the usage of steroids and other substances to enhance their physics. For instance, the YouTube account @AnabolicAliens^[3] posted a video on August 24th, 2016, titled "STEROID USE – NATURAL – FAKE NATTY | The Reality," which addresses steroid use, being natural and "those who claim natural but are not (fake natty)." The video (shown below) garnered roughly 9,200 views and 393 likes in seven years.

The term became a trending topic in Brazil in late July 2023 after the bodybuilder Rodrigo Góes started to post videos exposing other athletes' alleged use of steroids and other substances.

For example, on July 20th, 2023, Twitter user @NBAdabad^[4] posted a shirtless picture of American basketball player LeBron James paired with the caption "natural or fake natty." The post (shown below, left) garnered over 10,400 likes and 279 retweets in a week. Twitter user @goleadadazoeira^[5] posted on July 18th, a picture of the Brazilian referee Anderson Daronco paired with the same caption (shown below, right), which received over 8,800 likes and 500 retweets in a week.

Various Examples

Search Interest

External References