Last night, I went out with a group of friends or rather muscular women for dinner. Naturally, we where greeted at the door by the waiter and shown to our table. At this point as we were seated, the waiter said straight off to us “you are strong”, while mimicking a bicep pose.
We just laughed it off and proceeded to order drinks as normal. No sooner later however, another waiter came to our table and basically said the same thing. One of my friends remarked, do we stick out like sore thumbs here. This then got me thinking, are muscular women attractive or Taboo?
Muscular Women
When you enter the world of bodybuilding professional or amateur, strength and conditioning or even simple free weight training to enhance body composition – we become caught in the perpetual problem, that of PERCEPTION.
Naturally as we continue to train, our body composition changes (for the better of course). However this still seems to be something that society is challenged by i.e the thought of “women with muscles”. Let’s face it overly toned or muscular women in society today are still taboo, unheard off. As much as we have moved with the times…
The attention professional female bodybuilders must therefore draw to themselves both positive and negative. I can therefore only imagine.
It takes a strong-minded person however to become a professional bodybuilder, due to the work and dedication required, especially for pro cards. I am sure they can therefore handle the pressure, however for the normal girl trying to enhance her physical appearance, such attention can still make room for her to query the don’t lift too heavy or you will get bulky myth.
Just leave me alone
The difference is that fitness competitors/bodybuilders usually don’t care just as much about PERCEPTION, after all they have consciously chose to sculpt their bodies this way. The point I am trying to get across, is that normal girls should not have to feel they should care or let others views affect there decisions.
Bodybuilders are therefore unique, as because they intend to compete. They are purposely trying to sculpt their bodies to fit their preferred aesthetic/shape. Increasing muscle mass, striving towards perfect symmetry and that “ripped look.” Due to these sculpted figures, these muscular women are therefore always exposed in public, no matter what. Even when clothed.
Of course they can wear baggy tracksuits but what’s attractive about that? And, if they wear tight skinny jeans or leggings their big boots give it away and boulders for shoulders in lose strappy tops. Bodybuilders and fitness competitors have silhouettes that stand out from the rest of society. So this means they can’t help but gain attention – positive or negative, whether they are not seeking it or not!
What I am discussing here isn’t a problem, however it just provoked me to think about what it must be like to walk in the shoes of an actual professional female bodybuilder such as Alina popa. Always bare, exposed, naked… These girls are vulnerable to an insane amount of unwanted attention. In ways we cannot comprehend -from snide remarks made in public, to trolling on the Internet.
That’s not even getting into the psychological assumptions made from the people regarding their lifestyle or behavior patterns etc. Being a remarkably muscular woman consequently leaves these girls exposed to a whole range of stereotypes and prejudices.
We are not all equal
Women are not expected to be as physically dominant as their male counterparts. Contrary, muscles are therefore another part of the body that separates masculinity from femininity. When a woman is seen with big muscles, it is seen as breaking the norm of society. FBB’s and muscular females challenge our perceptions about the difference between gender roles.
Muscle on women therefore doesn’t just expose who she is, but also who we are. Our beliefs, traditions and behaviors put on display.
I hope you enjoyed my blog post guys and thanks for reading. Remember you can check out lots of muscular girls here, as well as my own tour dates.
Was friends with an FBB, a heavyweight, around 5’9″, so she was big, Always interesting when we’d go out for dinner or something. But part if it wasn’t particularly because she was female, there was also the general “freak-factor” that a lot of people feel even around male bodybuilders. They’re just these out-sized human forms that are hard to ignore, male or female.
Hi Brooksie,
Thank you for your comment, I understand what you mean, I wouldn’t say freaks but I know the innuendo that you are intending, in that it would be hard not to bat an eye lid at anyone so big or muscular. The reasoning for this post I guess, is because it gave me an insight as to what life must be like if you were actually a real life full time bodybuilder. Not only do you have the challenge of making your own physique, to what they desire best but having to deal with the public and their views or opinions negative or positive.
S x
An inspiring post, with many thoughtful ideas brought up.
True that the perception of muscular women is determined by an irritation of gender-specific stereotypes. Isn‘t it irrational when muscles should separate masculinity/feminity? When the average man is genetically more muscular than the average woman, this is equally true of body height. But do we equally regard a tall woman as masculine? (Though men could feel inferior to taller women). Well, height is not a merit, whereas lifestyle might influence how muscular we get, which should lead to admiration of muscular women from both women and men.
I’d like to add that especially the negative perception differs specifically between men and women: boys are socialised to be strong (stronger than girls) as part of their gender identity. Thus the mere sight of a muscular women can make a man feel ashamed. Some women might reject their muscular peers when they neglect their own body (lifestyle, nutrition, sportive activity).
The irritation of female muscle on men (obvious in those with muscle fetish/Sthenolagnia) can enhance the erotic attractivity of muscular women. Muscle being one seemingly masculine attribute among femine ones like breast/pretty face. Would this be so without the traditions and norms of society, that you mention? (I don’t have the answer, even though I confess female muscle has this mysterious magnetism on me).
Your article should adress women (at least the immanent advice, encouragement), readers of this blog are supposedly mainly men. We will promise to pass on your benevolent ideas to all our woman friends they could apply to… .