In the sport of bodybuilding, women have pushed barriers to participate. Initially a male dominated sport, women now participate in and can be judged on their muscles and mass just like men. While there are still boundaries that persist, women continue to thrive and fight their way through the sport to achieve success.
Women in Bodybuilding
Bodybuilding focuses on muscles and strength of the body. Men are judged upon the size of their muscles and masculinity. On the other hand, judges look for more feminine aspects of a woman's body when she walks on stage. Judges desire to see a woman who appears feminine on stage, which can cause conflict for women in the sport of bodybuilding.
Past
In the early 1970s women began to participate in bodybuilding, according to Jodi O'Brien in the "Encyclopedia of Gender and Society, Volume 1". Rather than display their muscles during a competition, women were asked to perform in high heels and bikinis, similar to the Miss America pageant. Furthermore, overt muscles were frowned upon during the judging. However, competitions began to change in 1980 when the Ms. Olympic Competition began. According to Leslie Heywood in "Bodymarkers: A Cultural Anatomy of Women's Body Building," the Ms. Olympic Competition encourages big muscles on women, and deems women who achieve them gifted.
A Balance of Features
As of 2011, women are still judged upon female features such as evenness of the body and face, beauty, application of make-up and healthy appearance, according to Jodi O'Brien. Bodybuilding, however, has evolved into a balance between masculine and feminine features for women. Muscles are more looked at than they have ever been in the past. The goal of women's bodybuilding is to develop more streamlined competitions that focus on the muscles, according to Leslie Heywood.
Future
The sport of bodybuilding for women has evolved within itself. It allows participants to push the envelope and develop new ideals for a woman's body. It forces society to look at women differently. It provides women with power and strength while they break through boundaries, though wars still flare up in bodybuilding for women. In the end, it comes down to the ideal of a woman's body vs. muscles, says Leslie Heywood. Society wants women to appear feminine, slender and toned, rather than to display power through large muscles.
References
- "Encyclopedia of Gender and Society, Volume 1"; Jodi O'Brien; 2009
- "Bodymarkers: A Cultural Anatomy of Women's Body Building"; Leslie Heywood; 1998
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