Long before the age of computers, cell phones and even television, physical culture was being pursued on the shores of the Pacific Ocean near Santa Monica, California, the area that became known as Muscle Beach. At a time when most women in America were defined by post-Victorian stereotypes of femininity, the women of Muscle Beach were flexing their muscles and strutting their stuff.
Pre-Competition Days
In a now-famous image, a 1952 photograph taken by Philippe Halsman depicts Marilyn Monroe executing a dumbbell bench press, reminding us that women's pursuit of physical fitness through resistance training is not a recent phenomenon. In fact, in the book "Remembering Muscle Beach," Harold Zinkin, the first Mr. California, and co-author Bonnie Hearn chronicle the genesis of bodybuilding, tracing its roots back to the 1930s, '40s and '50s in Santa Monica, California. During those years, young men and women came together to bask in the sun, perform acrobatics and pursue physical excellence. In that milieu, female celebrities like Mae West, Jayne Mansfield, and Jane Russell hung out to meet men and take in the eye candy like Steve Reeves, who became Cecil B. DeMille's Hercules.
Early Competitions
In the 1960s, an era when beach movies were legion, women's physical competitions were essentially bikini contests for "in shape" women. Nevertheless, women's exercise was becoming a national passion with the advent of Jack LaLanne's popular television show and Elaine Powers' chain of women's gyms. It was not until 1978 that the first US Women's National Physique Championship took place in Canton, Ohio. In 1980, Rachel McLish won the United States Bodybuilding Championship in Atlantic City, and later that year, in Philadelphia, McLish became the International Federation of Bodybuilding's first Ms. Olympia.
Evolution and Controversy
Female competitors' physiques in the early days of women's bodybuilding were athletic but not particularly muscular. In the early '80s, the sport was still a novelty, and competitors posed in high heels, and were advised not to flex their muscles. But in 1983, Ms. Olympia Carla Dunlap-Kaan rebelled, and many others followed suit, shunning high heels and showcasing their "guns." Over the next two decades, women were adding size and muscularity, flying in the face of traditional stereotypes of femininity. Use of performance enhancing drugs redefined the playing field, enabling women to cultivate new levels of size and muscularity.
Recent History
In 2000, the IFBB instituted new competition criteria for presentation, including "healthy appearance, face and skin tone." In a letter to contestants, Professional Judge's Committee Chairman Jim Manion delineated judging categories which included "symmetry, presentation, separations, and muscularity BUT NOT TO THE EXTREME!" In 2005, Manion appealed to competitors to reduce their muscularity by 20 percent. Some critics view the newer guidelines as a sexist attempt to relegate female competitors to a traditional standard of femininity. Some see this attempt at downsizing as a swipe at female autonomy in the name of commercial marketability, citing the sexuality of photos in muscle magazines as evidence that the world of professional bodybuilding is still essentially a boy's club.
References
- Sportsposters.com: Marilyn Monroe Weightlifting
- Jrank.org Biography: Rachel McLish: 1958---: Bodybuilder - Became The First Ms. Olympia Read more: Rachel McLish: 1958---: Bodybuilder - Became The First Ms. Olympia - Bodybuilding, Women, Female, Contest, Title, and Event http://biography.jrank.org/pages/3673/McLish-Rachel-1958-Bodybuilder-Became-First-Ms-Olympia.html#ixzz1IqsOdaTq
- Body Building Tips: Female Bodybuilding Competitions and U.S. Female Bodybuilding Images
- Muscular Development: The Evolution of Female Bodybuilding: Shao Y. Tao, January, 2011
- VIP Health: History of Female Bodybuilding: Will Morrison, April 29, 2010
- Angel City Press: Remembering Muscle Beach: Harold Zinkin with Bonnie Hearn, 2004
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