Female bodybuilding began to emerge in the 1970s as more of a stage show than a competition. Initially, women were expected to show more femininity than muscular development, with concentration on traditional sleek lines and slimness rather than strength. As decades have passed, female bodybuilders have slowly began to break through the stereotypical image of slender, less muscular physiques to bodies that show years of hard work and dedication to strength training.
The Seventies
In the 1970s when women began to participate in bodybuilding competitions, their role in the sport was not taken seriously by a large portion of the public. Women participants' bodies were not truly fit and toned, and to many onlookers of the competition, a female bodybuilding show was not much more than slightly fit, slender women walking around in bikinis. Because of the lack of support for female bodybuilding, along with the criticism from the public of women striving to lose their traditional femininity, the sport was relatively unpopular, and prize money was low in comparison to male bodybuilding.
The Eighties
In the 1980s, women bodybuilders began to get more serious and competitive about their sport. Although women were still largely judged on attractiveness, muscular physiques began to dominate the female bodybuilding world. In this decade, the Miss Olympia and Miss International titles were created, adding to the seriousness of the sport. The first competitor named Miss Olympia was a muscular woman named Rachel McLish.
The Nineties
Although many female bodybuilders abandoned the idea that women should remain small and thin in stature, bias against muscularly developed female bodybuilders was still apparent in competitions in the 1990s. This was evident as several championships passed over obviously well-developed female competitors such as Bev Francis, who repeatedly lost the Miss Olympia title to smaller, less muscular participants.
Today
Although female bodybuilding has evolved since the 1970s, female bodybuilding is still not as widely accepted and supported as male bodybuilding. Prize money is not as grand for female competitions and the public still questions the rationality of women developing large muscles. However, this sport continues to gain gradual acceptance and is on track to becoming more widely supported in the future.
Member Comments