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By: Carolyn Bryant To be big and freaky. Or not to be. That is the question that haunts women's bodybuilding. Some say yes. Others say not. Although this is hardly a new issue, the controversy has now reached a point where the line has been drawn in the sand amongst the competitors. In one corner you have a group of women who say they are being denied an opportunity to achieve their best in bodybuilding because they refuse to give in to how society, the IFBB or the NPC says they should look. They have taken their fight to a gender discrimination level claiming that the rules for the women are unfairly biased. In another corner you have a group of women who say the sport needs to change. In short, they are tired of the negativity and confusion.
Carolyn Bryant. "My personal vision is that bodybuilding put more emphasis on femininity and symmetry, and not only judges based on muscle mass," said Austria's Susanne Niederhauser, who placed fourth in the 2005 Ms. International lightweight class. In the middle of this catfight is the IFBB. Prior to the Ms. International, the first pro bodybuilding show of 2005, a new rule was legislated for the women saying they must reduce their muscularity by 20 percent, while no changes on aesthetics were adopted for the men. This marked the second time since 2000 that new rules were set forth for women. Both times the federation suggested that the women were too big and too muscular. Can the two sides come together and challenge the man in the middle? That's the next question to be answered. Apparently, the IFBB sides with no one. Just image and money.
Instead, the judges passed and crowned Yaxeni Oriquen, the same women who had won twice before. Not saying she didn't deserve to win. But this show was expected to set the standard for the rest of the year. Guess the time has not yet come for such drastic change.
If money is truly at the heart of the matter, then what measures will the IFBB take to promote the women in a way that the shows will make more money and the athletes will make more money? Perhaps there is something else going on. Inquiring minds would like to know. Female bodybuilders are being exploited in the worst way; everything from poor promotion, to being poorly paid. They have been given mixed signals about the how they should look for far too long. At one point they were convinced there was no money for the sport, yet somehow prize money was dug up for a new sport called Figure. They complain about these issues but not loud enough to be heard.
When will female bodybuilders stand up and fight for their rights to be respected and paid like pro athletes and stop fighting against each other? Let's go to the mailbox and see what came through on the subject.
"...As an amateur you'd get a trophy and maybe a T-shirt and a goody bag. As a pro, unless you are in the Top 5 or Top 3 you get nothing to show for your efforts. I mean NOTHING. Not even a certificate saying thanks for showing up! What is the benefit of being a pro? Status? PUHLEEZE."
Couldn't have said it better myself.
The top 10 guys nowadays make at least $50,000 per year. The top 3 make over $300,000 per year. Some of these guys get paid $2,500 a month by magazine publishers just to tell their fans what they ate for breakfast and what bodypart they trained and what girl they think is cute. The proponents of hypermusculairty have no proof their package will sell and bring more fans to the arena. If they do, then they should put their money where their mouth is and make it happen. The opponents can at least say there were sellouts when the women were more feminine.
They also share a common factor of being difficult to market by corporate America because they carry a negative stigma. But unlike bodybuilding, these other sports have enough fans to keep them in the limelight. Gyms are full of young women who want to get fit. But how many look at female bodybuilders and say "I want to be like that when I grow up?"
Meanwhile, the women's sports which are lucrative and popular are tennis, track and field, beach volleyball, surfing, gymnastics and ice skating, to name a few. Why? Because they all carry an image of glamour and beauty combined with power and strength. Again, men will pay to watch because the women for the most part are scantily clad and aesthetically pleasing. Its stars are making money, too. Wheaties box material. Nuff said.
Men run bodybuilding, the supplement companies and the fitness magazines, if you haven't noticed. The latter is the first group of men to whom female bodybuilders need to appeal. Apparently, they don't.
Heroin, crack, cigarettes and alcohol kill and destroy the lives of far more people than steroids. So in pushing for a drug-free America, let's start with getting rid of those other drugs first.
    The 2004 Ms. Olympia  Click To Enlarge.
Disclaimer: The news and views expressed in this column are the result of numerous conversations, emails and interviews from people in the industry who wanted to share their opinions. So don't hate me. I just work here. I am just that tired old lady who refuses to give up her seat at the front of the bus. Carolyn Bryant Recommend this article to a friend by e-mail here! Visitor Reviews Of This Article!
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Bodybuilding came along way before boxing. But boxing is picking up more popularity because its stars are good looking women. And we all know men enjoy seeing women fight each other.
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