Women's Bodybuilding, Confusion and Disillusion

In the UK it seems that a more feminine look is being required - the general public don't seem to like us any more with our freaky muscles, they seem to prefer the fitness/figure look and I suppose to some it is more pleasing to the eye. However, what do you do? Do you play the game and try to get as feminine as possible even going as far as breast implants or do you continue building your awesome frame so they cant ignore you and have to give you that first place?

There is another side to all this though. I have found that since going back into bodybuilding I am having to keep a very close eye on the way I look. At least with the powerlifting you just looked square and not overly muscular, but since bodybuilding my shape is changing and I am aware of how masculine it makes me look. I always said that I would never play the game and grow my hair etc etc but to be honest with watching how masculine my physique is becoming I am trying really hard now to keep as feminine a look as possible.

?A lot of women have given up the sport because of lack of clarity on the judging criteria as well as general stigma now which is a real shame as we should be encouraging and nurturing the newcomers who are our next generation of possible great bodybuilders ?

It is very hard and time consuming but it also aids your mental state. Remember that us girlies are putting testosterone into our systems, using oestrogen blockers like Tamoxifen and Proviron. However you want to argue the point it still fucks around with your hormonal balance and emotional state and you 'feel' more masculine so putting that extra effort into your appearance does somewhat help your self esteem. Your confidence can sometimes can take a really serious knock if a fat couch potato educationally sub-normal wanker that has never trained in his life says something really unkind to you like 'are you a girl or a bloke?' or 'you look disgusting - you must be a dyke' and yes people do say stuff like that.

I went to the WABBA World Championships in Barcelona last week and what an eye opener. Yes, they had competitors with silicone tits but these girls got judged exactly the same as the rest of us flat chested girlies up there. There was definitely a different attitude in the organisation towards women's physique bodybuilding. It was how it used to be. I was told that we would get judged on our physiques only before I went but I didn't believe it.

Disillusionment had been creeping in until then - but when I went to Barcelona and saw the judging I was brimming with enthusiasm again. Maybe I could be doing with a little more feminine charm and grace but at least in this organisation I would get judged on my physique and the femininity issue would be more for me and my self esteem than for on the day of the show.

So what do we do at home?? I think most of us want to be the EFBB British Title holders don't we? I think we would be lying if we said no. The EFBB British is still THE show that we all want to win on a national level no matter how much we bitch about it.

I know one awesome female heavyweight physique girl who should have got placed better than she did this year, and it was the same last year, and the year before that but it was pointed out to me that she didn't present as well as the girl that won and that she stood like a bloke. WHAT BULLSHIT, it shouldn't be like that. The girl I am talking about is Gaynor Davies who has been competing for many years and she also has competed the last 2 years in the Universe and done well. She can come in whatever condition you ask her to - big and full, small and ripped, she is hugely talented and apart from all that she is a genuinely nice person. I think it's a real shame and it still isn't clear whether she will carry on competing or not after the results this year again.

Many of us are totally unclear on what the organisations are looking for - you hear a whisper about bigger and less ripped so you come in looking like that - and - bang - you find its smaller with striated glutes! A lot of women have given up the sport because of lack of clarity on the judging criteria as well as general stigma now which is a real shame as we should be encouraging and nurturing the newcomers who are our next generation of possible great bodybuilders. So, please, could we have some set in stone judging criteria please?? What would be interesting to hear is from the guy's point of view. It's all very well me banging on about women's issues in bodybuilding but do the guys have any sort of similar problems? And no I'm not talking about prejudice on the size of your lunch box!

It would also be interesting to know from the guys point of view what the attitude of women is towards muscular men now as a friend of mine who has been competing for many years has said that he now finds it really difficult to get a girlfriend as women these days don't like the muscular look and are going for heroin addict lookalikes which he feels is related to the changing roles for men since the 90's man emerged with his caring sharing feminine side and limp handshake??..eeeeeeewwwwwwww!!! uuuggggghhhhh, I can?t see the attraction but then with two tall previous exceptions I go for very short, very muscular men. Lee Priest - come and get me!!

TALK TO ME! Tell me what you think and what your own experiences are and whether you think I am dribbling bullshit and should be publicly flogged with a wet dishcloth or maybe you think I am absolutely right and you want to make me all yours and finance my bodybuilding forever!! Without your experiences and comments the points I am trying to raise are worthless really and it also makes me look at things from other points of view that I may not have considered before.

Article contributed by Emma to Mick Hart's No Bull Collection. A fast growing, hardcore, bodybuilding and anabolic steroids magazine. The most controversial, politically incorrect, hard hitting, outspoken and FACTUAL bodybuilding and steroid magazine you will ever read. Not for the weak hearted. Learn more about bodybuilding's top cult mag, packed with great articles and Mick's own brand of humour. http://www.nobullcollection.com/