Female Bodybuilding Research Articles

Body Composition and Its Perception among Professional Female Volleyball Players and Fitness Athletes (Silesia, Poland).

Female athletes experience both sociocultural and sport-specific pressures of an ideal body and appearance and are vulnerable to dissatisfaction with their bodies. Among sport-specific pressures, the type of sport is a predictor of body image dissatisfaction. The study included 150 females: 50 volleyball players, 50 bodybuilding and fitness athletes, and 50 female students, who were the control group. Body composition and perception and evaluation of one’s own body were assessed. BMI was similar in the study group of female athletes and the control group, but the bodybuilding and fitness athletes had the lowest body fat, while the control group had the highest. Perception of one’s own body in the aspect of the evaluation of specific body parts was highest among bodybuilding and fitness athletes, while in the aspect of body condition, the best results were obtained by volleyball players. Most female volleyball players were dissatisfied with their current body weight, as were women in the control group, in contrast to female bodybuilding and fitness athletes, who were most often satisfied with their current body weight.

Trans*, female bodybuilding and racial equality: narratives from a Hong Kong Chinese gender-fluid bodybuilder

ABSTRACT This article examines the construction of femininity and sexuality, specifically as trans* intersect with race/ethnicity, in sport. The third author (S.F.’s) lived experiences as a Hong Kong Chinese gender-fluid bodybuilder who competes in international women’s bodybuilding contests serve as an impetus to examine cultural norming and marginalization in professional sport. Narrative analysis and autobiographical memory are used to understand SF’s construction of identities in relation to her sociocultural environment and as a political process that alerts us to the power structures that permit certain stories to be told while silencing others. Specifically, this article problematizes how professional women bodybuilders are being constructed as objects that are expected to embody Whiteness and ‘authentic heightened femininity’. It highlights how the intersection of genderfluidity, race/ethnicity and bodybuilding defy dominant understandings of what is aesthetically, experientially and physically acceptable within the ‘norm’ in both ‘Eastern’ and ‘Western’, and masculine and feminine worlds. The discussion aims to provide implications to moving beyond the enduring binary gendered, racialized and sexual assumptions in women sport.

Transgender trouble: gender transcendence in self-ethnographic genderqueer experience in Hong Kong

ABSTRACT This paper explores key issues in relation to transgender and genderqueer experiences. It aims to: (1) to delink dualisms such as sex/gender, body/mind to suggest the inadequacy of locating gender identity through the “felt sense of self” in transgender studies; (2) to suggest a genderqueer perspective in reinterpreting trans subjectivity through self-ethnography. This paper first suggests a theoretical rethinking of limitations in transgender studies, then challenges the mandatory stable perception of gender and gender identity, and argues that the becoming of a genderqueer person involves a continual process of destabilizing and self-discovering identities. By applying Buddhist philosophy and my first-hand experience as a female and genderqueer bodybuilder, I aim to provide an innovative perspective to reinvent our imagination on gender and body. My unique experience provides successful praxis to explore possibilities that could transcend gender hierarchies and traverse gender boundaries. This paper ends with a discussion of a possible genderqueer narrative based on my gender advocacy in Hong Kong.

Moving beyond the image: Theorising ‘extreme’ female bodies

Since their entry onto the competitive scene in 1977, female bodybuilders have been the subject of sustained debate among scholars from a range of disciplines. Within this body of literature, discourses are polarised and offer two opposing representations of the female bodybuilder; one of resistance and one of compliance. This bifurcation of discourse, we argue, is symptomatic of a more general occularcentric tradition within theorising on ‘extreme’ or transgressive female bodies. In this article, we unpack these disparate perspectives and by drawing on research relating to anorexia and fat studies we advocate for an alternative theoretical space, premised on the affectual relationality/co-constitution of materiality and representation, from which to approach female bodybuilding as a corporeal practice. Moreover, we propose that by developing an interdisciplinary approach to female corporeality (muscularity, thinness, fatness etc.), we can dismantle unproductive and ontologically redundant divisions which segregate and silo feminist writing on embodiment.

Looking ‘acceptably’ feminine: A single case study of a female bodybuilder’s use of steroids

This article aims to shed some light on the motivations for and methods of female steroid consumption apropos broader changes in female body image ideals. Moreover, the study attempts to explore the connections between the competitive logic of liberal-postmodern consumer capitalism, ‘competitive femininity’ and steroid use. There is a growing consensus that an increasing number of women are consuming steroids, yet this phenomenon remains relatively under-researched and as such not much is known about this particular group of users. Utilising a single in-depth case study, this paper offers some additional insight gleaned from an ethnographic interview with a female bodybuilder who uses steroids. Her narrative elucidates some of the risks, harms and motivations for steroid consumption alongside broader changes in female body image ideals. Among the central findings, this paper highlights that the female bodybuilder is not resisting cultural norms but rather hyper-conforming to them by over-identifying with a hyper-idealised form of what constitutes ‘acceptable femininity’. We conclude that steroid consumption retains a strong connection to the desire for aesthetic appeal and that both short and long-term motivations for using steroids are grounded in the drive for conformity. This has pertinent clinical implications for health professionals, particularly in relation to the efficacy of attempts to reduce steroid consumption by warning users of the potential adverse health effects.

Preliminary Insights as an Outsider Researcher in Female Bodybuilding and Physique Athletes

Ethnographic methods provide meaningful treatment and interpretation of data, especially in doing Sociology of Sport Research. Experiences of different researchers imply a variety of challenges in gathering data, especially coming as an outsider. Different studies highlighted the access of “insiders” to their chosen discipline to provide better rapport with their participants, and that the “insider” access might provide perceived convenience in data gathering. Studying bodybuilding has also been dominated by this point of view. The paper aims to present the initial experiences and insights as a first step in doing research related to women’s bodybuilding and physique competition, as someone coming from outside the subculture. The article offers a review on contemporary studies related to the discipline, especially on the discussions on methods and being an insider or an outsider researcher.

The History of Bodybuilding: International and Hungarian Aspects

Bodybuilding is a scarcely investigated cultural phenomenon in social sciences, and, in particular, historiography despite the fact that its popularity both in its competitive and leisure form has been on the rise, especially since the 1950s. Development periods of this sport are mainly identified with those iconic competitors, who were the most dominant in the given era, and held the ‘Mr. Olympia’ title as the best bodybuilders. Nevertheless, sources reflecting on the evolution of organizational background and the system of competitions are more difficult to identify. It is similarly challenging to investigate the history of female bodybuilding, which started in the 19th century, but its real beginning dates back to the 1970s. For analysing the history of international bodybuilding, mainly American sources can be relied on, but investigating the Hungarian aspects is hindered by the lack of background materials. Based on the available sources, the objective of this study is to discover the development of the bodybuilding scene, its most important events and participants, from the beginning up to the present days.

여성보디빌딩 연구의 지형 분석: 정당성, 정상성, 정치성의 절합

여성보디빌딩 연구의 지형 분석: 정당성, 정상성, 정치성의 절합

Addiction, Passion, or Confusion? New Theoretical Insights on Exercise Addiction Research From the Case Study of a Female Body Builder.

Exercise addiction is widely studied in sport science and psychology, but at this time it is not recognized as an independently diagnosable mental or psychiatric disorder. Indeed, studies on exercise addiction assess a level of risk for disordered exercise behaviour, characterized by lack of control and negative personal consequences. It is argued that commitment and passion are two overlapping features of high exercise involvement which obscure the fine line between healthy and unhealthy exercise. The present case study examined a successful female body builder who initially claimed that she was addicted to exercise. During an interview she also completed three questionnaires and her appraisal of well-being in eight life domains were assessed at present, as well as retrospectively before her intensive involvement with exercise. She was screened under the Non-Substance Related Disorders category of Substance-Related and Addictive Disorders classification of DSM-5 for gambling, by replacing the word "gambling" with "exercise". Although she was susceptible to exercise addiction, attained high scores on obsessive passion, exhibited more than four symptoms on the DSM list, she exhibited no signs of loss of control and she mainly reported positive experiences associated with her exercise behaviour. She has obtained a nearly maximum score on commitment to exercise and high score on harmonious passion. Almost all aspects of her life have changed in positive direction after getting intensely involved in exercise. This case illustrates that the current scholastic path to the study of exercise addiction may be obscured by ambiguous assumptions and unilateral quantitative focus.

Flirting With the Judges: Bikini Fitness Competitors’ Negotiations of Femininity in Bodybuilding Competitions

Women’s bodybuilding manifestly challenges hegemonic understandings of the female body as weak, fragile, and limited. Because it has acquired characteristics that are traditionally deemed masculine, the muscular woman is thought to be in need of having her femininity “restored”. Perhaps for this reason, in bodybuilding competitions, female competitors are required to display femininity and implied heterosexuality on stage through their attitude, gestures, posing, make-up, hairstyle, and adornments. The aim of this study was to examine the experiences of competitors in the Bikini category to understand the ways in which they perceive and negotiate the expectations of idealized femininity within bodybuilding competitions. Semi-structured interviews, supplemented with ethnographic fieldwork, were conducted with nine female bodybuilding competitors. The data gathered indicated the contradictory views that some female bodybuilders hold of female muscularity and of femininity. The participants were able to negotiate the judging criteria, albeit at times reluctantly and with frequent expressions of criticism and disapproval.

Body Composition and Bone Mineral Density of a Female Body Builder Following 33 weeks of Pre-Contest Training

Marked changes in body composition (BC) often occur as body builders prepare for a contest. These changes are a result of nutritional manipulation, as well as intense and high volume exercise. Concern for the health and well being of the participant is warranted based on severe changes over several months. PURPOSE: To monitor changes in body composition and bone density (BMD) during a six month regimen of vigorous resistance (R), and cardiovascular training (C), a competitive body builder was monitored. METHODS: A 29 yr old female with 8 yrs of R experience was evaluated with Dual-Energy Xray Absorptiometry (iDEXA) for BC and BMD at 1, 24 and 32 weeks prior to competition. During the initial 22 wks she consumed an isocaloric diet and engaged in R and C at a frequency of 4-5 and 3 sessions/wk, respectively. The intensity (momentary muscular fatigue) and volume (90 min R, 45 min C) of workouts were similar throughout the study, but frequency increased to 6x/wk for R, and to 4x/wk for C, while during the final 10 wks (pre-competition) she ingested less than 1300 kcal/day (60% protein, 15% fat, 25% CHO). Her CHO intake was primarily ingested immediately prior to and during workouts. In addition, she ingested supplements of creatine monohydrate, BCAA, high protein and electrolytes both pre and post every R session. RESULTS:Table: No title available.Bone mineral content was maintained at 2.5 kg throughout the 32 weeks. In addition, regional % fat was reduced 42.9, 46.2, and 60%, in the arms, legs, and trunk from 24 to 1 wk pre competition, respectively. CONCLUSION: High intensity and high volume R and C training combined with limited dietary intake and high protein supplements can maintain BMD and LBM despite enormous reductions in body fat, body mass (BM) and regional fat distribution.

The Change in the field of Female Bodybuilding and Strategy to Keep Identity of Female Bodybuilders

The Change in the field of Female Bodybuilding and Strategy to Keep Identity of Female Bodybuilders

Queer and Uncanny

This article presents an ethnographic critique of the corporeal experiences of women as self-proclaimed natural bodybuilders. Drawing on detailed ethnographic work and interviews with 10 female naturals, a bricolage of multiply gendered identities and affiliations is produced. The analysis questions how in working to a “ natural ethic,” while desiring a “deviant aesthetic,” the female bodybuilder is paradoxically repressed by a “natural gendered order.” The narrative draws reflexively on psychoanalytic theory and transgendered perspectives, to examine the cultural concept: natural as a “queer” and “uncanny” paradox in which gender and identity are made and simultaneously dislocated.

Strong and hard women: an ethnography of female bodybuilding

Females with large muscles evoke strong reactions from men and women, often involving disgust, discomfort, anger and threat. The controversial nature of female bodybuilding has caused a significant rupture on feminist ground. Whilst proponents claim that female bodybuilding is a way of empowering and liberating women, others see it as a form of corporeal entrapment. This book investigates the controversy. Do women who pump iron resist physical restrictions of imposed femininity, or are they engaged in an ultimately oppressive quest for 'perfect bodies'? In an original two year ethnographic study based in the South of England, Tanya Bunsell immersed herself into the world of female bodybuilders. By mapping these extraordinary women's lives, the research illuminates the pivotal spaces and essential lived experiences that make up the female bodybuilder. Whilst the women appear to be embarking on an 'empowering' radical body project for themselves, the consequences of their activity remains culturally ambivalent. This research exposes the 'Janus-faced' nature of female bodybuilding, exploring the ways in which the women negotiate, accommodate and resist pressures to engage in more orthodox and feminine activities and appearances. This book will be of interest to academics and students in the fields of gender studies, the sociology of sport, the body and research methodology.

Strong and Hard Women: An Ethnography of Female Bodybuilding

Strong and Hard Women: An Ethnography of Female Bodybuilding

From iron maiden to superwoman: The stochastic art of self-transformation and the deviant female sporting body

This paper develops a theoretically grounded account of one extraordinary individual’s journey from female bodybuilder to Strongwoman. It is set against the challenges socially marginalised sportswomen confront in seeking to forge a coherent identity amidst the competing demands of the social, practical and embodied environments that invariably impinge upon such quests. Highlighting the complexities and ambiguities of the regimes to which Sarah and other ‘gender outlaws’ dedicate themselves, we begin by suggesting that these sporting vocations constitute stochastic arts; the practical indeterminacies of which are exacerbated by both the ultimate frailty of the physical body and the social inequalities women confront in pursuing such activities. Focusing upon Sarah’s life-narrative, we then explore within this framework the pleasures and problems she encountered when participating in and switching from bodybuilding to Strongwoman competitions, and identify what is at stake in this sporting route to self-transformation.

Female Bodybuilding: Perceived Social and Psychological Effects of Participating in the Figure Class

Female bodybuilding is a sport where competitors often make considerable alterations to their diets, physical activities, and social lives to successfully prepare for competition. No study had specifically examined the perceived impact of participating in the Figure class of female bodybuilding, which places less emphasis on muscularity and more on feminine presentation. The purpose of this research was to examine the perceived social and psychological effects of participating in the Figure class. Semistructured interviews, ranging from 45 to 90 minutes, were conducted with 11 female Figure competitors. These women experienced many positive consequences as a result of participating, such as a sense of empowerment. However, results revealed that women in the sport of bodybuilding do not need to be “male like” in appearance to experience negative social reactions. Results demonstrated that women competing in the Figure class, with the greater emphasis on feminine presentation and considerably less emphasis on muscularity, also experienced widespread stigma and social isolation.

Visualizing Resistance: Foucauldian Ethics and the Female Body Builder

Drawing on the relation between disciplinary power and aesthetics, Honi Fern Haber argues that the muscled woman’s “revolting” body undermines patriarchy and empowers women. Consequently, female bodybuilding can be a Foucauldian and feminist practice of resistance. I will argue that Haber’s insistence on the visibility of embodied resistance is flawed. By positing a static goal and failing to sufficiently consider non-visible aspects of normalization, namely pleasure and pain, Haber risks reinscribing the muscled woman into yet another normalizing scheme. In the light of recent work on Foucault's ethics and embodied resistance, I suggest that weight lifting may be more successfully recommended as a practice of resistance when undertaken to increase capacities and for the pleasure of the activity itself.

The metamorphosis of female bodybuilders: Judging a paroxysmal body?

Female bodybuilding raises an obvious question: how should we judge these metamorphosized bodies and associated practices? We will reframe this question as part of a short communication on what many people judge to be a paroxysmal body that is deservedly discredited. Drawing from Kant’s distinction between ‘free beauty’ and ‘adherent beauty’, our commentary revolves around the notion of aesthetic judgment. Different expressions of this are considered. For our purposes, manifestations of these judgments are discussed in two ‘ideal typical’ interactional contexts: one between bodybuilding enthusiasts and the other between female bodybuilders and non-affiliates within the cultural mainstream. The issue of judgment within sociological writing on female bodybuilding is also raised alongside our endorsement of an embodied, interactionist approach and qualitative research.

The female bodybuilder as a gender outlaw

This paper is a sociological exploration of the female bodybuilder as a ‘gender outlaw’, a figure who is stigmatised not because she has broken a formal law, but because she has disregarded so flagrantly dominant understandings of what is aesthetically, kinaesthetically and phenomenologically acceptable within the gendered order of social interaction. Illustrating our argument with reference to a two‐year ethnographic study of British female bodybuilders, we begin by explicating the contours of this deviance – associating it with multiple transgressions manifest in terms of choice, aesthetics, action/experience and consumption – and explore the costs accruing to these stigmatised women. In the second half of the paper, we attend to the motivations and experiences of female bodybuilders themselves in explaining why they remain engaged in an activity rendered perverse by dominant gendered norms. Exploring their commitment to an interaction order based upon muscle rather than gender, our conclusion suggests these women offend the most fundamental ‘collective sentiments’, possessing no authorised place in the cultural consciousness of society.