Recently it was revealed that bodybuilder Jelena Abbou is the new face of MAC Cosmetics, and I couldn't be happier about it! It's great to see different representations of femininity celebrated, especially when that representation questions what femininity is.
There was a piece in the NY Times about female weight lifters in the United Arab Emirates back in October, but overall there's not much talk about women competing in this interesting sport. I mean, my younger sister has been into weightlifting for awhile, so it's been on my radar for a couple years. I never understood why she wanted to change her body like that. Why would anybody want that? I was ignorant and didn't get it.
But my interest in female bodybuilding has been going strong for about six months now. It wasn't until I saw this amazing documentary called Pumping Iron II: The Women (the sequel to Pumping Iron, one of Arnold Schwarzenegger's first films) that my viewpoint on the sport was really made.
In it, you see several different women preparing for a bodybuilding competition in Las Vegas. It's interesting to watch them prepare and lift weights that most people cannot lift. Their focus and determination really does elevate bodybuilding from sport to an art form. Their body has become a canvas. It's so impressive. I can only watch in awe.
Even the way the documentary is made is interesting in that it's a predecessor to how reality television shows are nowadays: real/improvised dialogue but planned scenes. And there's a lot to talk about in this film because there's a much larger issue at hand: What defines femininity?
You'll find that unlike the judging process in male bodybuilding competitions, the women aren't only judged by how much weight they can lift but also by how feminine they are. "Feminine", rather, as what femininity means to the judges refers to how desirable the bodybuilding contestants are. Basically the judges want to see if a competitor can lift a lot of weights and at the same time be someone they'd want to have sex with.
Bev Francis is one of the main competitors focused on in Pumping Iron II. She is the most impressive, too.
Her image evokes a lot of feelings when you see her. Fear and admiration are the feelings that come to me when I see her. That's just me being honest. We aren't used to seeing women look so powerful. I like that it makes people uncomfortable and fearful. That's why above all I find Bev Francis to be a beautiful specimen and a work of art.
She's clearly the strongest woman in Pumping Iron II, but does she appeal to the judges in a sexual way? Is she still somebody they'd want to take care of and protect? Well, no. Bev looks like she'd do the protecting. She's not conventionally beautiful. She's not what most men would consider sexy. (In fact, I read that Bev later got cosmetic surgery in order to appeal more to judges.)
And that's why Pumping Iron II has some interesting contest results...
The film itself is out of print. Good luck finding a copy. I got a not-so-great quality version of it back in August, and even though there was an audio delay, I found myself glued to the monitor because it was just so interesting. I loved it. I loved what I was hearing and seeing and thinking.
Find it and watch it. I highly recommend it.
xo
craig hunter
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