Female Bodybuilding - A Condensed History of the Sport

In the Beginningadditional coverage. The Ms. Olympia competition in
As you can guess, the sport of bodybuilding began1991 was the first female bodybuilding title to be
with the men. Competitive male bodybuilding started intelevised live.
the very late 19th century. The most prestigiousMore Controversy and Some Double Standards
competition for men today is the Mr. Olympia contest.Since the beginning of recognized female bodybuilding
Here Come the "Girls"contests, there has been a level of controversy and/or
Female bodybuilding noticeably came on the scene inconflict found in the rules and judging panels of the
the late 1970s. The first official female contest in thebodybuilders' governing organizations.
U.S. was the Women's National PhysiqueMostly, the conflict has to do with how "feminine" the
Championship in 1978. The most prestigious title forwomen bodybuilders are supposed to be while at the
women today is Ms. Olympia, which started in 1980 assame time being very muscular. For example, in 2000,
Miss Olympia. The Ms. Olympia competition is currentlynew guidelines introduced by the International
the top competition for professional femaleFederation of Body Building and Fitness (IFBB) stated
bodybuilders.that women would be judged on "healthy appearance,
The National Physique Committee sponsors the topface, makeup, and skin tone." The IFBB also said that
amateur level competition for women in the U.S.women would be judged on "symmetry, presentation,
Interestingly, contestants in this competition are requiredseparations, and muscularity BUT NOT TO THE
to "maintain a feminine look. Extreme hardness andEXTREME!" (The caps and exclamation point were in
extreme muscle size is not acceptable." Besides thesethe original guidelines.)
two competitions, there are many other organizationsIn 2004, IFBB introduced a "20% percent rule,"
and contests for female bodybuilders all over therequesting that "female athletes in Bodybuilding, Fitness
world.and Figure decrease the amount of muscularity by a
Mainstream Exposure and Acceptancefactor of 20%." These kinds of double-standards and
In the 1980s, female bodybuilding started to get someever-changing rules can get confusing!
mainstream exposure due to some "scandals." AThe Sport Continues to Grow
couple of female bodybuilders had posed for PlayboyIn spite of the difficulties of the double standards, and
magazine. They were suspended from competition forthe fact that extreme discipline and commitment is
a year for doing this. The movie "Pumping Iron II: Theneeded for the sport, female bodybuilding continues to
Women" and some small television coverage of thegrow in popularity as more women are drawn to
females' contests - usually months after the actualweightlifting and the athleticism of the sport.
competition and used only as TV filler - provided