| Bodybuilding was essentially a male dominated sport | | | | named Pumping Iron II: The Women. She was |
| for pretty long. But once women started turning their | | | | considered over-muscular by the generally accepted |
| attention to the art, they mastered its demands pretty | | | | standards of femininity and her entry into the sport |
| fast, as they have been doing in pretty much all | | | | gave rise to a lot controversy about the standards to |
| professions. | | | | be applied to female bodybuilding athletes. |
| The first female star in the bodybuilding firmament was | | | | Bev Francis, though she caused a lot of stir in the |
| Lisa Lyon, who was born in California, in USA, in 1953. | | | | bodybuilding world, did not win the Ms. Olympia title, and |
| Her alma mater was UCLA and she was quite | | | | was placed second to Ms. Lenda Murray who bagged |
| interested in the Japanese martial art of Kendo. | | | | the title in 1991. Ms. Murray continued her winning spree |
| Though she was very much interested in bodybuilding, | | | | for eight more time. Her popularity had peaked by |
| one of the main reasons for her participation in | | | | 2003, the year in which she won the title for the last |
| women's bodybuilding competition was the active | | | | time. |
| encouragement she received from the bodybuilding | | | | Other well known names in the field of women's |
| champion Arnold Schwarzenegger. His judgment | | | | bodybuilding are Juliette Bergman and Mandy Blank. |
| turned out to be accurate when she managed to bag | | | | The former won the title in the Ms. Olympia |
| the first prize in the women's bodybuilding competition. | | | | competition of 2001 and the latter was a fitness |
| Another prominent star in the bodybuilding world is | | | | professional competitor of IFBB. Ms. Blank's body was |
| Rachel McLish, the first Ms. Olympia title holder in the | | | | not highly muscular and she followed a style that is in |
| international bodybuilding competition held by IFBB or | | | | consonance with the more commonly accepted |
| the International Federation of bodybuilders. The Texas | | | | standards of female aesthetics. |
| born woman rose to become an icon of feminine body | | | | There is also Monica Brant, a professional fitness |
| perfection and was inducted in 1999 into the IFBB Hall | | | | competitor who was Ms. Jan Tana Pro Fitness |
| of Fame. | | | | Champion as well as Ms. Fitness Olympia Champion of |
| Another name in women's bodybuilding world is that of | | | | 1998. And Sharon Leigh Bruneau is a Canadian model |
| Australian Bev Francis, who started her athletic activity | | | | turned bodybuilder who became famous in the field |
| as a shot putter. She and Ms. McLish together acted in | | | | and is currently pursuing an acting carrier. |
| the documentary movie about women's bodybuilding, | | | | |