Trainheroic is a website that provides fitness information for coaches and athletes. Trainheroic provides a brief history of women’s bodybuilding. The timeline starts with the 1930s. While the text is not meant to be a monograph, the strongwomen of the 19th century should be recognized. The strong women of the circus and vaudeville acts were the first women to display female muscle. Bodybuilding is seen as mostly a male pursuit. Trainheroic says its a male dominated sport. However, nothing remains permanent. Women are making their impact on bodybuilding. They are athletes, promoters, and commentators. The history of bodybuilding often ignored women’s contribution. Recent scholarship focuses on women who competed. Trainheroic either omits some details or leaves some claims to debate.
The first modern body contest took place in 1901. It was organized by Eugene Sandow. taking place in London at Royal Albert Hall, it only had three judges. Trainheroic erroneously claims that the first modern bodybuilding contest was Mr. America. The Mr. America contest started in 1939. Women did not compete in 1901 and Ms. America was established in 1980. Some sports scholars would argue that women’s debut on stage was in 1972. Bernarr Macfadden did hold women’s physique contests. Back in 1913. Called “Great Britain’s Perfect Woman” women were judged on their physiques.
Women bodybuilders emerged on stage in 1977. This was the first time in human history women developed muscle for aesthetic purposes.
During the intermission of Mr. America, women’s fitness contests were held. This was closer to a beauty pageant in some regards. Although it can be argued it was closer to bikini contests. Trainheroic would have a reader think that bodybuilding was invented in the United States. This was not true, because the physical culture movement was active on both sides of the Atlantic.
The Trainheroic timeline starts in the 1930s. The problem is it omits the early harbingers. Strongwomen such as Katie Sandwina became a notable for her feats of strength in circuses. Pudy Stockton would do similar acts lifting large weights and people. The strongwomen of the circus, music halls, and street performance paved the way for the physiques of the late 20th century.
The connection between the strongwoman acts and modern women’s bodybuilding is often forgotten. Primary sources show women’s involvement sports and physical culture.
The introduction should have provided that context. What are referred to the early days go back to the physical culture movement of the 1800s. Writing and documenting history is not a simple task. This is why historiography requires multiple approaches. Historical revisionism is used when new information, primary sources, and artifacts are uncovered.
Trainheroic made an error. The first Ms. Olympia contest was not in 1977. It was 1980. As the decades past, more women would compete and more divisions would be added. The timeline mentions the 1960s. This is more of a lull in women’s progression in the sport. Muscular women have existed prior to the physical culture movement and modern bodybuilding. A venue to present their athletic talents and physique was not available to them. The only options were in circuses, vaudeville, or street performance. This was not serious athletic competition, but show business.
Historical timelines are a means of summarizing events. Modern women’s bodybuilding can be traced back to 1972.
The misunderstanding is that history does not change. New information can be uncovered about events. This explains why errors can happen related to dates and narratives. Then others either try distort or present false narratives. One false narrative is that women did not have significant roles in history. That was challenged with the rise of women’s history as an academic discipline. What complications a correct presentation of history is the reliability of sources. Certain sources might not be accurate. This explains why incorrect claims appear in books and on the internet. Trainheroic did not verify its statements.
The golden age of women’s bodybuilding according to Trainheroic was in the 1980s to 1990s. Some debate that the golden age was only was between 1980 to 1997. Much of the discussion revolves around the preference related to physiques. Those who are wedded to nostalgia assert that women’s bodybuilding was better in the 1980s. Others claim it was the 1990s that had the best competitors. Much of this more about an opinion, rather than facts. Rachel Mclish, Corry Everson, and Lenda Murray would become dominant forces. Bev Francis even though she did not win Ms. Olympia developed the muscular physique that is now the standard in the open class. Trainheroic forgot to mention Carla Dunlap. Not only did she win Ms. Olympia she competed from the 1970s to 1993.
Women’s progression was rapid. The physiques became bigger and more muscular compared to the 1977 to 1980 era.
While the sport was getting publicity issues were apparent. The Ms. Olympia competitors were paid less compared to their male counterparts. The pay gap continues to present. Bias and prejudice against women in sports is a persistent challenge. Many in the past and present still do not think it is appropriate for women to develop their physiques. Sexism from the public and the IFBB put extra stress on athletes.
The major turning point came in the 2000s. Another category was added in 2003 known as figure. Prior to this the fitness class was added in 1995. A negative circumstance was the reason for the addition of new classes. Women’s bodybuilding was accused of losing its appeal and the women being less feminine. The misogynistic sentiment even extended to the 20% rule in 2005. The unfair ignore the fact women are competing in a sport, not a beauty contest. Attractive women were not absent from stage either. Valentina Chepiga had the pulchritude and athleticism to secure a Ms. Olympia win.
The 2000s saw the rise of new talent. Iris Kyle dominated the decade with multiple Ms.Olympia wins
During the 2000 to 2002 period the IFBB experimented with a lightweight class for women’s bodybuilding. This allowed Andrulla Blanchette and Juliette Bergmann to win the Ms ,Olympia. The year 2000 was the year of two champions. Trainheroic claims that the women’s bodybuilding pro division began in 2003. The date is wrong. The NPC and IFBB held professional contests officially in 1980. When Iris Kyle won her first Olympia, few could have imagined she would be the most successful bodybuilder. Trainheroic claims that the IFBB made positive changes, but that could be disputed. The judges had a problem with women reaching their full potential. Muscularity on women was deemed too “extreme.” The refusal to give media coverage and regulating women to smaller venues demonstrated a lack of respect.
A major omission was the circumstances for the cancellation of the Ms. Olympia between 2015 to 2019. This was not a positive development. The response was to create the Rising Phoenix World Championships. Women’s bodybuilding did not disappear completely. Contests were still held in other countries outside the United States. The sport was not the same without the Ms, Olympia. The contest carried so much prestige. The Ms. Olympia was cancelled because the IFBB no longer wanted to support it. It is difficult to sell a product, if the producers do not even like it. The disdain for women was apparent by the 2010s.
The Wings of Strength Rising Phoenix acted as a substitute for the Ms. Olympia between 2015 to 2019. More classes were added which included physique, bikini, and wellness.
Bodybuilding probably will not attain mainstream appeal. The introduction of new classes to make women’s participation more acceptable. The attempt to erase the immensely muscular women’s physique backfired to a degree. The WPD competitors were looking more like open class bodybuilders of the 1980s to mid-1990s. More classes were then added with wellness being the newest addition.
The new classes got their share of criticism. Some made the argument that the women were not real athletes and did little training. Bikini and wellness have been accused of this. The irony is that the same accusations were said of fitness and figure. These classes are now accepted. Wellness is still evolving and the physiques will be different as time passes. The options women have make it easier for them to participate. What is forgotten is that women have more divisions than men. Men have open class bodybuilding, men’s physique, and classic physique. Women now have six classes. This would have been unthinkable 47 years ago. The shift goes unnoticed, because men are getting more of the media coverage. The introduction of new classes was not altruistic. The intent was not to save women’s bodybuilding as a sport. Rather there was an goal of using sexualization as a business model. The attempt to phase out open class women’s bodybuilding did not work. Instead with the new classes, women could get their pro cards and switch to different classes. Andrea Shaw started off in physique and when the IFBB brought the Ms .Olympia back she won in 2020.
Controversy is a word that tends to be overused. How women look on stage should not be controversial. Other descriptions can be used for the image of the muscular female physique. Impressive, astounding, and magnificent are a few words that can describe women of the sport. The issue is women are under a system of institutional sexism. Then there is some minor feminist criticism. Some claim that the sport promotes gender stereotypes and limited ideas about beauty. The counter argument is that women find empowerment through the sport. The athletes do inspire some women to get involved and unleash the full potential of their bodies. The rise of the internet and social media has allowed athletes to market themselves. The IFBB should have been promoting athletes. Instead they are just gatekeepers. Jake Wood purchasing the Olympia made a difference. Wood cared enough about women’s bodybuilding to revive it. One of the most egregious controversies was the removal of women’s bodybuilding from the Arnold Classic. It was done for the sake of adding the men’s 212 division. Trainheroic mentions a very relevant point : ” sports don’t happen in a vacuum -the rest of society has an influence on sports for better or worse.” Bodybuilding when it began was mostly male and white dominated. The United States was a place of de jure racial segregation. This was present in all aspects of life . Sports were not immune from racism or discrimination. When racial segregation was defeated sports became more diverse. Women are now competing in various countries. Women having muscular physiques still generates controversy within the sport and the general public.
The historical narrative is constantly changing. Details about past events can be discovered. Women’s bodybuilding leaves videos, magazines, and oral accounts by the athletes. The sport is not mentioned much in women’s history. The sport shows a fascinating dynamic related to gender politics, women’s roles, and how sexism operates in male dominated areas. Women have more classes than men. It could be possible that their numbers will one day exceed men’s. A backlash could be the result of women’s expanding participation and leadership roles. Trainheroic did not want to use the words misogyny or discrimination. The problem is that many want to sanitize history, if facts present an uncomfortable reality. The majority of nations do not teach students the negative aspects about their country. The intent is to produce people loyal and patriotic. Trainheroic tends to sanitize women’s struggles in the sport. When the text was written Andrea Shaw won her fourth Ms. Olympia contest. Andrea’s prize money is still lower than that of the Mr. Olympia winner Derek Lunsford . That was Lunsford’s first Olympia win in 2023. Women’s contest tend to have long reigning champions. Unequal pay, limited press coverage, and gender bias are remaining obstacles to women bodybuilders. Over the course of history societies go through cultural and political transformations. The concerns about pay and discrimination could be resolved in the distant future. Barriers have not stopped women from competing. Women’s bodybuilding will continue to evolve and be the subject of debate.