Body Building

I've been meaning to go on this rant for awhile. I'm not sure of how many of you are familiar with competitions in which people build up their muscles to become hyper defined and then stand on a stage to be judge to see if they are the most fit. I did not know an overly large amount about these competitions until a few years ago when a friend from high school competed in one. Having spoke to her about this afterwards she was extremely broken up. As an intelligent, athletic, good looking individual I was very surprised that she had entered this competition in the first place.

She described the entire account as terrible and degrading and was unsure as to why she had ever entered into it in the first place. Her boyfriend begged her to stop because it was unhealthy, but apparently once you're in it, its very hard to drop out. Whatever, that was years ago, and since then I haven't really thought much about them.

Recently, a family friend began the same trek that my friend had to become the ultimate female rock. I don't by any means want to discredit the amount of work and effort that goes into getting into in shape and becoming extremely muscular, because it takes huge effort and time. However, what I do take issue with is the way in which this is displayed afterwards.

The women are put into bikinis that might as well be strings. They are given a fake tan, covered in makeup, have their hair done long and styled, slicked in oil, and then paraded around on stage in high heels only then to be judged against one another before a panel of male judges.

I don't understand how any self-respecting woman, or any woman for that matter would feel liberated (I suppose I'm assuming here that women want to achieve some form of gender equity some time), engaging in an event like this. Personally I find this type of event to be far more offensive than hardcore pornography.

I also feel like maybe I have not expressed very well the extent to which this entire process was for me to watch a family friend engage in. I always considered this woman to be fairly level-headed, but also hardcore. People would constantly tell her that she was an inspiration, and that they were so proud of her, and that she was so amazing for doing this. I really didn't understand this. What she did was not inspiring to me. It was offensive. Use your strength and conditioning to really show people what you're made of, rather than leaving it up to a panel of judges who will regulate what you eat for weeks before the competition.

I would be so inspired if our family friend used her amazingly great fitness levels to enter into an ironman competition, or run a marathon, or summit a gianorm mountain. What she did does not impress me at all, but I guess that's just like my opinion man.