My Thoughts on Potential Changes

By now you have likely either heard of the IFBB plans for female bodybuilding, or
you are not interested in it. SO I will not waste your time going into detail about it. Instead I will give a very short summary.

The intention is clear. They want to almost de-emphasize the muscle. They want to call it Physique is what I heard. Now they may try and spin it many ways in order to
articulate why they are doing it. However I feel safe in saying that however they try and spin it, it is likely going to be full of half-truths, if it is even that truthful. The hope is, that this doesn't happen. But let's suppose it does happen shall we?

To me it is clear. It is an attempt to make the sport more "feminine". The
holes I could poke through that theory. First and foremost, why are muscles not feminine? I do not want to attach any names to this, but some of the most beautiful women in the world are bodybuilders. It is not because hey have muscle, it is because they are beautiful women. Muscles are not gender specific. They are a part of the body. Is a person's arm length a determining factor in their femininity or masculinity? Is the size a a person's nose a factor? Hardly!! So why would the size of a woman's biceps be a determining factor? By that theory is a man who is not into bodybuilding and not muscular less manly than a competitive bodybuilder? Femininity is state of mind, not a state of the body.

Now let's tackle this possibility. Maybe it is an attempt to be more appealing to
sponsors and things. O.k., well to me, that theory is saying the women who compete in Figure, Fitness, and Bikini, are not good enough. Because if that is the look that attracts sponsors, I saw many beautiful women with great physiques on the Olympia stage who would attract those sponsors. Women in those divisions work just as hard as bodybuilders and would be more than adequate to get those coveted sponsors, if all it took was the look of competitors.

Why can the men get as big as they want, and yet there seems to be an idea of limiting how big a female can get? Are we really going back to a time when women have to be subservient to a man, or men, or in this case an organization? Where a woman is told how she can do something? Last time I checked 2011 is coming soon. Some may say I am overstating it with that comparison, but I disagree. Because bodybuilding i a choice, an act in which a person can partake or not partake, and you are trying to limit how a woman does it and say she is not allowed to do it to the level or males.

There is a naive belief that people do not like female bodybuilders. You even hear the word "gross" pointed out. Now some may feel that way, but the reality is,
people are conditioned to feel that way, or don't wan to admit their fondness for a
muscular woman, because some in society have made them feel it is embarrassing to be a fan. I liken it to pro wrestling. For the longest time, people liked it but were
embarrassed and wouldn't admit it. Till the 1990's boom period for pro wrestling when it became "cool" to watch it every Monday night and order the pay per views. These women represent our sport, how about if instead of deciding if the women are "too big", instead you take some time to promote these women, let the world see how inspiring, hard working, beautiful, and yes, feminine, these women really are. Put that effort into it, the same effort you put into promoting the men in the sport, and then you might attract new fans and sponsors. These women are more popular than some people may think. If you go to a convention the line to take a picture with a female pro is just as long if not longer than the line for a photo with a male pro.

What about the women competing now who have spent years working and training to look like they look? No will they have to actually subtract from their bodies? They have worked long and hard to look like they do, now you want them to change that look? Doesn't seem fair to me.

I went back and forth with whether to write this. I may offend some people, anger some people, or really piss some people off. But in the end, I had to. This blog is called Promoting Real Women. Real Women doesn't mean just bodybuilders, or just women in fitness and MMA. Real Women, means women who are confident in themselves and willing to do what they love in what some will ignorantly call men's sports. Willing to be who they want to be. And I see this as an attempt to tell some women that they can't be who they want to be, so I feel it is my responsibility to write this.

Hopefully this proposed change does not happen. But rest assured, if it does, this won't be the last you hear from me.

Jason