Wellness is probably the biggest pet peeve I have.....The hair flips, exaggerated walking and hand poses, and the ass posing. All of that should be in bikini....sure, its a level of development higher than figure but below physique but the pageantry is pretty ridiculous in my eyes. Don't get me wrong, the women are all amazing but its just so fake and out of place for what should be a muscle showcase.
Wellness is probably the biggest pet peeve I have.....The hair flips, exaggerated walking and hand poses, and the ass posing. All of that should be in bikini....sure, its a level of development higher than figure but below physique but the pageantry is pretty ridiculous in my eyes. Don't get me wrong, the women are all amazing but its just so fake and out of place for what should be a muscle showcase.
Yes! I agree with you. I feel like contest organizers decided “hey, this is what we see muscular women post on social media, let’s replicate it on stage!” It’s almost like they want to emphasize “femininity,” but essentially overcorrected to the point that it looks awkward and ridiculous.
I don't disagree with what has already been typed. However, my biggest dislike of bodybuilding contests is that they are boring. It is just an endless parade of competitors walking across the stage until you get to the fitness, physique and bodybuilding categories where they have routines that allow for some individual expression. These routines seem to have very little to do with who wins. As was stated before, those categories have less competitors. In addition the emcee for the event is usually a retired bodybuilder of some sort that has no stage presence. To make it more interesting they should try to find an entertainer/comedian to emcee the events. Better presentation of the competitors would help as well, for instance having intro videos like WWE (include where the person is from, how many years they have competed, previous placings). Or just have those running in addition to the advertisements before the show. Also explanations of each category for family and friends that don't understand the sport and what the judges are looking for. That might help bring in fans and increase attendance.
That being said, I think the overall culture is a bit too clique. If you don't look like you participate in the sport then you can get weird looks that say you just don't belong there, in my experience anyway.
I don't disagree with what has already been typed. However, my biggest dislike of bodybuilding contests is that they are boring. It is just an endless parade of competitors walking across the stage until you get to the fitness, physique and bodybuilding categories where they have routines that allow for some individual expression. These routines seem to have very little to do with who wins. As was stated before, those categories have less competitors. In addition the emcee for the event is usually a retired bodybuilder of some sort that has no stage presence. To make it more interesting they should try to find an entertainer/comedian to emcee the events. Better presentation of the competitors would help as well, for instance having intro videos like WWE (include where the person is from, how many years they have competed, previous placings). Or just have those running in addition to the advertisements before the show. Also explanations of each category for family and friends that don't understand the sport and what the judges are looking for. That might help bring in fans and increase attendance.
That being said, I think the overall culture is a bit too clique. If you don't look like you participate in the sport then you can get weird looks that say you just don't belong there, in my experience anyway.
No lies were said here. Presentation is key in anything. At its core, the Super Bowl is a football game, but everything surrounding it makes it the spectacle that is it today. Same with Wrestlemania. At its core, it’s just a wrestling show, but everything surrounding it makes it a must-see attraction. A good deal of bodybuilders are actually not that boring but the actual presentation of a show is. It doesn’t have a must-see vibe that makes different folks want to check it out. You’re sustaining to the core audience but not growing. That’s why other entities have become bigger than you would think and bodybuilding (despite the growth of its amount of categories for men and woman) has not grown as a industry.
I don't like that they call their fans Schmoes. And they don't have a lot of fans, but who they have is really into them. And they aint getting any younger. I can't think of any other sport that refers to its fans with a derogatory name right to their face.
But I will empathize with all female sports that it has to be hard because you are first and foremost hot or not. The fact that youre a hot basketball player, bodybuilder, or gymnast certainly adds to their sexyness. But with us guys I'm sorry it's all we care about and we haven't always been kind either.
Agree with all you guys said above, you'll get no arguments from me. Regarding the Wellness division specifically, the ridiculousness of some its aspects makes it ironically charming... After all, it's just a 'enhanced' beauty contest.
My biggest grievance, however, would be the stage lightning. In most of the cases, it's total crap and it's just hard to believe it's seldom due to budget constraints or location issues. Obviously, we're not looking for a Roger Deakins to do the job but it's not asking for much to hit the bare minimum when it comes to showcasing physiques on stage.
I don't like that they call their fans Schmoes. And they don't have a lot of fans, but who they have is really into them. And they aint getting any younger. I can't think of any other sport that refers to its fans with a derogatory name right to their face.
But I will empathize with all female sports that it has to be hard because you are first and foremost hot or not. The fact that youre a hot basketball player, bodybuilder, or gymnast certainly adds to their sexyness. But with us guys I'm sorry it's all we care about and we haven't always been kind either.
To be fair, there is a difference between being a fan and being a “schmoe.” I don’t think the majority of female bodybuilders and muscular women have a problem with guys who find them attractive, and (again, there are exceptions,) and don’t consider them schmoes. Rather, it’s the dudes that act creepy and basically let their fetish dominate their interactions with them that create that “schmoe” label.
And while it is true that men who like muscular women are in the minority, there are more out there than you might realize, and there are far more men who are attracted to muscular women than there are muscular women. When I was younger and I, for lack of a better phrase, did not know how to properly and respectfully interact with muscular women, I asked one about why it’s so hard to meet and be in relationships with female bodybuilders since so few guys are into them, and she curtly told me that more men than I realize are into them. That was definitely a revelation.
I think the bodybuilding routines are often too short and in some bodybuilding contests they have this big screen in the background that sounds like a good thing but it messes up the recording i also wish there where better quality recording of the contests in general since they are usually recorded by some random guy in the audience.
Men being judges in WOMEN'S bodybuilding.
Can you explain why both men and women can't judge both categories? I can't think of a reason.
I don't like that they call their fans Schmoes. And they don't have a lot of fans, but who they have is really into them. And they aint getting any younger. I can't think of any other sport that refers to its fans with a derogatory name right to their face.
You're talking about a really small number of people who even use that term. They get airtime, because negative press is what generates the clicks.
This will sound odd but I don't like the look. First the judges make them diet down to a sinewy and unrecognizable. Second, the artificial tan looks ridiculous. My strongest preference is for the off season look. Also, I don't like the way they treat the fans, even the schmoes. They bust their asses (and often mess with their own health) to grow big, attention getting muscles. Then many times they smirk and look down upon us when we admire them. Don't get me wrong, I'm not endorsing strangers violating anybody's space but some of the things that the women say about the fans on IG and other places suggests contempt for their "admirers".
Also, I don't like the way they treat the fans, even the schmoes. They bust their asses (and often mess with their own health) to grow big, attention getting muscles. Then many times they smirk and look down upon us when we admire them. Don't get me wrong, I'm not endorsing strangers violating anybody's space but some of the things that the women say about the fans on IG and other places suggests contempt for their "admirers".
I have never met or talked to a female bodybuilder who doesn't like their effort and hard work admired, never.
What they don't like is being treated like a fetish object instead of a normal human being.
A lot of the women in the industry get defensive when it comes to calling their clients shmoes, tbh. The ones who are built but not into the fetish scene tend to be the ones to insult those who want that from them. For example, Brandi Mae Akers did a (kind of weirdly uncomfortable) interview with regular average daytime TV people similar to 'Good Morning America' - can't find the video link, sorry - but the interviewer lady was referring to her clientele as 'schmoes'. It was super cringey because she was acting like a lost little lamb on the subject, like "Gosh, don't blame me, I don't know what I speak of like I don't understand the culture of some indigenous tribe who's never seen my white ass before." Brandi Mae succinctly put her in her place, it was great.
So yeah, that attitude from those women will keep them out of the shmoe arena. Leave them to the ones who cater to their desires and all the better for it, it all works out in the end.
"I don't like that they call their fans Schmoes....." Easy solution there. Don't act like a schmoe, or an incel.
Pretty much.
Most female bodybuilders and muscular women who aren’t into the fetish market tend to be indifferent at most towards that industry and those who are involved in it. Rather, again, they get annoyed and look down on people who actively interact toward them by wearing their fetish on their sleeve. I’ve noticed a lot of arguments from dudes who are like “but I was only giving them a compliment!” When in reality the “compliment” was a strong fetish statement.
From all my interactions, in person and otherwise, with muscular women, there’s only one person I can think of who really was a shitty person who looked down on those who found her attractive that she deemed as “beneath” her, but she was a shitty person in general. Having the most basic social skills will take you a long way with interacting with these women. It’s really not that hard.
We are clearly fans of muscular and strong women, but what are some things that you dislike about female bodybuilding and strength sports? Whether it be things like the competitions themselves, the culture, the popular trends, etc, what are some things that you aren’t a fan of and/or you think could be improved or should be changed?
For me, my biggest dislike is how bloated the bikini divisions are in competitions. Compared to bodybuilding and physique categories, which get only a modest number of competitors (if those categories are even offered in a competition at all,) the bikini categories always have a ridiculous number of classes. And that usually causes a few competitors to take the stage when, to speak a bit bluntly, they are in nowhere near stage-ready. I get that amateur competitions have no “qualification” guidelines, and that they are happy to take your money if you want to compete, but there should be some general benchmarks in order to take the stage.