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Just want to address the “mostly harmless” point before someone misinterprets it. This fetish does encourage (however indirectly) the use of PEDs, which, as we all know, are not good for your health. Hence mostly harmless.
A “hot take” usually centers around one single point. This is more of a thesis. But, I’m sure it will spawn some interesting conversation.
I would like to add, take a look around the rest of the Internet. This site is barely monetized. Sure, there are herbiceps ads, but those links are honestly more of a convenience to the folks who were likely going to visit that site regardless. Anyway, I generally disagree with your assertion that this site “sells pictures.“ That’s painting with an overly broad brush, you might want to look at how that sub point connects to your broader thesis.
Actually, could you give us a single thesis statement for convenience?
A “hot take” usually centers around one single point. This is more of a thesis. But, I’m sure it will spawn some interesting conversation.
This hot take is I don’t think we should be surprised. The post is me explaining my rationale. But touché.
I don't think this is a hot take. I think if you're a user of this site, you should have a certain level of self awareness about how this site could be perceived by others.
That is; that it's an aggregator of content, that the nature of a lot of the users is sexual and those things can make people uncomfortable.
Not the nonsense that the IG post in the other thread was saying.
I don't think this is a hot take. I think if you're a user of this site, you should have a certain level of self awareness about how this site could be perceived by others.
That is; that it's an aggregator of content, that the nature of a lot of the users is sexual and those things can make people uncomfortable.
Not the nonsense that the IG post in the other thread was saying.
I saw people on IG defending it as a place where fans go to “appreciate” them, which felt a little disingenuous to me. I think to many people it is a hot take, not everyone is as self aware.
I think it really depends on the person some make porn and still have an issue with this site. others are more modest but like this site and even post here .there were some who posted here and seemed to enjoy the site only to suddenly demand to be blacklisted .there are women who probably don't like to post sexy stuff online but do it because of get more views .there are others who don't do that and are super modest but get a lot of attention because they have unique talents and you got those who enjoy showing off and a lot of their stuff is too hot for this site. So it seems like everyone has a different opinion on this site and we should not worry about a situation where most fbbs are blacklisted. there will always be some who support us.
a big problem right now is the decline of the internet and low tech literacy and close mindedness. many people who started using the internet after 2010 don't realse that the internet is more than social media. so when they see smaller sites they don't understand the point and think it's something sketchy. and people ignore the issues with instagram and twitter because they don't know that things could be better. this is the biggest problem and its why we need sites like this more than ever.
Its a valid point, but its nothing that cant be tackled.
The problem with the internet is, that you cant apply the same rules like you would do offline. The reason for that is the multiplcation factor, which is theoritecally limitless.
A false claim within a circle of ten people will most likely settle almost by itself within an hour. On the internet, the rumors will spread further and further until its impossible to catch it.It woiuld require 100% rational behaviour to make it work, and only a few runaways can end up in turmoil.
I currently crucify myself with my own website under development, trying to avoid legally entanglements as well as malicious gossip. I am even thinking about letting users take part in tests to prove they understand the rules of the page.
Thats the way social media is taking everybody with them. Here in Austria its currently being discussed to ban the internet for minors - and for a good reason.
I disagree the internet isn’t closed minded, it’s changed. We all can’t hide behind ‘this is respectful’ when herbiceps and herbicepscam is plastered all over the site lmao.
I’m in the same boat as the RndmDisclaimer. We can refute as much as we want this isn’t a paid site but this site DOES promote fetish content and the problem is the separation of it. I also think Sean Nelson is a progenitor of the fetish content, and I get he wants to separate himself from the website, but on the flip side he literally makes fetish content for herbiceps and actively gets paid for it. Some of the blame does lie on him because his audience is muscle fetishists. Sorry, that’s how it is Sean does profit off us.
I also agree with the fact that female bodybuilders are athletes and competitors first and foremost… and this site and us kinda deserve the flak. We aren’t as much as ‘fans’ as we are viewers of the sport due to attraction. If you weren’t attracted to FBBs this site means nothing to you, and if you’re in the shoes of someone who comes across this website it does come across as a major host of pictures of women akin to other porn websites except that it’s clothed woo!
I saw people on IG defending it as a place where fans go to “appreciate” them, which felt a little disingenuous to me. I think to many people it is a hot take, not everyone is as self aware.
The less self-aware ones are concerned only about potentially losing their wank material. But if you don't have total porn brain, I don't think what you said is controversial.
The “loss of control” argument is probably true, just overstated. Instagram already tracks, amplifies, monetizes, and redistributes content at global scale. Any sense of control there is an illusion. The real distribution vector is IG, not GWM.
Rejection of sexual fetishism is also believable, but this is going to be case by case. Younger or newer competitors may be shocked by fetish framing, but experienced FBBs are NOT naïve about it. Bodybuilding (especially in bikini and wellness divisions) is pretty much 100% appearance-driven, with posing, presentation, and monetization that already blur athletic and sexual aesthetics. Separating those domains cleanly, online or offline, is not realistically achievable!
Porn adjacency definitely does matter (and it's a great point), but OnlyFans undercuts the moral distinction. So many athletes already operate in monetized, sexually suggestive ecosystems while maintaining a self-concept as “not porn.” That tension is internal to the person, not imposed by this site.
Def agree there is no clean fix. Empirically, most will discover IRL that control over images and audience is limited once photos/content enter internet-scale circulation.
I would add to the whole thesis: It is also a mistake to assume all women seek internet fame or broad recognition, and when it happens anyway, it can be genuinely disorienting. But once exposure occurs, it cannot be reversed. I think some backlash might be related ot this unpleasant discovery and an attmept to take back control that is pretty much permanently lost.
Bottom line: the discomfort is real, but its cause is structural to the internet and upstream of GWM. Instagram and sites like it open the gate. GWM is downstream visibility of content that has already been "let loose", not the source of it.
The “loss of control” argument is probably true, just overstated. Instagram already tracks, amplifies, monetizes, and redistributes content at global scale. Any sense of control there is an illusion. The real distribution vector is IG, not GWM.
Agreed it is IG, but I think a lot of people simply don’t think about the possibility of their content being taken and shared from IG without their permission. Even if it is legal and public, it still feels like an invasion of privacy.
Rejection of sexual fetishism is also believable, but this is going to be case by case. Younger or newer competitors may be shocked by fetish framing, but experienced FBBs are NOT naïve about it. Bodybuilding (especially in bikini and wellness divisions) is pretty much 100% appearance-driven, with posing, presentation, and monetization that already blur athletic and sexual aesthetics. Separating those domains cleanly, online or offline, is not realistically achievable!
Absolutely agree with this, like I said, this is certainly not every FBB, I’m just trying to explain why I think some of them are having such negative reactions.
Porn adjacency definitely does matter (and it's a great point), but OnlyFans undercuts the moral distinction. So many athletes already operate in monetized, sexually suggestive ecosystems while maintaining a self-concept as “not porn.” That tension is internal to the person, not imposed by this site.
I understand it might seem hypocritical, but I think when you are posting your own content behind your own paywall where you can control who sees it and what the discussion is, it certainly doesn’t feel the same as porn to them. Obviously, some FBBs do produce sexually explicit material, but I am not talking about them.
Def agree there is no clean fix. Empirically, most will discover IRL that control over images and audience is limited once photos/content enter internet-scale circulation.
And this has always been the case with the internet, but most people never really learn that lesson before something like this happens, and it probably would have impacted what they shared had they known ahead of time.
I would add to the whole thesis: It is also a mistake to assume all women seek internet fame or broad recognition, and when it happens anyway, it can be genuinely disorienting. But once exposure occurs, it cannot be reversed. I think some backlash might be related ot this unpleasant discovery and an attmept to take back control that is pretty much permanently lost.
I agree with this, some just want to be members of a community, but Insta can turn that into a certain type of internet celebrity, which a lot of people don’t want.
Bottom line: the discomfort is real, but its cause is structural to the internet and upstream of GWM. Instagram and sites like it open the gate. GWM is downstream visibility of content that has already been "let loose", not the source of it.
I agree, it is certainly not GWM’s “fault”, and I hope my post didn’t come across that way.
Anybody remembers Muscle Elegance ...
If the content of this board here is such an extreme fetish which is dragging down the reputation of female bodybuilders, what are we going to do with these magazines: organize a Reichkristallnacht and burn them on the stack ?
I do think Sean Nelson needs burned at the stake, he doesn’t deserve a pass just because he’s distancing himself from the website. He’s profited off fetish content that has been promoted on this site.
The underlying issue is bodily autonomy. While it may be legal to reshare public social media content, a lot of people don't want their pictures of their body to be posted elsewhere without their knowledge, particularly on a fetish site.
This is a fetish site. People can clutch their pearls and act surprised that people would have some kind of issue with "free advertising" or "publicity" or """appreciation""" but that's not how a layperson looking at this website is going to see it.
And to the idea that someone having an onlyfans makes it fair game to share and sexualize their public content: they can do whatever they want with their bodies on onlyfans, and they have a right to assume, if not expect, it stays where they can control it.
As an analogy: you'd probably find it weird if you found a normal picture you took on vacation with friends on wikifeet
I have doubts that the fetish part of the conversation is entirely the reason. It may be for some, but for most of these girls, their muscles are how they make a living. Their bodies are their brand. A major part of that is social media. Even if it's free to view, a "one stop viewing" site like this makes joining their IG rather moot. They're going to see it as drawing eyes away from their sites.
Conversely, some see it as free advertising, and even engage with the fans here in the comments encouraging us to check out their other content. Either way, I get why some request to not be featured here.
Aleesha Young doesn't want her stuff posted here and her content definitely shows she doesn't mind being fetishized.
I have doubts that the fetish part of the conversation is entirely the reason. It may be for some, but for most of these girls, their muscles are how they make a living. Their bodies are their brand. A major part of that is social media. Even if it's free to view, a "one stop viewing" site like this makes joining their IG rather moot. They're going to see it as drawing eyes away from their sites.
Conversely, some see it as free advertising, and even engage with the fans here in the comments encouraging us to check out their other content. Either way, I get why some request to not be featured here.
Aleesha Young doesn't want her stuff posted here and her content definitely shows she doesn't mind being fetishized.
I think that a bit of a logical fallacy. There are a number of amateur, and even some pro-level, bodybuilders and muscular women who do not care about marketing themselves and aren't interested in building a large following. To them, it's a passion and a hobby where it's more for their own personal gain and hitting personal goals as opposed to monetizing their physiques.
Their reasons for not wanting to be on the site vary. Aleesha's reasoning isn't necessarily the same as an amateur with a tiny following on their socials.
Bodybuilding in general has strong fetishy undertones. We don't need to single out just the women. It's not a sport, it's a beauty contest. The big money was never in winning the contest, but in the opportunities that come with being deemed the most attractive/hottest/sexiest.
There are scores of well known male bodybuilders who have engaged in all manner of fetish material, even including intimacy with fruit.
Ms. Universe isn't a sport, and neither is Mr. Olympia.
So what can we do?
It seems like the mods have everything under control well enough. Taking down images at a request is a good faith show of respect. After all, not every site has the policy to take down the image of women/girls who don't want to be on there.
The next step might be to allow women to add direct links to their paid content or socials or whatever right under their photos/in their profile like they can in IG (I don't think they can do that here). This would allow them to more easily convert popularity here to something else, but like, I always assumed the user base here is like a drop in the bucket anyway...
If only people wpould treat it like a fetish:
"The first rule of fetish, within the context of safe, sane, and consensual sexual expression, is generally understood to be safety, consent, and communication. Similar to the foundational principles of BDSM, ensuring all parties are comfortable and consenting is paramount to exploring any specific interest or kink safely."
If only people wpould treat it like a fetish:
"The first rule of fetish, within the context of safe, sane, and consensual sexual expression, is generally understood to be safety, consent, and communication. Similar to the foundational principles of BDSM, ensuring all parties are comfortable and consenting is paramount to exploring any specific interest or kink safely."
Ummm... I think this "first rule" applies to exercising a fetish in the physical company of another person...
The underlying issue is bodily autonomy. While it may be legal to reshare public social media content, a lot of people don't want their pictures of their body to be posted elsewhere >without their knowledge, particularly on a fetish site.
"A lot of people" who put their photos online are going to be negatively surprised by how the The Internet works.
Again, I think some backlash might be related to this unpleasant discovery and an attempt to take back control that is pretty much permanently lost.
It seems like the mods have everything under control well enough. Taking down images at a request is a good faith show of respect. After all, not every site has the policy to take down the image of women/girls who don't want to be on there.
The next step might be to allow women to add direct links to their paid content or socials or whatever right under their photos/in their profile like they can in IG (I don't think they can do that here). This would allow them to more easily convert popularity here to something else, but like, I always assumed the user base here is like a drop in the bucket anyway...
Probably the best way to go ahead with it, the solution is slowly rebuilding respect. The nuclear option might be also to remove the herbiceps category since it directly promotes fetish/porn content which is what this site has tried to stray away from.
Hey all,
Long time user here, I want to preempt this by saying I think this paraphilia is perfectly normal and mostly harmless. I don’t think anyone should feel bad for using this site or for what they find arousing. That being said, I don’t think we should be surprised by the negative reaction this site is receiving from a lot of FBBs.
First, a lot of the site discussion and comments are overtly fetish-based and sexual. I know a majority of people probably don’t engage in that, and I’m not trying to shame anyone who does; but I know it probably can feel degrading to see people talk about your body like that. These women do publicly post their pictures to Instagram, but they can control who follows them and they can control the comments they receive. Here, they have no control, and that lack of control can be frightening!
Second, I think a lot of women bristle at the notion that their focus on bodybuilding is related to something sexual on their part. They see themselves as athletes and competitors, not necessarily people who have a fetish for gaining muscle. Again, there is nothing wrong with any of that, but much of the world is very conservative surrounding things like sex and sexuality. We shouldn’t be surprised that people would not want to be associated with a paraphilia.
Finally, and this ties into my previous points, this site hosts advertising for essentially a porn site. And to many of us, it essentially is a porn site. Most of these women do not view themselves as adult actresses or sex workers, but as athletes. FBBs getting photos taken and selling them through their OnlyFans may seem like porn to us but it occupies a different space mentally for them. It is a way to make money, yes; but there is still a pretense that it is for artistic appreciation and not a fetish. It’s not the hypocrisy many claim it is.
I don’t think this is necessarily every woman’s mindset, but I think it helps explain the reaction beyond the incorrect assertion that this site is “selling their photos”, which obviously it does not do. After all, even if it was abundantly clear to everyone this site was not selling photos, I still think many FBBs would have the same negative reaction to seeing their pictures posted here.
So what can we do? Not much! I think moderating comments to remove any and all sexualized discussion might go a long way, but to many users that is unacceptable. I am sad to see many popular women leave this site, but I think we should all try to appreciate their perspective and respect their wishes instead of getting mad about it.