Media's effect on Women's Bodybuilding

For my final project I decided to write a paper on the sport of Women's competitive Bodybuilding and how the media has influenced social changes on what it means to be a female bodybuilder. Throughout the semester we have talked about how there is a strong establishment of gender roles in society established by patriarchy. I chose this topic because I felt that this is a field where women really challenge the hetero normative gender roles. The focus of my paper demonstrates the sudden transformation that Women's bodybuilding undergoes physically over a few decades and how society's lack of acceptance hinders the popularity of the sport, therefore officials of the IFBB(International Federation of Body Builders) attempts to "feminize" the sport which challenges the real meaning of what Body Building is all about.

Link to Youtube video about Women's Bodybuilding as a taboo



Link to paper




Discussion questions: Do you think these women have gone to far in challenging gender roles?

What do you think the IFBB(International Federation of Body Builders) should do to help the popularity of the sport instead of trying to "Feminize" it?