There's a scandal brewing up over Vanity Fair's possible photoshopping of Madonna's muscular physique. The cover story of the May issue of the magazine features a photo spread of Madonna looking fairly soft and unmuscular - a frailty that stands in contrast to almost every photo taken of her in the last few years.

Or does it? Most people don't discriminate between leanness and hardness in a muscular woman, and so claims of Madonna possessing "manly" muscles are a bit of stretch. While Madonna is obviously very fit and hard-bodied, her muscles are not particularly large. At a height of 5'4", it seems unlikely that she weighs more than 115 pounds. Photos of Madonna that show her as noticeably muscular are typically billed as being post-workout or show her in workout clothes, which would tend to suggest that she's still pumped from the gym.

While the photos very likely have been processed significantly, I doubt that the size of Madonna's muscles were altered. She is simply not a large woman and while in a relaxed environment probably does not appear noticeably muscular. It's also possible that Madonna deliberately upped her carbohydrate intake for several days prior to the shoot, which would have added a few millimeters of subcutaneous fat to her otherwise lean and cut physique.

[h/t: Defamer]

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