A Florida newspaper profiled Doris Barrilleaux this weekend. Barrilleaux is one of several women who can legitimately make a claim to being the founder of women's bodybuilding. In Barrilleaux's case, it's largely a tribute to her organizational and promotional abilities:
On April 29, 1979 -- she remembers the date -- Barrilleaux and a few friends organized the Ms. Brandon Physique competition. It was at the Disco Inferno nightclub. There were 13 competitors.
Soon, there were female bodybuilding competitions all over the country.
Sports Illustrated covered the trend in a 1980 feature called "Miss What?" The story commented on Barrilleaux's 48-year-old physique and quoted her on the new world of competition. "I never understood why they had bodybuilding competitions for men and not for women," she said. "I believe there can be a happy medium between women with extreme definition and the body-beautiful type."
In 1980, a woman named Rachel McLish won the first Ms. Olympia title. Barrilleaux had her moment of glory, too, thanks to the promoters of the show.
"When Joe and Ben Weider invited me on stage in recognition of what I had done," she says, "that was great."
Doris Barrilleaux is 76 years old, still pumping iron and looking foxy. Check out the article for current pics.
