[Anonymous]

Strawberry (and any other female here who cares to chime in), since many of us have discussed our preferences to real and fantasy muscle women, I'm curious to know what kind of reaction you get from the general public.  I'm going to assume from your personality (and I mean that in a very positive way) that you don't hesitate to wear cloths that show off your muscles.  And judging from your photos, you're obviously muscular enough to leave no doubt that you train.  So….what kinds of comments do you get?  What kinds of attitudes do you experience that could seemingly be a result of your muscularity, or that occur when you tell someone that you train?  Would you say that most of the time, reactions are positive?

Thanks for sharing.

[The Muffin man]

Y'know there is a PM button if ya wanna address this to Strawberry 😛

[Anonymous]

My bad if it's inappropriate in a forum called "Female Muscularity-Society and Media" to ask a female bodybuilder about the kind of social reactions she gets.  I thought it would be interesting to hear first hand and to discuss some of the misconceptions and positive attitudes that are out there.

[Anonymous]

Haley, that is a very interesting question, and you’re in luck because I absolutely have an answer.

When TALKING about building, here are the reactions I get:
–Most women applaud me.
–Some women are repulsed by the idea. “Ewww, why would you want to look like a MAN?” Once I explain why I’m doing this, though, they agree with me. I mean, they don’t want to go out and do it themselves, but they see where I’m coming from.
–The majority of men I’ve encountered that do not lift weights think that it’s kind of funny. Not an insulting funny, just “Heh, you’re gonna be all huge, that’s awesome” kind of funny. It’s usually accompanied with a little laugh, and then I say something like “Yeah, then I can break you in half and drink your blood to get my protein” and we laugh some more.
–EVERY weight lifting guy (except for the ones here that specifically like muscular women) has given me the same response: “Why the hell would you want to do that?” I look at them with this incredulous expression, and they don’t get it. I spell it out for them: “Hey, dude, why the hell would YOU want to do that?” They say something stupid like “Oh, well, I’m a guy. You’re a GIRL. Girls aren’t supposed to look like that.” I roll my eyes, smile a little and say “Aww, is the big man afraid that I’m gonna break him in half?” and bat my eyelashes to add insult to insult 😀 It’s weird, these guys will laugh at me, but after I tell them why I’m doing it, they always are eager to help out by giving me tips.
–My immediate family, except for maybe my mother (I forget how she reacted but I think it was positive…she used to be a cop and knows that female strength is a good thing), were all against it. My sister told me it would look sick. My step-dad just laughed and asked why I would ever want to do that. My brother, who lifts weights, said that it was stupid, and that I would look ugly. I told him that I didn’t care what he thought since I wasn’t trying to attract him, and pointed out that he lifts so he should understand the desire to put on muscle. “But I’m a big guy, it would look weird if I didn’t lift” he said. I reminded him that the ONLY reason he was a big guy is BECAUSE he lifts, and he seemed to understand (he’s since been wanting to help me). As for my family that I don’t live with (my parents are divorced), my dad and step-mom reacted very well. My dad used to lift and thought it was great that his daughter was very interested in putting on muscle. My step-mom took it as some women’s empowerment thing that thought it was great. My uncle laughed at me. Like, he just flat-out laughed every time I mentioned it, which was okay because he has kind of a sissy laugh so I laughed at him for that. Mind you that my uncle was a bodybuilder at two different times of his life. I just gave him a look and asked him to help me, and he did.
–My friends are all supportive, although one joked that he’d stop being my friend if I got as big as some FBBs out there 😀 I laughed and told him that I’d just pound him into the ground if he tried to ditch our friendship for something that stupid, and reminded him that I know where he lives.

Regardless of what someone’s feelings are, the most common initial response I get is: “Oh, so you want to tone?” or any variation thereof, like “Low-weight, high-rep? You know, to tone?”

When SHOWING my strength, here are the reactions I get:
–When physically demonstrating strength, like endurance or lifting or something, people are always impressed. I’ve never had anyone tell me that my muscles were gross when they were helping them 😉 I told a guy that we had to move his car (it was parked in a bike lane since there was no shoulder, and when a semi swerved to miss it I knew we had to get it out of the street), and I told him to steer (he was out of gas, he wasn’t just parked there). He looked at me and said, “Uh, are you sure that you can push it?” I told him not to worry, and to just steer. He asked me again, and I said, “Look, don’t worry about it.” So I’m pushing the station wagon up a hill, and when we’re almost done he says “Damn, you’re tough!” and I said “I told you not to worry about it.”
Another time was when a car was stopped (again with the gas) on a parkway. For those of you unfamiliar with parkways, they are basically freeways but with stoplights. She was stopped in the right lane, and when I went over to her, she said “Oh, don’t worry, my husband is coming by in 15 minutes.” I told her to put it in neutral, and she told me that it wasn’t a problem, that she could wait. Yeah, retard, you can WAIT in a LANE on a PARKWAY for 15 MINUTES. I told her “I can’t let you sit here,” and she was all flattered, as if I was doing it because she was special or pretty or something stupid like that. So I push her vehicle. It’s a large Dodge Ram pickup, with an extended bed, an extended cab, and a canopy. That must’ve been a sight for anyone driving by. She gave me $10 for doing it, which I refused but she insisted. So I’ll take that as appreciative when demonstrating strength 🙂
–When flexing, I get two reactions. Either the person feigns interest because they don’t really care, or they are impressed. My favorite reactions come from people outside this forum because you guys like muscle so of course you’re going to compliment a chick making progress with muscle gain. As you can see, I have my tricep flex as an avatar, and I have it that way on dA and LJ. I’ll get some people commenting on it, and that’s always fun to hear.

Hope that answers your question, but if you would like clarification or if you have new questions from this, go ahead and ask 🙂

And no, it's not your bad…although I think you were being sarcastic, in which case I applauded you 😀

[Anonymous]

Strawberry, thanks for sharing your experiences.  That's pretty suprising that a lot of male bbs aren't understanding about your interest and that they have that attitude about women who want to lift.  Even if the look is not their cup of tea, I would at least expect them to understand where you're coming from.  That's good to hear that, for the most part, your family either supports or understands your interest.  It's also good to hear that when you explain why you are into bodybuilding, a lot of people are able to change their perceptions in a positive way.   

I used to buy the magazine Women's Phyique World when it was still on the newsstand.  One of the things that always amazed me when reading the profiles about the competitors was the comments they would get from people when out in public.  A lot of times they reported really positive comments from women who said they were inspired by them, and men who brave enough to tell them that loved their look.  But they also talked about total strangers going out of their way to make really negative comments.  It just blows my mind that person would feel good about going up to a total stranger and insulting them because their look doesn't conform to their own view of how that person should look.  That speakes volumes of how narrow-minded some people can be, and how women's bodybuilding challenges the stereotypes held by the narrow-minded status quo. 

Yea, I guess I was being a little sarcastic.

Have a good one,
Haley

[Anonymous]

That's pretty suprising that a lot of male bbs aren't understanding about your interest and that they have that attitude about women who want to lift.
That’s what I thought. After bringing it up to some people, they said that it could be that they feel intimidated that a woman is going into their “men only” hobby/sport.

That's good to hear that, for the most part, your family either supports or understands your interest.
Yeah, they’re all good with it now. Just initially, some of them thought it was a dumb idea. Yeah, being healthy is soooo stupid!! What a fool I was!

It's also good to hear that when you explain why you are into bodybuilding, a lot of people are able to change their perceptions in a positive way.
I think it’s because it’s an ideal that I’m describing and going for, and people tend to respect when others strive for an ideal. The reason I lift, in case you haven’t read it anywhere else, is because I believe that strength (muscular, joint, and tendon) and flexibility is the pinnacle of human fitness. We should not sit back and alter our bodies according to society, but according to biology and practicality. Not only is being strong helpful when something needs to be moved, but it can also save your life depending on what kind of accident you get into. I consider myself smart, talented in many different arts, witty, and charismatic. I wanted to be all these things to become more well-rounded, and then I realized that I should not stop at working only my mind; that to be truly well-rounded, one must be both mentally and physically capable and strong. This is why I lift.

It just blows my mind that person would feel good about going up to a total stranger and insulting them because their look doesn't conform to their own view of how that person should look.
You know, you’re absolutely right. I never thought of it that way. “Boy, how ugly. I will take the time out of my day to tell her that I think her physically fit body doesn’t fit into my standards. Because I KNOW she will obviously care.”
One thing I’ll never understand is why some people feel the need to insult muscular women. Now, don’t get me wrong, I know people will be dicks and insult someone for whatever reason regardless of gender or body type, but why MUSCULAR women? Muscular people have (unfairly) been pegged as “stupid” and “brutish,” so why would you go insult someone that could both flatten you into the pavement and WOULD fly off the handle because she’s a stupid brute? :knocks on someone’s forehead: Is anyone in there? They don’t insult muscular men for that reason, and also because muscular men are seen as attractive in this society so insulting them would be like insulting a model’s appearance.

[Strickalator]

well here I am Shawn Strickland "the strickalator" denouncer of traveling myths

er wait…thats the roaming knome
😀

actually I am one of those "few" guys that realized its important for women to gain muscle and overall  health…and im also becoming more aware of what i need to do to take care of my health

i like how this forum is starting to add some real health issues for both men and women as well as adding the artwork side…a real nice mocha mix blend if you ask me

[Anonymous]

Strawberry,
Yes, intimidation and threat are 2 great motivators of negativity.  Without a doubt.  You are definately entering a traditionallly masculine space and inadvertently challenging a few guys who aren't ready emotionally for you. 

I didn't know about your reason for lifting.  Wow, you strive to be quite the well-rounded individual!  Very inspirational.  Kudos to you.

Ha, that's a good point about the stupidity of insulting anyone who's muscular, male or female.  The only thing I can say is, maybe some of those people just think women are less aggressive and therefore are less likely to react the way men might. 

Melon,

Mooocha (read out loud w/ a Homer Simpson voice)

[Strickalator]

[Axel3.14]

Everyone calls you a bodybuilder, but given your statements about your motivation, you sound more like a strength trainer.

Do you plan to go into bodybuilding shows?

[Author]

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