Article on "Picturing the Modern Amazon"
Ssscold
accompanied by two color photos (a group shot, biceps a-flexin', and another of
Lesa Lewis). I thought the group might find it interesting.
* * *
Women with big muscles - this was art with a powerful allure
As a rule, I'd rather floss with razor wire than spend a minute in New York
City.
As for art, my view is that it's been all downhill since Turner and Constable.
The last decent show at the Museum of Modern Art was in 1951, when they
showcased eight automotive masterpieces, including a flat-fendered Jeep.
So when Judith Stein invited me to an art show in Gotham, I was about as
thrilled as Casanova at a chastity rally.
But then she told me more: The show is titled "Picturing the Modern Amazon" and
it features plenty of photos, paintings and sculptures of women with big
muscles. Hello, Amtrak. I need a ticket to New York.
The exhibition is at the New Museum of Contemporary Art in SoHo (until June
25). This is a place generally patronized by neurasthenic women in serious
black and ectomorphic men with sunken chests, pasty faces and floppy bow ties.
How sweet it was, then, to see the place overrun the other day by
hyper-muscular women who sport deltoids the size of cantaloupes and can
bench-press 300 pounds.
The exhibition bills itself as the first to showcase extraordinarily muscular
women. It's a zeitgeist event, a fascinating spectacle in three parts:
The archival section shows that today's physically powerful women have a
history. Their pedigree dates to the 18th century and includes a colorful cast
of circus acrobats and carnival strongwomen, as well as Rosie the Riveter and
fitness princess Pudgy Stockton.
The contemporary art section comprises painting, photography, sculpture and
video works by 45 artists. Significantly, the models and subjects - the
bodybuilders - are themselves artists; their medium is muscle. Said Stein:
"It's art about art." Two of my favorites: Bailey Doogan's 3-D Pour It On,
which transforms the Morton Salt girl into a buff pin-up; and Kathleen Gilje's
painting of a demure 19th-century countess whose reflection in a mirror reveals
an altogether different alter ego: Robert Mapplethorpe's portrait of
bodybuilding pioneer Lisa Lyon as a bustier-clad vixen in a veil.
The third section highlights comic-book art and female superheroes. Here amid
the impossibly proportioned she-males, she-hulks and lesbian terrorists, the
exhibition offers a wink, a chuckle and some mega-butch self-parody that saves
it from terminal earnestness.
Stein is a co-organizer of the exhibition. She's an esteemed critic with a
doctorate in art history from the University of Pennsylvania. For 13 years, she
was curator at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. She still lives here,
and three times a week, she shows up at the Sporting Club at the Bellevue to
lift weights.
Stein, 56, began pumping iron about five years ago. It's been, she says, "a
transformative experience." She's morphed from "a marshmallow" to a woman with
definition. She can bench-press 65 pounds, which ain't bad for a practicing
intellectual.
So, Judith, why the exhibition?
"This brings to the fore questions raised by the images and bodies of extremely
muscular women. Is it appropriate? Who says? What are the limitations,
physically, psychologically, culturally? There's not a gym that doesn't have a
class in body sculpture today. We're showing what happens when women shape the
body as a work of art. To some, it may be beautiful; to others, repulsive. Just
as there is taste in art, there is taste in bodies. It's a matter of
aesthetics."
Female bodybuilders, the exhibition brochure proclaims, represent "a dazzling
transgression of mostly male-determined gender norms."
In academia, this is known as a "feminist subtext." Let me put it in plain
English. The exhibition is about real female "empowerment," as expressed in a
hard body, extravagant muscles, sheer physicality and iron-heaving might.
"Within our culture and throughout history, women were not supposed to be
physically powerful and certainly not muscular," said Laurie Fierstein, the
bodybuilder who helped organize the exhibit. "A woman who chose to be muscular
was a threat to the normative idea of what a woman is supposed to be and look
like."
Fierstein, 51, is a modern amazon, with arms and shoulders any fullback would
be proud of. Bodies like hers speak of "strength and blatantness," she boasted.
Like her mythological ancestor, the modern amazon can stir both lust and dread.
She represents a rejection of mass-media ideals of beauty - "the emaciated
body, frail, weak and defenseless," as epitomized by such waifs as Twiggy and
Kate Moss.
Brawny women are underrepresented not only in mainstream publications,
Fierstein griped, but also in muscle mags. They are discriminated against
because they're too muscular, too freaky, too threatening. Now they are
fighting for respect, the liberation of the female mesomorph.
I love strong, muscular women, and I'm all for liberating mesomorphs and
celebrating female bodybuilders. My problem with hypermuscular women is
dishonesty. I suspect that many, if not most, have synthetic help. You can tell
by their skin, their voices, their facial bones. Many are "juicin' it" - taking
steroids and other anabolic drugs. It may be a necessary sculpting tool. But
it's not natural, or healthy.
What an irony. To realize themselves as female, some of these women annihilate
their female bodies, using forms of the male hormone testosterone to turn
themselves into breastless, androgynous caricatures of supermen.
What bothers me is that women who like being women but want a firmer, fitter
body may be deterred from lifting weights (and empowering themselves in the
most authentic, enthralling way) by the specter of becoming a modern amazon -
an artificial construct whose bulging muscles are too big to be true.
jabber
Thanks for sharing, Ssscold. Interesting commentary. The one problem the
author falls into is the "I don't want to look like that" when looking at
some of the "hypermuscular women", to use their phrase. Nothing happens
overnight. Our logic understands that, but some people still have problems
grasping that.
Without putting in the dedication these women do, there's NO chance of them
looking like them (if they think that's bad - or good for that matter).
The best they'll do is develop cute muscles and a toned physique.
And as a male, I say, what's wrong with that? :-)
BTW, because I want to spend more time looking at the exhibits, I'm
definitely returning there when I'm back east at the end of the month (for
the Jr. USA's in Teaneck/Hackensack). Seemed definitely worthwhile to me.
-jabber
Pablo
says...
>
>The following article appeared in this morning's Philadelphia Inquirer -
>accompanied by two color photos (a group shot, biceps a-flexin', and another of
>Lesa Lewis). I thought the group might find it interesting.
>
>* * *
>
Cheers, ssscold: the article was interesting. The author sounds like someone who
contributes to this group on occasion... Does the Philadelphia Inquirer have an
on-line edition where we may view to photos?
Pablo.
Ssscold
>on-line edition where we may view to photos?
I don't think the author of the article participates in this newsgroup. The
web site with the story is at www.philly.com. I don't recall if there were
pictures on the site.
Poster
"jabber" <jab...@flash.net> wrote:
>
> Thanks for sharing, Ssscold. Interesting commentary. The one
problem the
> author falls into is the "I don't want to look like that" when
looking at
> some of the "hypermuscular women", to use their phrase. Nothing
happens
> overnight. Our logic understands that, but some people still have
problems
> grasping that.
>
> Without putting in the dedication these women do, there's NO chance
of them
> looking like them (if they think that's bad - or good for that
matter).
> The best they'll do is develop cute muscles and a toned physique.
>
> And as a male, I say, what's wrong with that? :-)
>
I think you misinterpreted. The author wasn't pulling an "I don't
wanna look like that". The author was just saying that they were being
dishonest about not admitting that they did use steroids to acheive
their level of muscularity and that it would discourage regular women
from lifting weights. The author wasn't trying to imply that lifting
weights would immediately turn women into Lesa Lewis.
Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/
Before you buy.
jabber
Poster <the_p...@my-deja.com> wrote in article
<8cv7t7$iic$1...@nnrp1.deja.com>...
> In article <01bfa33c$1fe79860$4fac1ed1@default>,
>
> I think you misinterpreted. The author wasn't pulling an "I don't
> wanna look like that".
>
No I did not misinterpret, Poster. There was a commentary about "help"
that some woman gain in bodybuilding, true. That wasn't what I was
referring to.
Read the following paragraph:
What bothers me is that women who like being women but want a firmer,
fitter
body may be deterred from lifting weights (and empowering themselves in the
most authentic, enthralling way) by the specter of becoming a modern amazon
-
an artificial construct whose bulging muscles are too big to be true.
I stand by my interpretation, Poster, but grant, that there WERE other
things/subtexts being said, also.
> The author was just saying that they were being
> dishonest about not admitting that they did use steroids to acheive
> their level of muscularity and that it would discourage regular women
> from lifting weights.
>
So dishonesty will discourage women from lifting weights? Did Ben Johnson
discourage others from running? Did Tonya Harding discourage others from
skating? Did John Rocker discourage others from playing and watching
baseball? Did the miscellaneous Dallas Cowboys who get in trouble with the
law at regular intervals discourage others from playing football or
watching football?
Get real, Poster...
>
> The author wasn't trying to imply that lifting
> weights would immediately turn women into Lesa Lewis.
>
But that "some" women may think that and that would discourage them. BTW,
turning into Lesa Lewis is NOT a bad thing. :-)
-jabber
Poster
> Read the following paragraph:
>
> What bothers me is that women who like being women but want a firmer,
> fitter
> body may be deterred from lifting weights (and empowering themselves
in the
> most authentic, enthralling way) by the specter of becoming a modern
amazon
> -
> an artificial construct whose bulging muscles are too big to be true.
>
> I stand by my interpretation, Poster, but grant, that there WERE other
> things/subtexts being said, also.
>
> > The author was just saying that they were being
> > dishonest about not admitting that they did use steroids to acheive
> > their level of muscularity and that it would discourage regular
women
> > from lifting weights.
> >
> So dishonesty will discourage women from lifting weights? Did Ben
Johnson
> discourage others from running? Did Tonya Harding discourage others
from
> skating? Did John Rocker discourage others from playing and watching
> baseball? Did the miscellaneous Dallas Cowboys who get in trouble
with the
> law at regular intervals discourage others from playing football or
> watching football?
>
> Get real, Poster...
If non-BB women actually believe that FBBs acheived their look
without steroids, the only thing that will do is feed their
perception that lifting weight will make them look like Arnold.
> >
> > The author wasn't trying to imply that lifting
> > weights would immediately turn women into Lesa Lewis.
> >
> But that "some" women may think that and that would discourage them.
BTW,
> turning into Lesa Lewis is NOT a bad thing. :-)
To me, yes it is. (Yuck!)
LuvFeMuscl
muscular women (quite an admission in a major puplication). In the paragraph
you cite, he was expersseing his fear that these hyper-muscular women present
an image that may put many other women off from lifting weights--irrespective
of his own view towards those hard bodies.
Still, the author's comments about juicing misunderstand the sport. Of course
all those women (not just most--ok maybe the Czech girl is an exception) have
juiced to get the size they have. The competitive men do, as well. It's a
necessity in a sub-culture that venerates freaky size. I agree it's
unfortuante because of the masculinalization (beyond the muscle) that juicing
creates -- and because it forces other competitors to choose between juicing or
not being able to compete with those who do.
jabber
Splitting hairs: look, LuvFeMuscl, I said the author falls (falls into
that line of thinking) that women will feel "I don't want to look like
that". The fact that I left the word women out of my original statement
made you think I was yet again misreading something...
What I was more doing was disagreeing with Poster's interpretation than
anything else...
That IS what the article said. Good commentary from you otherwise, thanks
for sharing...
-jabber
Ssscold
muscular women (quite an admission in a major puplication). >>
Thank you for both reading AND understanding what the writer was trying to say.
It's nice that someone can read an article without such a predetermined agenda
that they lose all perspective.
The only area in which I disagree with you is when you write that
<< Still, the author's comments about juicing misunderstand the sport. >>
The exhibit, as I understand it, is about women who build muscular bodies and
become so-called Amazons and not about the sport of bodybuilding. This
particular writer is all about extremes, and at the risk of putting words in
his mouth (or on his pen), I suspect that he'd understand, if not approve of,
the use of steroids for competitive purposes. After years of reading him - and
often, disliking him very much - I've come to learn that he's just that kind of
guy (the kind who does those Tim Allen grunts about "manly" things).
BILL DOBBINS
bodybuilders in contest shape often appear more massive, bulkier and thicker than
bodybuilders who have dieted away a lot of their body fat for competition. In
fact, as I understand her explanations, Laurie Fierstein PREFERS this look to that
of lean, defined female compeititors.
There were certainly competitive women bodybuilders at the posing exhibition, but
nobody in any kind of lean shape that I'm aware of.
BD