Ms. Olympia as I see it....

Carolyn Bryant · 09-28-2009, 12:13 PM

Where was all the cheering and celebrating for the women who made it to 30 years since the first Ms. Olympia? The announcers made no mention of our historical moments.

Where was Rachel McLish to speak about winning the very first crown?

Where was Cory Everson to congratulate Iris Kyle on tying her mark for six wins? Where they even invited? Did they even care to come?

It all went under the radar because women's bodybuilding has so little appeal these days there was no real cause for a celebration. We have come a long way, baby. From adored celebrities to irrelevant second-class participants.

BigJD69 · 09-28-2009, 12:14 PM

Lenda Murray was there!

BILLY GUNS · 09-28-2009, 12:17 PM

maybe thats cause iris kyle's test levels are higher than ronnie colemans

eric213798 · 09-28-2009, 12:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BILLY GUNS

maybe thats cause iris kyle's test levels are higher than ronnie colemans

lol. my girlfriend actually called her kyle iris. i personally love fbb, but i think some of it is a little overboard (not that mens is not as well) as cool as it is to see the physiques the damage they are doing to theyre bo
dies is irreparable. i feel bad that women have to get that big to win the ms o.

Carolyn Bryant · 09-28-2009, 12:33 PM

More buzz around the industry:

Ms. Olympia prize money was once again dropped. Mr. Olympia got a huge raise.

Some were hoping for a new champion. Heather Amburst looked absolutley amazing much smaller. Lenda Murray thought she looked like the winner. (see MD interview)

Jen Hendershott commented that "if Tina Chandler's look was rewarded women's bodybuilding would be more popular."

What's going to happen next year when we have to make room and find more money for Bikini Pros? When show promoters and sponsors have to chose between Bikini and women's bodybuilding which one do you think they will support?

Sanction fees are going up in 2010.

So far only two opens shows are booked to include women's bodybuilding. And that's only because the people rounding up the funds (Species, Bramwell) love the sport and don't want to see it die. We are on life support now. Won't take but a second to pull the plug.

Women, wake up and realize the manly, over-muscled look is not working for us from a business standpoint. Collectively, we need to change the game and figure out a way to save ourselves.

meNNace · 09-28-2009, 12:33 PM

LOL!!! I my opinion women's bodybuilding has never been something that I admire.. I think bikini is much better! looks sexy and appealing to the eye and I don't think nobody would like to see a women with male characteristics (androgenic side effects)

Carolyn Bryant · 09-28-2009, 12:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BILLY GUNS

maybe thats cause iris kyle's test levels are higher than ronnie colemans

She was delighted to be compared to Ronnie. Most thought it was offensive.

The drugs are killing the sport; men and women. Bigger is not always better unless you are talking about a bank account.

The women are bankrupt. In total denial about where we stand within the industry. Just happy to exist with no quality of life. Begging like paupers for respect. Shameful.

When the Fitness and Figure girls were asked to tone it down, they complied. More important, they were penalized when they didn't.

Female bodybuilders shot them the deuce and said "you can't tell us how to look. To hell with softer, less muscle. It's bodybuilding."

So they shot them the deuce back and said "well then, we ain't giving you shyt." No props, no coverage, no money.

Pimp slapped!

BILLY GUNS · 09-28-2009, 12:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Carolyn Bryant

She was delighted to be compared to Ronnie. Most thought it was offensive.

The drugs are killing the sport; men and women. Bigger is not always better unless you are talking about a bank account.

The women are bankrupt. In total denial about where we stand within the industry. Just happy to exist with no quality of life. Begging like paupers for respect. Shameful.

When the Fitness and Figure girls were asked to tone it down, they complied. More important, they were penalized when they didn't.

Female bodybuilders shot them the deuce and said "you can't tell us how to look. To hell with softer, less muscle. It's bodybuilding."

So they shot them the deuce back and said "well then, we ain't giving you shyt." No props, no coverage, no money.

Pimp slapped!

how is looking like a man a compliment....her structure...her voice...and even her female parts have grown out of control....this is why they have become more of a freak show.....Look at Colette she still resembles everything about a woman and nobody says she looks like a man....gina davis too looks like a true woman

-Z- · 09-28-2009, 12:58 PM

Female bodybuilding is losing interest for one main reason, too manly. The woman are just too much for the general bodybuilding fan. I personally respect what they do and how they look, I just find it unattractive. They just go too far.

They're going to give the prize money to the divisions that have the biggest draw, mens bbing and figure.

lilfella · 09-28-2009, 12:59 PM

Nicole Ball has a great FBB physique. IMHO I think rewarding her and pushing the sport more into that direction would benefit FBB.

-Z- · 09-28-2009, 01:01 PM

^Agreed. Force them to slim down, keep the crazy conditioning though.

BILLY GUNS · 09-28-2009, 01:03 PM

women in all need to lay off the GH!!!! the nasty jawlines is killing the sport even if they slim down the jaw will still be unpleasent!!!

Mirko Cro Cop · 09-28-2009, 01:03 PM

I for one am a fan of female bodybuilding, i've never looked at it on a sexual perspective like most casual fans do, instead I treat it just like mens bodybuilding looking at who is the most conditioned, most symmetrical, biggest etc. It's a shams other don't look at the sport in this same way as it can be
just as entertaining, if not more entertaining than the men. I have no interest in figure and fitness as I don't really understand the judging criteria and I get very bored watching them both. Bikini to me seems a tad pointless but I suppose it will provide good eye candy, but then again the figure and the fitness also do this too.

-Z- · 09-28-2009, 01:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BILLY GUNS

women in all need to lay off the GH!!!! the nasty jawlines is killing the sport even if they slim down the jaw will still be unpleasent!!!

True, the slin & IGF isn't helping either.

Mike Hunt · 09-28-2009, 01:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BILLY GUNS

maybe thats cause iris kyle's test levels are higher than ronnie colemans

X2,Hahaha.

Carolyn Bryant · 09-28-2009, 01:06 PM

That's because when you look at her face you see something feminine and pleasing.

The judges aren't going to put Tina or Nicole in front just because of that. All of the women need to show up looking like this. Then they can simply judge what's on stage.

AnglicanBeachParty · 09-28-2009, 01:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Haga

I for one am a fan of female bodybuilding, i've never looked at it on a sexual perspective like most casual fans do, instead I treat it just like mens bodybuilding looking at who is the most conditioned, most symmetrical, biggest etc. It's a shams other don't look at the sport in this same way as it can be just as entertaining, if not more entertaining than the men.

I can relate to this perspective. But I think the point is, there are not enough people who feel this way to make the economic equation keep working for contest promoters.

Really, there is nothing wrong with the women's side of the sport that the presence of a few generous billionaire schmoes wouldn't fix ...

BILLY GUNS · 09-28-2009, 01:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Carolyn Bryant

That's because when you look at her face you see something feminine and pleasing.

The judges aren't going to put Tina or Nicole in front just because of that. All of the women need to show up looking like this. Then they can simply judge what's on stage.

she would be smoking if you could hide the jawline just showing you why the sport is going downhill

Carolyn Bryant · 09-28-2009, 01:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BILLY GUNS

women in all need to lay off the GH!!!! the nasty jawlines is killing the sport even if they slim down the jaw will still be unpleasent!!!

Tell those nappy-headed hoes that and they will fight you to the death. Too much Gh, insulin, but mainly the male hormones. It don't take all of that to get ready for a bodybuilding show.

A few years ago when there were eminent threats of canceling the show, people were saying it wasn't promoted right. It they had more coverage and presence in the magazines more people would know about us, create interest. Yada Yada. Rumor had it that Denise Massino and her husband and a few others considered taking over the show and moving it to New York. At that time the asking price was about $100k to carry the name.

That's testing the love/passion right there. Schmoe money is good money but most of us use it to pay our own bills, We don't have that much to make it rain for a show. Let's keep it real.

BILLY GUNS · 09-28-2009, 01:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Carolyn Bryant

Tell those nappy-headed hoes that and they will fight you to the death. Too much Gh, insulin, but mainly the male hormones. It don't take all of that to get ready for a bodybuilding show.

A few years ago when there were eminent threats of canceling the show, people were saying it wasn't promoted right. It they had more coverage and presence in the magazines more people would know about us, create interest. Yada Yada. Rumor had it that Denise Massino and her husband and a few others considered taking over the show and moving it to New York. At that time the asking price was about $100k to carry the name.

That's testing the love/passion right there. Schmoe money is good money but most of us use it to pay our own bills, We don't have that much to make it rain for a show. Let's keep it real.

lol r u nuts i'm only on a gram of test a week they would wipe the floor with me....the shows and prize money dont matter and will never help or hurt the sport we need more girls to go into the mainstream and attract people back to make it grow like Zeville going to the WWE but then again the IFBB wont let outsiders in like budwiser or paul mitchell to sponsor shows so again it will go nowhere

Shadow · 09-28-2009, 01:49 PM

You could almost argue that fitness could change its name to women's bodybuilding and change the posing routines. To me the look of a fitness girl is what women's bodybuilding USED to be. Not sure where that would put the current definition of FBB at, though.

Carolyn Bryant · 09-28-2009, 02:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BILLY GUNS

lol r u nuts i'm only on a gram of test a week they would wipe the floor with me....the shows and prize money dont matter and will never help or hurt the sport we need more girls to go into the mainstream and attract people back to make it grow like Zeville going to the WWE but then again the IFBB wont let outsiders in like budwiser or paul mitchell to sponsor shows so again it will go nowhere

Do me a favor and ask the girls yourself why they do what they do and what pupose it serves in the big picture. Why don't they care when the amounts of Gh and other drugs start to distort their faces and disfigure their bodies?

AnglicanBeachParty · 09-28-2009, 02:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Carolyn Bryant

Jen Hendershott commented that "if Tina Chandler's look was rewarded women's bodybuilding would be more popular."

Quote:

Originally Posted by meNNace

LOL!!! I my opinion women's bodybuilding has never been something that I admire.. I think bikini is much better!

Quote:

Originally Posted by lilfella

Nicole Ball has a great FBB physique. IMHO I think rewarding her and pushing the sport more into that direction would benefit FBB.

Quote:

Originally Posted by -Z-

Force them to slim down, keep the crazy conditioning though.

Quote:

Originally Posted by BILLY GUNS

women in all need to lay off the GH!!!! the nasty jawlines is killing the sport even if they slim down the jaw will still be unpleasent!!!

The thing about this is, everyone has an opinion regarding what would make the sport more popular. But nobody really knows. You can see from the quotes above that there are many ideas about this. But nobody (including myself; ha!) has any data to present. We are all guessing.

I think in each of our minds is a sort of graph (see attached, including a special Billy Guns version) that shows how popular Men's and Women's physique sports could be at various levels of muscularity.

The attached plots are simply from numbers I made up. Because I have no clue. Of note is the possibility that at no "magic" level of muscularity would the women's side of the sport become as popular as the men's. We may never see "payout equity" in terms of pro contest prize money.

Further complicating the issue is: Even if we know where the maximum point in the popularity curve lies, is it really the right thing to do to shoot for that? I don't know. What I am pretty convinced of is that hardcore female bodybuilding (as we know it, c. 2009) will continue to exist even if all of the competitive criteria move to some point on the muscularity curve to the left of where we currently are. They are already doing it out of their own pocket ... I don't see them stopping even if they were banned from all the "official" contests.

Anyhow, I know I didn't answer anything, but hopefully I provided some food for thought/discussion.

BILLY GUNS · 09-28-2009, 02:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Carolyn Bryant

Do me a favor and ask the girls yourself why they do what they do and what pupose it serves in the big picture. Why don't they care when the amounts of Gh and other drugs start to distort their faces and disfigure their bodies?

I dont have to ask them I know so many and have listened to the stories...it truly is sad and when you start off competeing its for the love of it then after years of complete and utter brainwashing the sport has you sacrificing your entire life so a few head owners of the org. can add a new wing on their mansion in the hills ...... and then the guys and girls competeing are left to schmoeing out just to avoid bankrupcy and losing anything they own....look how many have to live with friends for free just to afford to be able to compete and in the end all for what some fat overweight outshape judge not to give them a second look cmon now

Youngguns · 09-28-2009, 02:12 PM

When the female competitors start taking testosterone, growing facial hair, muscles, and deepening their voice, they're no longer woman, but a transformation into a man. Natural female bodybuilding is where is should be at.

Carolyn Bryant · 09-28-2009, 02:17 PM

YouTube - Bodybuilder Anja Schreiner at Ms. Olympia

YouTube - Bodybuilder Anja Schreiner at Ms. Olympia

AnglicanBeachParty · 09-28-2009, 02:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Youngguns

When the female competitors start taking testosterone, growing facial hair, muscles, and deepening their voice, they're no longer woman, but a transformation into a man. Natural female bodybuilding is where is should be at.

I can respect that.

But it must be pointed out that natural female bodybuilding is also not very popular, not very lucrative. Just saying ...

BILLY GUNS · 09-28-2009, 02:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AnglicanBeachParty

I can respect that.

But it must be pointed out that natural female bodybuilding is also not very popular, not very lucrative. Just saying ...

lol true the schmoes pay more for the muscled chicks...if it wasnt for schmoeing the women would be left to hooking and thats no lie but really is sad

AnglicanBeachParty · 09-28-2009, 02:30 PM

I saw both Anja Schreiner and Sharon Bruneau compete at the 1992 Ms. Olympia. They both seemed perfect to me in that each had perfectly nailed a particular look they were going for. But, of course, they didn't have the kind of size necessary to beat Lenda.

A few years before that, there was an invitation from one of the Weider publications (I think it was Muscle & Fitness) for people to write in Letters to the Editor regarding what should be the criteria for judging female bodybuilding. I've always been a little disappointed that they didn't print my letter.

I should check and see if I still have it in my file cabinet. I probably do; I keep everything.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Carolyn Bryant

YouTube - Bodybuilder Anja Schreiner at Ms. Olympia

tammyp · 09-28-2009, 02:52 PM

as a new little LW pro, i want to make improvements, but really dont want to or need to be bigger. i like being petite and cant imagine walking around with 15 more lbs of muscle on my frame. so if they dont like me little ..then i guess ill be in the bottom of the pack. thats ok, i gotta live with me 364 of the other days of the year.