Something New under the Sun
Excerpt from the book 'Modern Amazons' by Bill Dobbins
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However, accusing female bodybuilders of "going too far" or becoming "too extreme" is to contradict the very nature of bodybuilding. Bodybuilding is about the extreme aesthetic development of the body just as opera is about the extreme aesthetic development of the voice. To be a good opera singer, it isn't enough to have a big, loud voice. The sound you make also has to be beautiful - by the standards of opera, not by those of pop music or any other musical genre. In the same sense, a bodybuilder has to have big muscles, but that muscular body also has to have aesthetic appeal - by the standards of bodybuilding, not the conventional views of GQ, Vogue or even Playboy.
So bodybuilding can be understood as the grand opera of the human physique. And as far as making photographs of these bodies is concerned, in my view the more extreme a physique can be while remaining beautiful the better.
Personally, I can't wait to see what happens next. There is no limitation to the development of the bodybuilding physique other than genetics and aesthetics. If women in bodybuilding follow the same growth curve over time as have the men, we will eventually see female competitors much bigger, harder, denser, more muscular and more defined that those of today. But they will still be shapely, symmetrical and wellproportioned. They will have wide shoulders and small waists. Their muscles will be full, and taper down to small joints. The best will combine beauty of physique with overall aesthetics, including beautiful faces. I hope I will be around to continue photographing them.
Page [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8]
Page [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8]
However, accusing female bodybuilders of "going too far" or becoming "too extreme" is to contradict the very nature of bodybuilding. Bodybuilding is about the extreme aesthetic development of the body just as opera is about the extreme aesthetic development of the voice. To be a good opera singer, it isn't enough to have a big, loud voice. The sound you make also has to be beautiful - by the standards of opera, not by those of pop music or any other musical genre. In the same sense, a bodybuilder has to have big muscles, but that muscular body also has to have aesthetic appeal - by the standards of bodybuilding, not the conventional views of GQ, Vogue or even Playboy.
So bodybuilding can be understood as the grand opera of the human physique. And as far as making photographs of these bodies is concerned, in my view the more extreme a physique can be while remaining beautiful the better.
Personally, I can't wait to see what happens next. There is no limitation to the development of the bodybuilding physique other than genetics and aesthetics. If women in bodybuilding follow the same growth curve over time as have the men, we will eventually see female competitors much bigger, harder, denser, more muscular and more defined that those of today. But they will still be shapely, symmetrical and wellproportioned. They will have wide shoulders and small waists. Their muscles will be full, and taper down to small joints. The best will combine beauty of physique with overall aesthetics, including beautiful faces. I hope I will be around to continue photographing them.
Page [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8]
Lenda Murray, USA. Photo: Bill Dobbins