Fitness Competitions: A dissection of fitness, health and beauty ideals

It seemed farcical. An ardent women’s rights advocate, and outspoken feminist, especially on body issues, I would be entering a fitness competition where winning meant being judged solely on appearance, presence and onstage personality. 12 weeks later, I've rarely been so humbled. Stepping on stage for the first time, I took first place in the morning Open division against 30 other fantastic women, and then 1st overall in the Elite division at night, winning my pro card.  


I felt like any other sports competitor might: that I’d worked hard and that it had paid off. Nevertheless, I never stopped struggling with some competing thoughts - here is an excerpt of what the discussion in my head looked like.

Q: Did anyone express the opinion that standing on stage in a bikini was somehow incongruent with being a feminist?

A: I puzzled over this for a long time before beginning to train. And then, as soon as I began the morning and evening trainings, the nutrition program, as soon as I became an athlete again (and away from the ‘down season’), I forgot about it. Yes – I see that women are posing in bikinis being judged on their bodies, their faces, their personalities. Yes, I see that women are standing being judged, period. But so are men. We are all in the same boat, and the judges are male and female. It’s a sport that has been around since the dawn of time – pushing the limits of a body’s physical attributes into this so-called realm of ‘physical perfection.’

I do, however, think this is the deciding factor: I don’t live under the presumption that this is perfection at all. I know that fitness websites and ‘fitspiration’ messages are just as harmful as ‘thinspiration’ boards, parading near certain eating disorders in the name of health.

I think, as women, we are so happy to be able to do the fitness thing in a mainstream way because it’s a space we’ve never occupied before. It’s so traditionally male: being strong and fit and powerful with our bodies – and then showing it off without being told to be quiet or sit down. We should not, however, make it become the only space in which ‘sexy,’ ‘healthy’ and ‘fit’ women exist – because the reality is that there is an enormous variety of healthy and beautiful bodies out there.

“Strong is the new skinny” or “skinny is not sexy” – these are exclusionary statements. Anything can be 'sexy' depending on the beholder and anything can just be – without needing to be sexy or sexual or intended for the ‘male gaze.’ Women need a space to simply exist – and what they choose in terms of health and body image should be their own – without the additional pressures of having a thigh gap or a six-pack. Aesthetic mandatories in the name of fitness are still lies masquerading as health.

Let me be clear and say that no one can happily look like those lean fitspiration pictures 365 days a year. For the .01% of people who do, that’s great. For the rest of competitors, the ‘off season’ is perhaps the most important part – your body must rest, your mind must recuperate – and if you’re going to come back with a better package, you need the food, the rest, and the strength. It is the hardest part, however, because all at once you see your body changing and you can’t help fearing it’s for the worst. This is where a lot of competitors develop eating disorders. It would be ridiculous to assume that one’s perception of beauty doesn’t change and sometimes it takes a while to regain perspective. Yet just as football trainers aren’t smart to train when injured, so fitness competitors are deluded in believing they can maintain such a low body fat percentage all year long and that this could even be a healthy goal.

That being said, if it is your choice to bench several plates and it is your goal to deadlift twice your body weight, I encourage you to do so! I am addicted to heavy weights, plyometrics and sprints on the stairmaster…. But I’m not sure that makes me better or sexier than anyone else. It just happens to fit the sport I partake in and love, and I get results from these activities that fit the criteria it takes to win.

I really believe that to be good at this type of competition, you have to love both aspects. Maybe you like being the center of attention – maybe you’re a natural performer. But you also have to love the training. Because the training is the most exhausting work I’ve ever done – training for swim meets doesn’t even come close! Your body becomes your tool, your prize possession, like Beckhams’ right foot, or a pitcher’s arm. You are judged on how well and how intelligently you have trained, how hard you have worked, and what you bring to complement that training.

Q: OK, but what about the implants?

A: Ah yes, the implants. The implants and the hair and the makeup and the crystal suit and those clear heels! Trust me, I'm the first to raise an arched brow at it all. I guess let's not forget that this is a fitness competition and bodies are on display. Naturally, given our social markers for beauty, we conform to displaying our bodies in a certain way, which includes all the traditional feminized accoutrements listed above. As for the implants, well, first, body fat percentages drop so low for female athletes and especially for fitness competitors that often we lose our breasts completely. Personally, I’m a big fan of padding. But I’m not passing judgment on women that choose implants, and if this sport is your entire life, if its your profession, you might want to keep a ‘feminine’ look, or enhance your ‘curves’ for a fitness model look. 

There is intense pressure in the fitness world for women, even at the highest levels of bodybuilding to maintain traditionally feminine 'curves', an attitude I find at complete odds with the sport itself. Its depressing to think of the internal struggle certain female athletes face in this community, in the mirror and on stage. Because of this, I think that one should always examine one’s choices. What kind of pressures are you under that you would consider implants the only solution? If your body is your tool and you are getting implants to ‘perfect’ that tool in the industry and sport you are in, perhaps that’s your choice. You might equate it to men using steroids. All reasons are good reasons, because they are your own – but I would encourage women to thoroughly examine their choices before undergoing what is still a very dangerous procedure for a goal that is perhaps not what they may want. Its a delicate issue, but at the base of it all, I trust and believe women and the choices they make.