Women of Steel Redefining Femininity
In the world that dictates the characteristics of an ideal woman and her body, some female athletes all over the world have turned to body building as a complementary sport or sometimes as their main athletic field and they have starred in many fitness championships; in other words, they have redefined the set rules that glorious muscles are only men’s stuff. By getting aware of their body, their femininity and their rights, some women tend to challenge the norms, get strong and look masculine; in most cases, the idea of building strength comes from the sense of insecurity women feel in their social life. There are a lot of criticism toward women bodybuilders and a vast majority of men and women are against it since this sport is considered to be totally masculine.
Women Shouldn’t Transform Their Body
On the one hand, biologically, women have smaller muscles compared to men, and it takes longer time for them to develop muscles. On the other hand, the stereotypes consider the ideal woman as a gentle and fragile individual. Women must be fit, demure and delicate, but not macho and few men might be interested in muscled women! This is as if the identity of a woman is defined by a man’s interest. In this patriarchal world, most of the jobs, educational fields or sports are labeled for men and there is no special legislation for such classifications; however, there are still inspired women who dare to fight for their rights and identities.
Rene Campbell is one of the examples. she represents her femininity in a new frame, a transformed body; She is a mom, a woman, and a wife; in other words, she has her motherhood responsibilities but at the same time, she looks strong and happy; she does not avoid her so-called tasks but she has come to the grips with the fact that she needs to do things for herself believing that “My bodybuilding journey made me realize that I needed to do things for myself.” She felt very insecure about her body image and also about herself as a person. She actually challenged the gender stereotype that women must conform to some prescribed norms saying that “I was constantly feeling under pressure through the media that women needed to look a certain way.”
Kiran Dembla a 45-year-old Indian woman, mother of two, is also a bodybuilding Champion who has been an inspiration for a lot of women, especially Indian women. She was diagnosed of having a clot in her brain, and she was under medication for some time until she came to observe herself saying that “My husband and I were shocked, and as I looked at the mirror, I realized how much I changed in the past decade. I felt nauseated by the medicines the doctor had prescribed.” She also emphasizes that women must step out of their comfort zone and experience the world outside, “Even if you step out of the house, you start getting used to it. I started leaving the house to go to yoga, to go swimming, stepping outside the door itself is a big deal for a housewife. Especially for people who don’t leave the house.”
To sum up, women should not trade their real identity for the society acceptance and they should not let anything come in their way when pursuing a dream. There is no prescribed rule and all irrational stereotypes must be challenged.
Women of Steel Redefining Femininity
Robi B