Muscle Gals
January 16, 2003 11:04 AM   Subscribe

Muscle gals The gym culture, protein diets, and Xena have made way for a new fetish.
posted by Dukebloo (38 comments total)
 
A new, horrifying fetish. What happened to the good old fetish days of high heels and maid costumes. Nowadays, if it isn't muscle gals, it's pee drinking or vampirism. I swear, this younger generation is giving fetishism a bad name.
posted by jonson at 11:09 AM on January 16, 2003


I don't know how new this is. Female bodybulding has been around for quite awhile. Let's call it "equal opportunity steroid abuse". Why should men be the only ones who overdevelop their muscles until they can't scratch their heads.
posted by orange swan at 11:13 AM on January 16, 2003


Shit, I thought this was about babes who dug M.U.S.C.L.E. toys, of which my collection they would fawn over.
posted by Stan Chin at 11:18 AM on January 16, 2003


Nowadays, if it isn't muscle gals, it's pee drinking or vampirism. I swear, this younger generation is giving fetishism a bad name.

None of those things are in the least bit new.
posted by Skot at 11:20 AM on January 16, 2003


jonson, orange swan has a point - apparently this muscle woman fetish isn't entirely new - witness these mujeres forzudas from the '30s.
But if it's maids you are into...
posted by madamjujujive at 11:25 AM on January 16, 2003


Different strokes but I have often wondered why so many women into this "art" seem to have very small breasts? Can someone tell me. I lead a very sheltered life.
posted by Postroad at 11:36 AM on January 16, 2003


Thanks for that link, madam! Now I need never have sex again. Nor even think thoughts about sex, ever, for as long as I live.
posted by jonson at 11:41 AM on January 16, 2003


That first link is cool, Mme. Jive.

Postroad: When a large pectoralis minor is "pumped" it tightens the chest... giving the appearance of small breasts... when relaxed, breasts return to normal size. I sure having less body fat must decrease breast size, though.
posted by maniactown at 11:44 AM on January 16, 2003


postroad: very low body fat and in more extreme cases the use of male hormones probably explains it. but the male hormones don't just cause things to shrink ... (i'll let you figure out the rest)
posted by probablysteve at 11:47 AM on January 16, 2003


Post Road>>> Yes it is the very low body fat ratio that results in small breasts. (Estrogen is stored in body fat) Some of these women also become unable to menstruate either for the exact same reason. (not enough body fat to successfully carry a child, which also happens to marathon runners and anorexics) I was very into this sport for many years, although I never was able to produce enough bulk to actually compete. I could never ingest enough protein nor was I willing to ingest male hormones towards that end. I plan to return to training once I have finished with school as I do miss it.
posted by SweetIceT at 11:56 AM on January 16, 2003


Breasts are fat. I hate to break it to (some) of you guys, but if you see a woman with 0% body fat and huge knockers they're fake.
posted by JoanArkham at 11:57 AM on January 16, 2003


or, to make it perfectly clear: when i worked at an entertainment store, i had to strip the covers off a bunch of porno mags. one of them featured some well muscled ladies. my boss screamed "Why does that chick have balls? why does THAT chick have balls?" for about half an hour.

ahem.
posted by sugarfish at 12:00 PM on January 16, 2003


JoanArkham>>> There is no such thing as 0% body fat. Even those that die of malnutrition still have some body fat.
posted by SweetIceT at 12:00 PM on January 16, 2003


...so many women into this "art" seem to have very small breasts...

What is more disturbing to me is the female bodybuilders who have the kind of unnaturally large melon breasts that are only possible by way of silicone...
posted by Shane at 12:02 PM on January 16, 2003


Or, what joanarkham said...
posted by Shane at 12:03 PM on January 16, 2003


"Her Biceps" is one of those phrases that makes for a confusing domain name... until I clicked on the link, I thought "Herbiceps" was going to be something like Herbalife.
posted by staggernation at 12:07 PM on January 16, 2003


SweetIceT - Could you post some comments about how you got seriously into bodybuilding and what rewards and benefits you found therein? I'd be interested in reading about that.
posted by orange swan at 12:12 PM on January 16, 2003


i wouldn't consider the fetish new, in the sense that it was created last year, but it may be relatively new -- for did many women lift weights this seriously 50 years ago? (perhaps so, and i never knew.)

i lift weights, but i do it as a form of therapy. (it's relaxing to be able to work the stress out of my body while able to think to myself for 2 hours.) i've seen and known a few guys who were into training very heavily; one who competed. the pain they put themselves through wasn't something that interested me at all.
posted by moz at 12:47 PM on January 16, 2003


Well, since I have no idea what an actual low body fat number would be (7%? 17%?) I went for the joke. As long as I can make it up the stairs I prefer to remain blissfully unaware of such things.
posted by JoanArkham at 12:58 PM on January 16, 2003


Well. I think these women are sexy. They remind me of the scene in the movie Skin Deep with John Ritter where he's about to bed an Amazon woman. She undresses in front of him and says something to the effect of "I've been working on this body 2 hours a day, 5 days a week, 12 months out of the year, for ten years, all so you could have it tonight.".

Lots of guys like ample woman. What's wrong with the ampleness being muscle?

And JoanArkham...low body fat for a woman is in the low to mid twenties. Low body fat for a man is in the mid to high teens. For a bodybuilder it's in the single digits.
posted by vito90 at 1:04 PM on January 16, 2003


okay orange swan>>> I began body building kind of by accident. I was living in the Florida Keys and was looking for a form of exercise that didnt include a lot of running as I have never enjoyed much of that (more of a sprinter than anything else) There just so happened to be a what I still call a blue collar gym. One where actual body builders go...nothing fancy at all just a room full of racks of free wieghts. At the time I believe I was the only female to step foot in there. Anyway the owner liked the novelty of my being there and he began to coach me. That's pretty much how I got started. The biggest reward for me at the time was it helped with my sort of hyperactivity problem. I believe it worked off some of the nervousness and the endorphins it released helped to calm and relax me. The other benefit over the long haul has been the great metabolism I have had ever since. I have over the years tried and tried to get more women to try it. Particularly those interested in losing wieght. You can pretty much eat what you want when you consider that most proffessional body builder's will ingest (or attempt to ingest) 6 to 8 thousand calories a day by force feeding themselves protein shakes. This amount of protien is required to build muscle mass that professionals are shooting for. If you are eating a typical 1500 to 2000 calorie diet, you WILL NOT bulk up, as so many women I have spoken to are concerned about. I typically work out 1 to 1.5 hours 2 to 4 times a week, high repetition. I also did the minimum recommended amount of aerobic training, usually incorporating a stair machine or treadmill 20 to 30 minutes into my routine. The long term advantage......I am nearly 42 yrs old...haven't trained in nearly 5 yrs, I still wiegh around 130 lbs and wear a size 4. Well I hope this enlightens you orange swan. If you have anymore questions let me know....
posted by SweetIceT at 1:05 PM on January 16, 2003


For an interesting look at bodybuilding check out Muscle: Confessions of an Unlikely Body Builder

It's the true tale of a skinny, Oxford-educated young man that gets really involved in the SoCa bodybuilding scene, eventually becoming Mr. San Gabriel Valley or something like that.
posted by probablysteve at 1:12 PM on January 16, 2003


Breasts are fat. I hate to break it to (some) of you guys, but if you see a woman with 0% body fat and huge knockers they're fake.

There's also something called "glands" in the breasts of women (that whole feeding-their-young thing), so it's not all fat. You can be pretty skinny and still have real (big) breasts. I'm not talking cartoonish proportions, but above average size (36c or d). That being said, the reason that many body builders have smallish looking breasts is because they're probably juicers who stack with anti-estrogens such as Chrysin inorder to increase testosterone.

Many male body builders do this too, but for a different reason. If you juice and you don't stack with an anti-estrogen, you body ups your estrogen in order to keep pace with the testosterone, and you usually develop "bitch tits", or as their medically referred to, gyneocomastia.
posted by SweetJesus at 1:22 PM on January 16, 2003


See also freya and wpw and andys and denise masino, and heather policky, and news:alt.amazon-women.admirers.
posted by engelr at 1:22 PM on January 16, 2003


engelr - Thanks! I'll be...umm... over here if you need me
posted by vito90 at 1:24 PM on January 16, 2003


vito90 - That scene with the female bodybuilder? She would be Zap, from American Gladiators.
posted by starvingartist at 1:58 PM on January 16, 2003


Before and after male breast reduction operation: gynecomastia.
posted by Shane at 1:59 PM on January 16, 2003


I have never heard of a male body builder with gynomastia....isn't that a disorder of men who usually don't work out much or who are usually carry a bit of extra body wieght in general meaning muscle to fat ratio is not optimal?
posted by SweetIceT at 2:40 PM on January 16, 2003


fetish
posted by crunchland at 2:49 PM on January 16, 2003


I have never heard of a male body builder with gynomastia....

I'm no expert, but I'm sure I've seen an article or two on avoiding "bitch tits" advertized on the cover of a men's muscle mag at the local GNC.
posted by Shane at 6:41 PM on January 16, 2003


Xena isn't a muscle girl.
posted by holloway at 7:06 PM on January 16, 2003


really? I am out of the loop already then.
posted by SweetIceT at 7:54 PM on January 16, 2003


"Bitch Tits"... was this phrase originally coined in the movie Fight Club?

"Six months ago, Bob's testicles were removed. Then hormone therapy. He developed bitch tits because his testosterone was too high and his body upped the estrogen. That was where my head fit -- into his huge, sweating tits that hung enormous, the way we think of God's as big."
posted by Scoo at 9:14 PM on January 16, 2003


Heh. No, pre-Fight Club.
posted by Shane at 10:20 PM on January 16, 2003


The phrase bitch tits is really horrible. Tits only belong to bitches?
posted by Summer at 2:31 AM on January 17, 2003


The phrase bitch tits is really horrible.

I always assumed it was coined by macho weight-lifters. You know:

"Dude, don't let your estrogen count skyrocket. You'll end up with tits just like a bitch! Yuk yuk yuk."

At first I didn't realize it referred to hormone-induced male mammaries, and I thought the bodybuilders were just concerned about the shape of their pectorals. Like, maybe if they did too many declined bench-presses and not enough flies or something they'd end up with cone-shaped pecs. Or something.

Here, I Googled on "muscle bitch tits." Here is the table of contents of Musclemag International (Oct '99), including:

BITCH TITS
Bitch tits, bane of the drug enhanced. Is there help for the afflicted?


And here is a more detailed explanation of steroid-caused "gyno" from a website that wants to sell estrogen-blockers to bodybuilders:

For years bodybuilders have taken testosterone in the form of steroids like Sustanon 250, Parabolan, D-bol (and numerous others) to enhance their physiques. Recently supplements like prohormones (like 4-AD) and prosteroids (like 1-Test) have become very popular and effective alternatives to steroids. But the problem remains the same whether using steroids or supplements. When test levels increase so will estrogen levels. Now initially the body will respond to increased testosterone by becoming stronger and more muscular. That’s why during the early stages, the first 2-3 weeks, of a steroid cycle incredibly fast progress is experienced. 10-20 pound weight gains are not uncommon and 50-pound strength gains are not unusual either. But over time (a short time unfortunately), the body responds to the imbalance created by increased testosterone and increases estrogen. Once this happens, a puffy water retention look, acne, gyno (bitch tits) and other unwanted side-effects can become evident. Testosterone had a head start, so it took estrogen a couple weeks to react. But once it gets going, it catches up in a hurry.
posted by Shane at 6:43 AM on January 17, 2003


I just love MF I learn something new every day.
posted by SweetIceT at 8:30 AM on January 17, 2003


I have never heard of a male body builder with gynomastia....isn't that a disorder of men who usually don't work out much or who are usually carry a bit of extra body weight in general meaning muscle to fat ratio is not optimal?

Even though this thread is pretty much dead, I thought I'd answer this question.

Gynecomastia effects between 40-70% of males in puberty. The majority of these cases solve themselves by the age of 17, and for the most part are a side-effect of puberty.

But for a small percentage of men, nothing happens towards the end of puberty, and they are essentially suck with them (the breasts). At this point there are only really two options - 1) Get plastic surgery (usually Ultra Sonic Power-Assisted Liposuction) or 2) stick it out. There's no medication to take care of it, although some people think that a combination of an anti-estrogen (Chrysin) and fat-burners (such as Yohimburn(?), which is a topical lotion) will do the trick, but there's little real medical information to back this up.

It really doesn't have anything to do with inactivity or being over-weight (although it doesn't help). It's a genetic thing, and there's not much you can do about it.
posted by SweetJesus at 7:55 PM on January 20, 2003


« Older Doctor, I've got a clamp... I mean, a cramp...   |   Stick Insects Argue Against Evolution Newer »


This thread has been archived and is closed to new comments