Female bodybuilding
Female bodybuilding is the female component of competitive bodybuilding. It began in the late 1970s, when women began to take part in bodybuilding competitions.
The most prestigious titles in female professional bodybuilding include the Ms. Olympia, Ms. Rising Phoenix and Masters Olympia.
History
Origins
Female bodybuilding originally developed as an outgrowth of not only the late nineteenth-century European vaudeville and circus strongwomen acts, Bernarr Macfadden's turn of the century women's physique competitions, and the weightlifting of Abbye "Pudgy" Stockton, but also as an outgrowth of the men's bodybuilding. The contest formats of men's events during the 1950s to the mid-1970s had often been supplemented with either a women's beauty contest or bikini show. These shows "had little to do with women's bodybuilding as we know it today, but they did serve as beginning or, perhaps more properly, as a doormat for the development of future bodybuilding shows." Physique contests for women date back to at least the 1960s with contests like Miss Physique, Miss Body Beautiful U.S.A., W.B.B.G. and Miss Americana, I.F.B.B. Maria Elena Alberici, as listed in the Almanac of Women's Bodybuilding, won two national titles in one year: Miss Body Beautiful U.S.A. in 1972, promoted by Dan Lurie and Miss Americana in 1972, promoted by Joe Weider. Mr. Olympia, Arnold Schwarzenegger was a judge at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in New York when Maria Elena Alberici Maria Lauren won Miss Americana. It was not until the late 1970s, after the advent of the feminist movement and female powerlifting events that women were seen as capable of competing in their own bodybuilding competitions.Dan Lurie and Kellie Everts – the Beginning
Dan Lurie wrote the following quote: Kellie Everts
"A young lady with a great physique, Kellie was as motivated to compete as any male bodybuilder I had worked with. I would promote her to the world and in doing this become the first publisher to profile a female bodybuilder.
In 1974, I received a call from Esquire magazine photographer Jean-Paul Goude, asking me who I would recommend as a subject for an ‘Amazonian’ spread he was planning. I instantly told him, “Kellie Everts is your lady.” In my mind she was the only female bodybuilder around at the time. In fact she was the first real female bodybuilder ever, a fact not lost on me when I put her in my December 1974 MTI. That was the very first article any muscle magazine had done on a female bodybuilding up until then."
In 1974, Lurie had received an auspicious call from Esquire magazine photographer Jean-Paul Goude, asking him for who he would recommend as a subject for an ‘Amazonian’ spread he was planning. Lurie quickly told him, “Kellie Everts is your lady.” She appeared to be the only female bodybuilder at the time, perhaps the first real female bodybuilder ever. To quote Lurie:
"To my mind, one thing is for sure: she was the first female to break through to make women’s bodybuilding widely known to mainstream audiences."
Per Lurie, Kellie Everts appeared in July 1975 Esquire Magazine, “Muscle and Grit, Religion and Tit, That’s what Kellie Everts is Made of," featuring a woman flexing muscles and lifting weights just like the men did. It clearly created a sensation. Next, Kellie Everts appeared in the May 1977 issue of Playboy, hoisting a barbell in the air with her bikini flying off – Playboy had said women need not fear lifting weights would turn their muscles into “magic mountains,” and “To the barbells, girls!” Just six months after this, Henry McGhee presented his female bodybuilding contest which was designed to be like the men’s
After the Esquire article, Kellie had the appeared on several national TV shows: Mike Douglas, To Tell the Truth and important local shows, AM New York, AM Washington, Stanley Siegel – all prior to the first female bodybuilding shows. After the female bodybuilding shows started, she appeared on Real People 1979 and with Lisa Lyon 1981, the Tom Snyder Show, both doing muscle posing routines. Kellie had published the first body building book by a woman titled "The Ultimate Woman" and Lisa had her book "Body Magic" the same year shortly after Kellie.
Kellie won many trophies during the 70’s "Golden Era" at the IFBB and WBBG Contests, winning Best Body over Anna Maria Alberici in Miss Americana 1972 and second place, the same during 1974 – second place Miss Americana and Best Body at the Felt Forum with Arnold Schwarzenegger. She won Miss Body Beautiful USA 2nd place 1973 and first place 1974.
There was also the important Sports Illustrated article 1980 “Miss Well WHAT?” with many interesting observations re what was going on with female bodybuilding in 1979 as well. The title itself is instructive.
Later on Feb 2, 2007, the WBBG belatedly awarded Kellie Everts the title "Progenitor" - "The Woman who got female competitive body building started" and in August put her into their Hall of Fame, as the only female in the WBBG Hall of Fame.
1977–1979
Prior to 1977, bodybuilding had been considered strictly a male-oriented sport. Henry McGhee, described as the "primary architect of competitive female bodybuilding", was an employee of the Downtown Canton YMCA, carried a strong belief that women should share the opportunity to display their physiques and the results of their weight training the way men had done for years. The first official female bodybuilding competition was held in Canton, Ohio, in November 1977 and was called the Ohio Regional Women's Physique Championship. It was judged strictly as a bodybuilding contest and was the first event of its kind for women. Gina LaSpina, the champion, is considered the first recognized winner of a woman's bodybuilding contest. The event organizer, McGhee, told the competitors that they would be judged "like the men," with emphasis on muscular density, full muscle bellies, clear muscle separation, symmetry between the upper and lower body, and physique presentation. In 1978, McGhee organized the first National Women's Physique Championship, along with the short-lived United States Women's Physique Association, which he formed to help organize women interested in competing in bodybuilding. The USWPA became defunct in 1980.On August 18, 1979, promoter George Snyder organized a "female bodybuilding" contest known as The Best in the World contest, which was the first IFBB-sanctioned event for women that awarded prize money to the top finishers, with the winner receiving $2,500. It was considered the forerunner for the Ms. Olympia competition. Although sanctioned as a bodybuilding contest, women were required to appear on stage in high heels. Doris Barrilleaux found the Superior Physique Association in 1978, the first women's bodybuilding organization run for women and by women. She also began publishing the SPA News, a newsletter dedicated exclusively to female bodybuilding. SPA disseminated information to women about contests and proper training and dieting. On April 29, 1979, SPA held Florida's first official women's contest in which thirteen women competed. The contest was held in Brandon Florida and promoted by Megas Gym and Doris Barrilleaux. The winner of the show was Laura Combes. Also in 1979, the IFBB formed the IFBB Women's Committee; Christine Zane was appointed the first chairperson to serve as head of the newly formed committee. One of the significant differences between the SPA and the IFBB was that while the IFBB was organized and run by men, the SPA was run by women and for women.
More contests started to appear in 1979. Some of these were the following:
- The second U.S. Women's National Physique Championship, won by Kay Baxter, with Marilyn Schriner second and Cammie Lusko third.
- The first IFBB Women's World Body Building Championship, held on June 16, won by Lisa Lyon, followed by Claudia Wilbourn, Stella Martinez, Stacey Bentley, and Bette Brown.
- The Best In The World contest, held at Warminster, Pennsylvania on August 18, featuring a $5,000 prize fund, with $2,500 awarded for first place. Patsy Chapman was the winner, followed by April Nicotra, Bentley, Brown, and Carla Dunlap.
- The Robby Robinson Classic, held at the Embassy Auditorium in Los Angeles on August 25. Bentley finished first, also winning best legs and best poser, followed by Brown, Lusko, and Georgia Miller.
In 1979 Maria Shriver, the future wife of Arnold Schwarzenegger, produced a nine minute documentary on Kellie Everts, which featured her praying in a Church, training in a gym, and preaching/strip teasing at a Club. It was the most popular presentation of that month at the station in Baltimore, Maryland.
Of Kellie’s many books, there are three that cover her body building days. They are:
1) “The Man Whisperer” – which gives a Time Table of all she did in the sport.
2) “I Strip for God” part 9 – The Life in my Men. Documents the relationships of Kellie Everts which were Mr. Universe, Mr. Americas: Mickey Hargitay, Vern Weaver, Harold Poole, Franco Columbu, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Dennis Tinerino, Boyer Coe, Chris Dickerson and Reg Lewis.
3) The Origin and Decline of Female Body Building. Explains how the genre of female bodybuilding, at that time did not exist, how it got started, flourished, and began to decline after the year 2000, when men got frightened by Kim Chizevsky and changed the rules. Then when Weider sold out to AMI in 2003, it was relegated down to a subculture.