It sounds like the IFBB Pro is run by a couple of assholes. Apparently, according to reporting over the last six months, they quietly, and maybe illegally, turned the nonprofit into a corporation, and then while raking in the dough, created an incentive structure in which the only official photographer was the son of theContinue reading “Sexual Exploitation in Bodybuilding”
Category Archives: Gender
Gender, Sex and Strength
Spread the word–I want to hold a Guinness Book of World Records event in Tennessee. The current documented world record for the largest drag performance was only 73 performers. Let’s create an enormous street event with thousands of folks in drag. They can’t arrest all of us! You can hardly miss that the latest vulnerableContinue reading “Gender, Sex and Strength”
“Dudes getting bigger over time,” Iron Culture Podcast, Ep. 188-Steroids, Aesthetics & Irresponsible Influencers
So, I think Eric Helms has been hanging out over here at Progressive Strength. In addition to a lot of post hits out of New Zealand lately, in this more recent episode of Iron Culture, he goes out of his way to acknowledge his point of view speaking from the position of being a heterosexualContinue reading ““Dudes getting bigger over time,” Iron Culture Podcast, Ep. 188-Steroids, Aesthetics & Irresponsible Influencers”
Sexism and the Right to Autonomy
Despair and overwhelm. As symptoms of my PTSD, I experience these emotions frequently. Despair connects with the part of myself that wants to fall into the collapse defense; overwhelm is a symptom of my primal desire for flight or to freeze. With known triggers and sometimes seemingly randomly, I am flooded with a sense toContinue reading “Sexism and the Right to Autonomy”
#TBT: “Is there a place for me?” 3DMJ Podcast #195: Is Natural Bodybuilding Viable?
Why are folks drawn to extremes and what can we do to make bodybuilding, an extreme sport, a little healthier? I explore these ideas, and what I suspect are some of the gender differences that add nuance to the conversation, in this post about the folks at 3DMJ discussing the viability of natural bodybuilding. IContinue reading “#TBT: “Is there a place for me?” 3DMJ Podcast #195: Is Natural Bodybuilding Viable?”
The Gender Binary, Patriarchy, and How Bodybuilding Gives me a Place to Express my Authentic Self
I have never been the girl my mother hoped I would be. From a very young age, she has given me unwanted gifts like full length, pink nighties with puff sleeves and lace, dolls to play house with, and birthday cards with sparkles and butterflies. (I still get the birthday cards with sparkles and butterflies.)Continue reading “The Gender Binary, Patriarchy, and How Bodybuilding Gives me a Place to Express my Authentic Self”
#TBT: “A size 2 White lady with a ponytail and a leather jacket,” Hysteria podcast, Oct. 21, 2021
This week’s throwback Thursday post is a conversation with the ladies of Hysteria about the term “badass,” and the gendered implications of the term. I really valued the variety of opinions and ideas shared in this episode. Do you find the term badass to be celebrating masculine traits in women? If you do, do youContinue reading “#TBT: “A size 2 White lady with a ponytail and a leather jacket,” Hysteria podcast, Oct. 21, 2021″
Book Review–The Sum of Us, Heather McGee
Part of my commitment to being a White ally to is to continue to educate myself about race and issues of racial equity, to reduce the burden on the folks of color around me to keep me informed and to help me do better in my daily interactions and decisions that may have disproportionate impactsContinue reading “Book Review–The Sum of Us, Heather McGee”
#TBT: Is Fear of Fat Keeping You From Your Goals?
I admit, I still want The Golden Unicorn of personal physique change–losing fat while gaining muscle for dramatic body recomposition! But alas, the results from this sort of effort are apparently rarely satisfying once we’ve gotten beyond newbie status. Which means accepting a certain amount of body fat increase, at least temporarily, while we workContinue reading “#TBT: Is Fear of Fat Keeping You From Your Goals?”
Doin’ My Part to Keep the Gym a Safe Space for Men
I wrote this post several years ago, when I lifted in a small community center gym. With COVID restrictions reducing and lots of folks entering gyms for the first time in a while, I thought it might be a good time to revisit these themes–and to think about how we might counter the problems IContinue reading “Doin’ My Part to Keep the Gym a Safe Space for Men”
Progressive Strength 