I think this is where I speak on a subject that has caused me much insecurity throughout my life. How girls view beauty and strength is a topic dear to my heart. In my young years I would think, “this doesn’t matter, I want to be a boy anyway.” But I was also the type of girl that did not want to wear bras, do my hair, and stand up while i pee. Today, many would assume this means I must be gay. At 34, still a tomboy, happily married to my husband, whom I have had 5 kids with, I am far from being gay, though I find women to be a fierce competitor of men.
I did not notice when I was young how big of a deal it is to have breast. In the 80’s, implants were trending, but the health risk caused an uproar. Today I have read articles of women who claim they wish they would have not gotten their implants. Yet, more and more it seems that no breast makes you less of a woman in societies eyes. It hurts, Alot, to think that no matter what I do to be female, with all the breast in the world, including FAKE ones, I am pressured to put forth more efforts to be accepted as one. Though I do not discredit the women who model or represent healthy, fit, athletic physiques, I am confused about how they can represent female strength after falling for the ‘ole implant in the breast trick’. There is more strength in acceptance of ones self. Right?
So what I would like to hear is how you feel about bikini, figure, fitness, and bodybuilding competitions that require breast? And what can be done about creating a healthy view of life for our young girls?
I think if a woman wants to be competitive in physique competitions breast implants are almost mandatory. Even a girl with naturally large breasts is going to lose a lot of breast size with the type of dieting a woman needs to have a defined midsection.
Yep, its as fake as the fake tan, fake nails, hair extensions etc. Its about creating an fashionable ideal(fashion changes over time).
I think it might be hard for people born after the 1980’s to have a realistic impression of what a natural person(male or female) looks like with cosmetic dentistry, breast implants(for woman), cosmetic surgery, hairpieces. Even more so in the fitness realm, with various PEDs for men and woman.
There still were beautiful women before breast implants, and other cosmetic procedures, I think the general public had a more realistic view about women’s breast sizes. It used to be pretty normal for skinny chicks to have small breasts. A thin waisted woman with ponderously large breasts was very rare, especially after the age of 30, and including several children.
I’m sure this cosmetic fakery works on some primitive level, tricking the body eliciting a biological/biochemical response even though our minds rationally tells us they are artificial, and not a realistic representation of someone’s fertility, suitability as a partner, or beauty.
insecurity
So what I would like to hear is how you feel about bikini, figure, fitness, and bodybuilding competitions that require breast?
competition
you do what judges are looking for
And what can be done about creating a healthy view of life for our young girls?
girls are individuals
they need to understand this and learn to be happy as they are
i think this is two different subjects
I like natural features over augmented by a long shot. To the point that when I see blown up lips,breasts, and other carved up features I assume a lot of negatives.
So what about bb, figure, etc? I have no idea. Probably the same as for men- start natural, un-augmented divisions or comps? What are they supposed to be? An exposé of physical accomplishment or a competition of who has the best surgeon?
I’m not very familiar with the women’s competition categories but my guess is implants are a necessity for Bikini and Figure. I’m not sure about Fitness and they are probably unnecessary for Bodybuilding.
I don’t know what can be done to help young girls grow up to have a healthy self image and realistic expectations but I do wish women understood that, at least as far as most men are concerned, nice tits are a bonus. Otherwise we don’t care that much.
It seems to me women should learn this very quickly in life. After all, a girl with tiny tits and a cute face gets plenty of attention from guys. A girl with tiny tits, a cute face and an amazing ass will have guys falling all over themselves to get her attention.
I also wish that instead of worrying about the size of their breasts, women would just take better care of themselves. Most women squander their beauty. It’s not that hard to not smoke, protect your skin from the sun, eat a reasonable diet, exercise a reasonable amount and live an active life style. If a woman does these things she can enjoy whatever beauty she was blessed with into her forties. If she’s got great genetics, into her 50’s.
It’s not hard ladies, do those things instead of worrying about your tits.
I like your point about being born after the 80’s. As an 80’s baby I distinctly remember all the news on implants and how trendy having bigger breast were. I think I have been in denial, but making this post has opened my eyes to how much I have actually been affected by the social image of a females anatomy. Scary
I think the subjects go hand and hand. You see I ran into this topic as I did research on the requirements for competition. Though I have always felt comfortable with my body, and am very proud of how my body can transform, it can be upsetting that my hard work can not be acknowledged in certain areas, especially the ones you would expect would appreciate it, just because I am lacking in the breast department. Breasts are not muscle, so why are they required? So you see, if I, as a young girl, am happy with my body and continue to improve in a healthy state as I grow, why should I be slighted because I grew more healthy muscle in my chest, and opted not to fill that area with breast implants?
Your points are valid and I agree 100%. It’s also nice to get the confirmation about how guys really feel. But it is a struggle to look past what you see, or do not see, in the mirror. I mean most of us do what we do with our bodies based on what we see other humans are capable of.
in life appearance will get you in the door, takes total package to stay in the room
bikini, figure, fitness, and bodybuilding these are opinion competitions,
just like dance and singing
the media plays a large role in how people perceive on how our appearance should be,tends to mold women into what they think a man,or society wants
alot of guys i know see women with large breasts first thing they think is wow,then think she probably uses them to get what she wants
see one with obvious implants wow,
but like a car with a lot of chrome, crappy motor ,nothing under the hood
I’m pretty sure a competition that’s literally based only on appearance shouldn’t be used as an example of “a healthy view of life” for children.
The bottom line is that competitive bodybuilding/fitness/figure involves many things that simply aren’t “healthy” - implants and AAS being among them.
Very little of your posts actually discussed strength. CrossFit, powerlifting, and Olympic weightlifting are phenomenal examples where girls/women can train hard, be “healthy” (whatever that means), and absolutely 100% don’t need to be concerned with implants.
I’m starting to get that. I guess I’m one of those who thinks maybe I could change the game some to make the competition a bit more interesting. Could you image a naturally un-enhanced figure posing next to one with all the glitz and glamour? Perhaps I should learn more about the purpose of these competitions, because what my eyes see it not at all what it seems.
Trying to keep it short, I did not go into full detail and I understand you can not read my mind. So, on the topic of strength I was not just speaking appearance, so I agree on what I would show a young girl for strength. In my case, because this topic all stems from the requirements needed to compete to show all your hard work, I do show my 4 daughters the latter pic to give them a realistic view of what society wants in these competitions. If I do not show them, they will find it and form their own understanding. My daughters know my strength and see how hard i work to maintain my physique. But they also notice the difference in women with muscles and breast as oppose to women with just muscles.
When I was young I had no one to help me understand that this was not realistic. And growing up as a tomboy and weightlifter in a time when muscles on girls was still somewhat awkward, i really believed that my breast would grow and even stay. It took me well into adulthood to realize the truth. To fight to continue to do what i love without scrutiny, while also trying to feel feminine, in my muscular body, is a struggle. We are not raised in bubbles, so we are going to deal with many different things, and i believe no matter how hard we try we all seek the approval of one another. Maybe when i’m well into my 50’s, still rocking a hard body and maintaining my health, i won’t care so much.
When I say have a ‘healthy’ view, I do not want my daughters to feel the need to enhance their natural beauty. Again this stems from what society looks for. I just feel it’s too bad that any women said ‘yes, i’ll enhance myself for stage presence’, I mean we don’t go to the gym looking like that, at least I don’t. And I know it’s a whole other topic, but do men have to do all this?
Ok, now that’s what I need to see and hear for a clearer picture. I am still new to the idea of stepping on stage, I usually go for the weight lifting competitions. But I felt like ranting and getting others perspective on the matter, so I may understand what these games are really looking for and which one may be right for me, if any. And yes, I will see about that tackling issue, and I really do not know the purpose of pageants, but i will look into that also. I do not read Playboy, but i may just check it out. Thank you for sharing, I was ready to give up on this issue, but your input has been very helpful. So i will continue to pushharder!
[quote=“bodyofamom, post:13, topic:214216”]
I do show my 4 daughters the latter pic to give them a realistic view of what society wants in these competitions[/quote]
Unless your girls have talked about wanting to compete in figure/physique contests, I think here’s where you’re getting off-track. It’s not society that dictates who wins competitions. It’s the judging panel of a sport with pre-determined criteria. It’s two separate issues and I think trying to tie them together is confusing and, for lack of a better word, unfair.
You have a case if you want to say that society in general encourages unrealistic body types for women. But things get muddy when you try to say that an appearance-based contest with clearly defined expectations and standards for competitors is setting an unrealistic goal.
[quote] And I know it’s a whole other topic, but do men have to do all
this?[/quote]
Yes. Guys have to deal with meeting or missing standards too. Squat isn’t heavy enough. Arms aren’t big enough. Back and shoulders aren’t wide enough. Beard’s too long. Beard isn’t long enough. Actually, don’t get me started on manscaping. “It’ll put hair on your chest” used to be a good thing. Somewhere along the way, all dudes were sent a memo that baby-smooth was the new way to be.
