Peaks of the Day: Kassie Kemmis

A week of peaks here at FMS begins with the casual flexing and heart-stopping beauty of Kassie Kemmis. She might not have the biggest pair you’ll ever see – or the indeed biggest pair we’ll see this week – but when I first came across this pic, my jaw was well and truly on the floor (among other things). Kassie likes the pic a lot too, it seems, because she’s chosen it for the homepage on her brand spanking new website.

And it was time for her to get that website up and running because Kassie, from the marvellous-sounding Missoula, Montana, is a brand spanking new IFBB Figure pro. She won her class at the NPC Nationals in Miami last year with just one previous competition to her name and having started training as recently as January 2013.

If you are as impressed as I am by the amount of muscle being sported in the Figure division these days and you are in the vicinity of Los Angeles in July, you might want to check out Kassie’s pro debut at the LA Pro. If you’re impressed but not near LA, well, then you will probably, like me, be following Kassie’s progress via her Instagram.

Enjoy!

FBBUK: Rene Goes Pro

My time in Chicago is going to be very exciting, Rene blogged a week before taking the stage as a pro for the first time at the IFBB Wings of Strength at the beginning of July. I will have the amazing opportunity to be on a pro stage with the best of the best in the world. That in itself is an amazing achievement for me – something which I will always remember. The highlight of the show will be seeing Lenda Murray doing a guest spot.

Little was said about Rene in the previews to the show. She didn’t feature in any predictions for the top 5, probably because as a Brit and a new pro she was something of an unknown quantity. But if you’d seen any of Rene’s website updates from this year, you could have seen she was more than ready to be judged side-by-side with ‘the best of the best’.

And she certainly got Bodybuilding.com’s play-by-play commentators’ attention when she walked on stage for the pre-judging: Incredibly tight midsection. Great posing. Very aesthetic. Legs a tad small from the front but her shape makes up for any lack in size. Great hams and rear double bicep. Good lat spread!

Rene was awarded fourth place in a competitive, high-quality field, behind the winner Monique Jones, last year’s NPC Nationals champ Juanita Blaino, and perennial top-6 finisher Tina Chandler.

This would be a great achievement in itself, of course, but Rene had slightly more pre-contest hassles than most of the other competitors. Consider the journey to Chicago alone. Just a case of hopping on a plane? Wrong! Check out this extract from Rene’s blog for an insight into just what a female bodybuilder has to go through even after all the training is done…

Because I’m flying for 8½ hours and there is a chance I will hold onto water on the plane I am making sure I have zero carbs the day before flying, zero carbs on the flight – only protein and veg, and dependant on how much water retention I have I will most likely have no carbs the day after flying. That leaves me only 2 days to carb load before my contest.

Food for the plane. Well of course you can’t eat anything else besides what’s on your diet plan so my turkey will be cooked for so long that it’s rock hard. The idea behind this is so that it doesn’t go off on the flight as I’ve got to prepare enough food so I’m eating every 2 hours.

I also start water loading a week out from contest so by the time I fly I will be on 7.5l and 7000mg of vit C. This will mean visiting the bathroom every half hour at least! I feel sorry for whoever will be sat next to me as they will be constantly having to get up so I can go to the bathroom. I may have to pre warn any passengers next to me of the impending nuisance! Perhaps if they know they will kindly give me the aisle seat!

Comfortable clothing. I have to make sure I’m wearing loose comfortable clothes and open flip flops to ensure circulation and keep walking up and down the aisle to help with circulation.

On arrival in Chicago I will spend the next day with my legs elevated and just rest to try and drop water.

I remember when I flew to Australia one year – my body held onto so much water that you couldn’t tell where my knee was. My leg was one straight line! Hopefully this won’t happen otherwise this will mean a whole year’s prep down the drain because of water retention! Not good!

And you thought you had hassles when you travelled!

But having got there with her knees still clearly visible, Rene had a blast, posting on her Facebook page, I’m loving the weather in Chicago. Loving the accents. Saw a sexy black Mustang. Met some really nice people. Got a photo with Lenda Murray. Having a great time.

She certainly looked like she belonged in a pro show. I’m no female bodybuilding judge, as you’ve probably guessed if you’ve read much of this blog, but in my unqualified opinion, Rene has never looked bigger or better-conditioned. There were plenty of seasoned pros on that stage, women like Sherry Smith, Emery Miller, Christine Envall. And she beat them all, and fully-deserved to do so.

So, was Chicago the first of many for Rene? Can us Brits finally look forward to cheering on one of our own at the big shows after all these years?

Perhaps, but worryingly, perhaps not. Information has been given to FMS (I should say that we are accepting this information in good faith) that Rene is considering her future and at the moment it seems one future she is seriously considering is not one that involves her continuing as a professional bodybuilder.

And let’s not forget that unless the IFBB continue to include female bodybuilding in their contests in the coming years, no one will be cheering anyone on.

Whether by her own decision or a decision made for her (and many other FBBs) by the IFBB, it would be a crying shame if Chicago were the end for Rene, rather than the beginning it should be. And not just for us male fans.

Mega ripped & raw powerful sexy u amazing & truly one of kind congratulations dynamite muscle bound beauty

You look PROPER amazing! Jealous xx

Amazing, I’d love to look like that xx

I think she is the Angelina Jolie of FBBing

Ren you just keep getting better and better. Amazing physique and your conditioning is immense. I admire your will power determination passion and dedication. Truly beautiful xxx

These are all comments from Rene’s Facebook page after the Chicago show, and all comments made by women. The real shame if Rene were to bring her career to an end would be for the women she inspires, just as Lenda Murray inspired her.

The real shame would be if there was no possibility, one day in the future, of a young, inexperienced pro female bodybuilder writing on her blog that she was super-excited about her first pro show, and was especially looking forward to having the chance to meet her idol, Rene Campbell.

Perhaps you’d like to congratulate and/or encourage Rene via her Facebook, Twitter or blog, and watch new clips of Rene which are going up all the time on the Booost Oxygen youtube channel.

FMS says: CONGRATULATIONS RENE! WE’RE SO PROUD OF YOU!

Ts of the Day

I AM…

Today’s selection of muscular beauties and their T-shirts is all about the first person…

left: FMS haven’t been able to track down where this vest can be purchased (it’s not a Powerhouse Gym product as far as we can see) but this unknown ‘powerhouse’ certainly seems to have the shoulders (and chest, and thighs) to back up her claim.

right: Shoulders again to the fore as Cindy Phillips lets us know she’s not short of confidence. Obviously this image was from a few years ago, and although I doubt Cindy has lost any of her confidence, I don’t think her shoulders look quite this good anymore. Last word we had on Cindy was last year when she competed in Physique. Rumours that her and her husband (doubt he’s short of confidence either) were expecting twins popped up on the forums but are unconfirmed.

Michelle E. Russell

It’s official! And as far as we know, Michelle only plans to get bigger. And bigger…

And before you ask…

Enjoy!

Ts of the Day

Does this make me look arrogant?

Another week of muscle women and the messages on their T-shirts, starting with Nathalie Foreau in a picture sent in by gwmstaff at the end of the previous Ts of the Day week back in February.

The answer to the question is, for the vast majority of women, going to be a resounding ‘Yes’. Nathalie could make a Weightwatcher’s poster girl feel chubby. It’s an image that encapsulates the kind of arrogance that we all find so damn attractive. Thanks again to gwmstaff for sending it in. And if you have any favourite pics of muscle babes in their T-shirts (vests etc.) please post a link in the comments below or email them to 6ft1swell@gmail.com and I’ll post them all at the end of the week.

Continuing our ‘arrogance’ theme today though, ‘the FBI’ never looked so good!

If you are going to wear this, you’d better have the bod to back it up with, and judging by the little we can see of this muscle babe, she has. I wonder if she receives sponsorship from the Quebec government for wearing this? Once again, FMS is left in awe at the female muscle might of the Canadian nation…

More muscle, beauty and arrogance, and something that only connoisseurs of the muscular female form (like yourself) can truly appreciate : ‘Flex Appeal’. Proper ripped flex appeal too! And the fact she’s making an attempt to wear the T as a dress (a half-hearted attempt but an attempt nonetheless), just makes this all the more appealing I think. I just can’t help imagining that when she lets go of the bottom of that T-shirt it’s going to ping up and reveal some seriously ripped and veiny abs…

And to finish, beautiful Linnea Berglund from Sweden, who really doesn’t want you to be jealous. Is this for us boys? ‘Don’t be jealous that you can’t have this…’ Or is this intended for women? ‘Don’t be jealous of my body, just be inspired and get to work…’ Or perhaps ‘Don’t be jealous of the way your boyfriend (and every other man in this gym) can’t take his eyes off me…’ Probably it’s all of them and more.

Arrogance. Irritating until it’s displayed by a muscular woman. Then, I love it!

Biceps! A New Golden Age?

A little acorn, and a perfectly formed little acorn at that.

They come in all shapes and sizes. Some of them belong to women as yet unknown, others are more familiar. Let others call them ‘gross’ or ‘manly’. I love them all, every single one of them. Can you remember seeing a flexed bicep you didn’t like? No, me neither. Every single one of them is the result of hard work and dedication. It takes a special kind of woman to build them, and every single one of them is a winner.

In case you missed it, Andrea Brazier shows you where you should be looking.

Up close and personal with the muscle and veins of rising star Selma Labat.

More and more women are rejecting the mainstream idea of the ideal body shape in favour of a toned and/or muscular one. More and more are venturing into the weights room and lifting heavier and heavier. Whether it feels like it or not, there are more women building muscle now than ever before, and that means there are more female biceps in the world than at any other time.

I’ve already got my tickets pre-booked for the new Little Red Riding Hood movie.

Does it feel good to have guns like these? Does it look like it feels good?

Last year, the Olympian bodies of women at the London 2012 Games attracted all-round admiration and positive media reporting. This year we have had a female fitness model used in a marketing campaign for a major cosmetics brand. The sport of Crossfit continues to grow in the USA and is now gaining popularity, and, most importantly, air time on major networks in Europe, and now, finally, in Britain. All these examples are signs that athletic women are no longer seen as unmarketable.

Sexy Suzy Kellner revels in her muscular physique.

Both Kortney and Courtney are doing exactly what it says on the sign.

History books will tell you that from the 1880s until the start of the First World War ‘strongwomen’ acts drew large audiences to their shows, becoming the pin-ups of the day as well as making themselves rich. You might be old enough to remember the so-called ‘Golden Age of Female Bodybuilding’, usually seen as being around the time when Cory Everson ruled the Miss Olympia and mainstream coverage of female bodybuilding contests was at its height.

Guys like us like Rene Marven‘s ravishing arms almost as much as she does.

I doubt very much Michaela Schaar‘s shirt saw another sunrise.

Nowadays, women participate in sport and exercise more than ever before. It seems to me that it is the women who take no form of exercise at all who are starting to be seen as the freaks. Perhaps we are entering (or have already entered) another ‘Golden Age’, confined neither to vaudeville feats of strength nor specifically to the sport of female bodybuilding, but to a growth in and acceptance of female muscle in general.

Kashma‘s biceps and a bottle of oil. Questions?

The world might not yet be ready for the likes of Kashma just yet, but everyday, every hour, maybe every minute, somewhere in the world another woman begins her own personal mission for muscle and the sum total of female biceps in the world goes up by two. A ‘Golden Age’? Perhaps. Perhaps the dawning of a new era!

And finally, a joyful seven-minute celebration of some of the biggest and the best…

https://dailymotion.com/video/xqst7t

Love and peaks,
6ft1swell

Future Goddesses

In my virtual life (and I dare say yours too) the vast majority of women I see have muscles. All I have to do is power up, go to one of my favourite sites, and there they are. Hundreds, thousands of them. But when it comes to real life, I almost never see a woman with any noticeable amount of muscularity.

I’m not expecting to walk out of the house and bump into a Sarah Hayes clone at the corner shop (nice as it would be), I’m under no illusions that pro female bodybuilders are everywhere. I’m thinking more of the unknown women, the women often referred to as the ‘Muscle Girl Next Door’.

I don’t live in London anymore, but neither do I live in the middle of nowhere. Surely you would think I’m going to see a few of those from time to time. But sadly, I don’t. And if I think back to when I did live in London, I didn’t see a lot of them there either. So who exactly do they live next door to?

Despite my (quite understandable) scepticism, they really are out there somewhere. Back in the days when trips to the newsagent’s was the only way to get my fix of female muscle, the women I saw were only ever big name bodybuilders or fitness competitors. Now, any woman who wants to share her newly-developed muscles with the world can do so, and fortunately for the female muscle head, lots of them are so inclined.

So they really are out there somewhere. And they’re not just posting images of themselves proudly flexing their new bits for our enjoyment, on muscle forums they’re asking for training tips, discussing nutrition, giving each other support and encouragement, and (as women are so good at doing) talking about how they feel about themselves and their bodies.

I just noticed a few days ago that my under arm jiggle went away! Now, my entire arm is firm.

A few weeks ago I frightened myself in the bathroom while I was washing my hands…I saw my arms in the mirror and there were these two balloons of biceps and flexing muscles in my lower arms.

My arms have always been wimpy, like I’d flex and tell my boyfriend to feel my bicep and he’d say “well, flex it!” AND I WAS FLEXING ALREADY! Haha. Pathetic little arms! NOW They are getting much more defined, and you can actually see them get BIGGER when I flex!

For the first time ever, I can actually see my abs in the mirror now thanks to re-working my diet and doing a lot of cardio.

I love when I find new lines. My biceps have recently begun to show more and my inner thighs… the sexiest muscle!

I’ve just recently noticed that I’m starting to see my triceps, and my shoulder muscles are more defined. I just realized this last night and I’m sooooo excited!

This morning while I was brushing my hair I noticed that I could see the muscles moving. Then I spent a few shameless minutes flexing and watching in the mirror.

Women feeling positive about having muscles and sharing that feeling can inspire others to do the same and add to the amount of female muscle in the world, which is, I’m sure you will agree, just wonderful. But there is another reason to celebrate the ‘Muscle Girl Next Door’.

Last month, I came across an article in the Mail Online that reported that Faddy diets and fears that muscles aren’t feminine have left modern women weaker than their grannies. In the article, London-based physiotherapist Sammy Margo says we are facing a massive epidemic of weak women who have no muscle strength. Both skinny and overweight women face health problems in the future. The skinny have no muscles to support their skeleton while the overweight women have no muscles under the fat. Lack of muscle may lead to problems such as osteoporosis and fractures, arthritis and back pain.

It takes only a cursory comparison of the covers of men’s and women’s magazines to understand the differences in what motivates men and women to exercise, says the article. While men strive to get ‘the ultimate six-pack’ and ‘more body bulk now’, women’s objectives tend to be negative – to lose fat and burn calories rather than gain strength. The majority of young females want to look thin. They don’t eat much, they don’t exercise much, and because of that they have weak musculatures – it’s really not a healthy way to be.

The ‘Muscle Girl Next Door’ then, is not only looking better (although that’s just our opinion), and feeling better, but they are also more than a few sets ahead of the vast majority of their peers when it comes to strength and future health.

As a reflection of this, I think I’m going to stop using the phrase ‘Girl Next Door’. It’s not only inaccurate in the specific sense that it doesn’t apply to my neighbours (past or present), but it’s also inaccurate in the general sense that the vast majority of women are, according to the article anyway, totally lacking in any muscle at all.

I propose ‘Future Goddess’ as a better description. Again, for two reasons. Number one is that, well, every muscle goddess started out as a ‘Girl Next Door’, so even if only one of these hundreds and thousands of budding muscle babes make it to the pros, they are all potential goddesses. Secondly, well, if the research reported in the article is to be believed, these women will, in the future, seem like goddesses compared to their peers: strong and dynamic as opposed to hunched and arthritic.

Theresa Ivancik (from Area Orion)
Every goddess was once a ‘Future Goddess’

They’ll be a breed of super women. Super women who bucked the trend and encouraged others to do so too. They will grow in number, and with a bit of luck, one of them might move in next door!

Hail the Future Goddess!

Ts of the Day

Just Do It: Muscle Babe Imperatives

left: Harden the F*@k Up
If she keeps standing there looking at me with that smile and those shoulders,
there will almost certainly be some hardening going on.

right: Marie Samperio: Kiss My Abs!
Talking of hardening up… I’ve posted this smouldering sex bomb before, and I dare say you’ll be seeing the same photo again. If she had any more sex appeal, she’d need a truck to carry it around in. ‘Kiss My Abs’? For starters I might!

Grip This

A man could get into trouble when bodies like these wear such messages. But her T-shirt told me to is not, I believe, a defence that will impress the judge much.

Proceed with caution my brethren.

Ts of the Day

We begin a week of muscle babes and their informal attire with a look at some of the more popular printed slogans for the discerning female fitness freak (and her man).

We begin our survey with the slogan that, if our research is to be believed, is by far the most popular choice for the lady who wants to not only show off her hard-earned muscles, but also wants to let the world know that those muscles are doing wonders for her self-confidence.

Now, we here at FMS, and quite probably you too, never held ‘skinny’ in much estimation, but if you think about the mainstream media’s obsession with skinny beauty, then replacing it with ‘strong’ makes a lot more sense.

Interestingly, the models for the vests below (top left and bottom right) look a whole lot less strong than, say Sophie Arvebrink (bottom left) who really does have some lovely muscles. So it seems that even those that market the shirts tend to shy away from using really strong and muscular women in their advertising. But hey, you can’t have everything, and even those models are an improvement on the norm, and thus definitely a step in the right direction.

Another extremely popular slogan (based solely on our research that is, we have no actual proof) seems to be a message to those men and women who treat the gym like a place to socialise. These iron-pumping babes are here for one reason and one reason alone, and they don’t want to hear anything from you (or anyone else) except a few grunts and some heavy breathing. It also serves as a way of having to avoid talking themselves. Should they need to communicate with you, they can just point at their own chests. Or perhaps just inflate them, making the lettering clearer.

Having shut up and trained, we’re back to the strong/skinny thing again. I couldn’t find an image of this on a T-shirt, but I assume that is what it’s intended to be. Now, once again, Swell feels duty bound to take issue here. The fact is, although naked, or nearly naked is always preferable, I think strong girls look good clothed or naked. And look better than skinny girls in either case. I freely admit to being something of an extremist on the subject, and would go so far as to say that a strong girl who has just woken up after a hard weekend’s partying having forgotten to take off her make-up looks better than a skinny girl who’s been at the beauty spa all day and is wearing her best dress.

On second thoughts, perhaps that’s a bit too much to fit on a T-shirt…

I love these ‘Strong and Proud of It’ type slogans, even if they don’t stand up to analysis, it’s the sentiment that counts, and FMS will, as regular readers, will know, get behind anything that praises fit, muscular women. Let’s not fight about which slogan is more or less appropriate. They’re all good, although the consensus around here seems to be that ‘Fit Babes Do It Better’ is hard to beat.

And now I’m sitting here with my coffee wondering how best to scrape the ‘THE’ and the ‘NEW’ off the cup when I’ve finished up here.

This week we’ll be looking at a variety of ‘messages’ on T-shirts and vests worn by muscular women from the famous to the unknown.

To purchase Strong Is the New Sexy items for the muscle woman in your life, FMS recommends Spreadshirt.

Enjoy!

And for more Sophie Arvebrink and her strong, sexy Swedish bod, look here.

Marsh In The USA

If you thought Jodie Marsh had got into bodybuilding just to milk one last reality TV show out of her less than illustrious TV career, think again. Jodie Marsh won the title of Women’s Fit Body Champion at the International Natural Bodybuilding Federation Natural North American Championships in Washington DC last week. And what is more, ‘The Marsh Effect’ (a phrase we have adopted here at Female Muscle Slave to describe the softening of the attitude of the mainstream media in the UK to women with muscle as a direct result of Jodie’s bodybuilding adventure) has not gone away. In fact, it has taken on a new dimension altogether.

If you aren’t familiar with Jodie’s pre-bodybuilding career, her first contest and its aftermath, or what exactly ‘The Marsh Effect’ is, it might be a good idea to check out the previous posts on the subject here and here before reading on.

Jodie has been Stateside for a while now, and was picked up by the media here back in May being trained on Muscle Beach in California with UK female bodybuilder Carmen Knights. It’s all in aid of her latest show for DMAX called Jodie Marsh: Brawn in the USA, which premieres in the UK on Wednesday (June 20th).

It came as no surprise to me that Jodie had decided to continue bodybuilding after the first show on  DMAX because not only had she expressed quite clearly that building a muscular physique had made her feel good about herself for the first time in her life, but also because as a result of that, she had received positive media, also for the first time in her life. Yes, of course there were detractors, the usual ‘Yuk, she looks like a man’ stuff, but they were drowned out by the congratulations and support.

And if she was happy then, after finishing fifth in a local pro-am contest in the UK, she is, quite rightly, over the moon now. In only her second show, she’s a winner, tweeting I sincerely apologise if I get boring today but all day I am going to be saying. I’m the INBF CHAMPION!! Haha. Never been happier 🙂 As noted before on this blog, what comes across more than anything is the huge amount of personal satisfaction Jodie has gained from bodybuilding, and the consequent boost to her self-esteem that it has provided.

But for fans of female muscle like you and me, best of all has been ‘The Marsh Effect’. Back in January Female Muscle Slave drew attention to the fact there had been at least one woman directly inspired by Jodie to take up bodybuilding. And guess what? That woman had also discovered that being strong and muscular had made her feel better than ever, both inside and out. Well, now ‘The Marsh Effect’ has taken another twist.

In an article posted on #socialvoices on MSN, a well-respected commentator on social issues, the marvellously-named Periwinkle Jones, asked Why is it still ok to body-shame muscular women? It was written mainly as a response to the negativity aimed at Jodie’s new body from certain quarters.

In my opinion, this article is very very significant, whether five people read it or five million. I’ve read it, and as far as I can see it is the first time that someone from outside the world of female bodybuilding has equated the criticism of muscular women with criticism of other break-from-the-norm looks. The issue is that it is just another type of body (and one that, in Ms Jones’ eyes anyway, is preferable to everybody conforming to the willowy, smooth-limbed ‘ideal’anyway. For the author, it’s not a case of whether you like the look of a female bodybuilder or not. It’s a case of the woman in question having the right to look any way she wants without being subjected to abuse.

Also significant is the phrasing of the question at the beginning of the article. Look again. Why is it still ok to body-shame muscular women? What this question suggests is not only that it shouldn’t be OK, but also the still suggests that, like other looks that were once considered worthy of ridicule but have since become quite acceptable to many societies, one day, it will not ‘be OK’ to ridicule a muscular woman, regardless of any aesthetic consideration.

So, ‘The Marsh Effect’ marches on. If she keeps going at this rate, when they come to write the history of female bodybuilding a hundred years from now, Jodie may get a whole chapter to herself, not so much for her physique (although I must say she is looking particularly fine in these promo shots for her new supplement range) but for the way she is making people look at women with muscles in a very very different light.

Congratulations Jodie!

Glamazons

I love a woman in a sexy dress. And (as I’m sure most of you have guessed by now) I love a woman with muscles. So a muscle woman in a sexy dress is heaven on Earth. It doesn’t get much better. And more than that, pictures like the ones I’ve chosen below not only serve to stimulate my imagination (among other things) but they also serve as one in the eye for those who would have you believe that it’s impossible for women with muscles to look feminine. All the ladies below are muscular. And all of them look feminine. To my (not very objective) eyes anyway. What about yours?

The majority of the guys in this bar are doing a great job of not staring at the vision of muscular loveliness that is Erica Cordie in her little black dress (aka a girl’s best friend, apparently). A special mention for the guy on the left, the one who is pretending that his phone is much more interesting. Very nonchalant. Good work. However, the guy you can see over Erica’s deliciously sculpted shoulder is not holding it together quite so well. I sympathise, I really do. That would definitely be me not listening to a word my mate is saying, whether he was telling me how to beat the bookie, a share tip worth millions or indeed the secret to life, the universe and everything. Gazing at Erica would be much more pressing than that.

Picture your local shopping mall. Now picture it with a female bodybuilder in a skimpy dress. A female bodybuilder like Rene Marven, for instance, flexing her bicep in your shopping mall. Now if you knew that every time you went to the mall you would see a lady like Rene, would you go more often? Mall owners take note.

It’s always hard to know when a woman asks your opinion of how she looks exactly what you are supposed to say. Women often claim they just want you to be honest, but, in my experience anyway, that doesn’t get you anywhere. Most women are very insecure about their bodies and just want reassurance. Muscle women seem to be altogether different in that they are extremely comfortable in their own skin. They look like they do because they want to, and confidence, rather than insecurity, results. So where most women would worry that their dress was too short, Monica Mollica might wonder if it’s short enough. Does my back look big in this? asks Gillian Kovack. Yes, darling. It looks absolutely massive is, I believe, the correct answer. And if Jen Rish were to enquire if her heels made her calves bulge, I think that, once again, the affirmative would be the best response. And they would be honest answers too!

More little black numbers, getting littler from left to right. Firstly, Raquel Hernandez Olmo draws attention to her arm and shoulder definition by not revealing much else. Then Heather Pedigo (remember her?) breaks a cardinal rule and goes low at the top and short at the bottom (generally not a good idea unless, like Heather, you have an absolutely killer bod). And finally, Fanny Palou, seemingly on a mission to leave absolutely nothing to the imagination. Once again, women with lesser physiques could never get away with a dress like this, but Fanny appears to be in her element. It’s that confidence thing again.

More proof that big muscles and femininity can exist in unison. The massive Roberta Toth is all woman. Being Brazilian probably helps. But I do like her choice of evening wear here, revealing plenty of her magnificently sexy muscular body while also leaving plenty to the imagination at the same time. I for one would be extremely proud to take Roberta out dancing, even if my moves on the floor might need some work beforehand.

Is it because the shape of a muscular woman’s body is so untypical that it’s hard to find dresses that fit or is it that these confident muscular goddesses actively seek out dresses that are a size (even two or three sizes) too small? I’d like to think it’s the latter. To say that Minna Pajulahti or Andrea Giacomi have been ‘poured into’ their dresses above doesn’t begin to describe it. It looks like Minna’s dress might spring up to above her waist if she lets go, and if Andrea were to attempt to walk in that outfit, it might just fall apart around her. Mouth-watering sexiness.

Britain’s own Carmen Knights and her… er, cat. Looks like a Persian. Anyway, she’s ripped, vascular and clearly loving it if those erect nipples are anything to go by. And although it’s not got the cling-film quality of Minna’s or Andrea’s dresses above, you can follow the contours of her spectacular body nevertheless. Next to Carmen, the criminally under-rated Lisette Acevedo shows the dress-maker exactly where she would like her green number altered, and by how much. It’s such a waste to train these legs month after month and then have most of my thigh covered by my dress. I want the world to see these cuts. I agree, Lisette, I quite agree.

The desert climate can play havoc with a girl’s hair, especially when she has run out of petrol and has to wait by the side of the road. Unless Katka gets a lift back to civilisation soon, it could be a disaster. And her choice of clothing, while guaranteeing attention, has not got her picked up. Two cars and a truck have passed, but none of them stopped because, let’s face it, would you think she was real? Surely a mirage! I hope the next guy can trust his own eyes and stop. Katka’s lush dark locks are getting drier and drier by the second…

And for my final exhibits today, two of the biggest female bodybuilders in the world, separately and together. Conventional wisdom would have it that being two of the biggest, Brigita Brezovac and Tina Chandler would also be two of the most masculine. Have a good look now… Well, are they?

Enjoy!

You may have noticed the Downloads page has disappeared. It’s simply part of the long overdue spring clean. The links were all dead, fall out from the Megaupload disaster I guess. It’s not because I wanted to take them away from you. I’ll be doing more spring cleaning as and when I can.

And thanks to everyone who has started to follow the blog and/or got in touch recently.

More soon!