Seeing the movie "Monsters vs. Aliens" was convincing enough that America is hardly afraid of huge and powerful enhanced women. The world simply has problem with huge and powerful women who look like they are chemically enhanced by anabolic steroids.
The main character in the movie was a simple, small-town girl eager to marry her egotistical boyfriend when she was suddenly hit by radioactive meteor that took over her body and turned her into Ginormica. She grew like 50 feet tall and seemingly had the strength of all the comic book heroes wrapped into one.
Funny how all the movie directors cast the same type of women. The caricature of Ginormica was a cute, blonde with a big booty, tiny waist and the voiceover was a soft-spoken Reese Witherspoon. Wonder Woman was played Lynda Carter, a former beauty queen. Eartha Kitt, Michelle Pfeiffer and Halle Berry were among the many that played the role of Cat Woman. Lindsay Wagner starred as The Bionic Woman. Oh and there was Famke Jannsen as Jean in X-Men and Jessica Alba in the Fantastic Four. News has it that Angelina Jolie might be the new Cat Woman and Beyonce as the latest version of Wonder Woman.
What's this? No Ms. Olympia for those roles? No female bodybuilder anywhere? What is America saying. . .that it can embrace the image of women who are wicked, superhuman, bitchy, nasty villains so long as they have a face of a goddess and the shape of an hour glass? "Oh no, not that again", I can hear female bodybuilders say. Yes, that again. And again we ask, "Where is the positive side of women using anabolic steroids? "
The documentary/movie Bigger Stronger Faster was one of a few that seriously examined the steroid issue and it showed that drugs in sports is as American as apple pie. However the inference to women using AAS was in no way endorsed as being a good idea. To put it bluntly, the miniscule speaking parts women played in the documentary were a joke.
Noteworthy were the parts in the movie where the medical professionals pointed out there were definite health risks in using AAS, and the admission that the long term effects of use are still unknown. And, that people, not just all athletes, should consider the benefits to risks ratio before they get involved with any drugs.
Let's move from the movie screen to the stage of competitive female bodybuilding. Here is where you find chemically enhanced women to the extreme. The image is hardly welcomed there either. The majority poll of public opinion abhors the look. Those who run the sport and judge the sport have requested on many occasions that the women tone it down. They have said it in every way possible except in another language. Some women still refuse to hear or heed the message. They fight, they claw and they scream why do you criticize us and not the men? Good question. Not sure the women will like
Page 2 Women & Steroids Part II
the answer, but here it goes. The day female bodybuilders stop comparing themselves to the men will be a giant step in changing the women's side of the sport. There is very little comparison when it comes to the steroid issue. Men taking AAS and use by females are two separate issues.
Of course there's a universal thread of health effects. But biologically speaking, the female endocrine system is far more complex than a male's and should be treated accordingly. Our bodies are more powerful, yet far more fragile than a male's. Anyone care to argue that? Ok, good. Here's an in-depth look at the benefits to risks ratio for women. Or shall we say the positives vs the negatives.
| POSITIVE | NEGATIVE |
| Lean muscle mass |
Changes in bone and facial structure |
| Lowered body fat |
Thickening of vocal cords |
| Self confidence/Independence |
Clitoral enlargement |
| Sports performance enhancement |
Advanced aging |
| Hormone replacement therapy |
Acne/other skin irritations |
| Amenorrhea |
Depression |
| Increase sexual libido |
Hormonal rebounding |
| Decreased breast | |
| Agitation of Central Nervous System | |
| Coronary Artery Disease | |
| Parkinson's/Memory loss | |
| Eating disorders | |
| Infertility | |
| Cancer | |
| Loss of bone density/Achy joints | |
| Early menopause | |
| Thyroid disease | |
| Mental disorders | |
| THE UNKNOWN!!!! |
Ok so we know all drugs have side effects. Water will kill you if you drink enough of it. Yada. Yada. But once again ladies, that's not the issue at hand. We pretty much know what kills people. Steroids have been ruled out of that equation. What we don't know is the extent of the destruction long or short term use of AAS can have on women. The top five side effects are a given with excessive use.
Blame it on the government or the chauvinism of modern medicine but we're still in the dark about many female/hormone related problems. Believe me, I know. I've been a medical watchdog about new drugs, procedures and technology every since being diagnosed with endometriosis 20 years ago.
Page 3 Women & Steroids Part II
Endometriosis has plagued women for years and yet doctors still can't explain why it happens. They just know exactly what it does and how to alleviate the pain. Each individual is different. Some women become infertile while others have multiple births. Some women have regular menstrual cycles and others are irregular. Likewise the effects of steroids can be individual. We really don't know and won't know for sure until something really bad happens because women taking AAS to this degree is a new phenomenon.
Years ago when women complained about hormone related health problems it was written off as hysteria. Translation-- you're nuts. Thus, the conclusion was to simply snatch out the plumbing and move on. Hysterectomies are now the last resort. Thank God for men like Sigmund Freud who classified hysteria as a real social problem and something to be reckoned with.
Is the emergence of female bodybuilders using male hormones a form of hysteria? When momma said "think big" my child, I don't think this is what she had in mind.
In Hollywood and the world of high fashion androgyny, elicit drug use, extreme body transformations through cosmetic surgery, strangeness and erratic behavior are commonplace. It makes you wonder why there is such prejudice against female bodybuilders. Is the criticism really that harsh? Others will say criticism is not candy-coated for the struggling actress or budding high fashion model either. As Tyra Banks put it, you take the criticism, be empowered by it and grow.
Throughout history women have worked diligently to establish independence and to change the way society views them. As female bodybuilding approaches nearly 30 years in existence we wonder what place it will take in the feminist movement. Will we go down like the Club Kids as a trend that came and went without much understanding of it? Or like the Goth kids, looked upon as something dark and taboo?
People predicted that female bodybuilding was close to extinction soon after its birth. Somehow it survived. But at what costs are we still here and who really benefits-- the individuals or the sport as a whole?
We've come a long way, baby from where we started. Many say the current look of the sport lacks marketability, mainly due to the excessive use of AAS. In the car business, the model that doesn't sell or is proven to be defective goes back to the factory. The ones that are really bad go bye-bye. Female bodybuilding should never be dumped. But we do need to reconsider the product we offer the consumers. We need to ask ourselves do we want to thrive or merely exist. Perhaps a good ole Hollywood makeover is all that's needed for us to take our place in history along side the rest of the famous female superheroes.
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