It’s no surprise that muscular Black women, non-binary and trans people experience even more discrimination. “It suits the patriarchal system to make women feel that they need to be as physically small as possible, because people who are physically smaller are easier to control,” said South Asian powerlifter and writer Poorna Bell. “When you layer an intersectionality,” like being Black or Asian, gendered stereotypes become “even more acute.”
Bell is excited to see more ripped women in movies — a refreshing contrast from actresses being told to lose weight for roles — but representation only goes so far. “I still don’t know that [muscular women are] allowed to exist outside of the framework or context of their own strength,” she said. “They’re always there because their strength serves a purpose to the narrative. I don’t know if we always have that necessarily with men.” Not to mention the entire spectrum of body types and demographics that are still frequently missing from mainstream cinema.
If Love Lies Bleeding teaches us anything, it’s that the pursuit of a muscular body is not exempt from self-flagellation and toxicity. “A lot of people end up on this roller coaster ride in the gym,” said Naomi Pendergast, who trained Natalie Portman for her role in Thor.
Pendergast recommends that people wanting to build muscle without injuring themselves should develop a well-rounded fitness program, incorporating a variety of physical activities like yoga and pilates, as well as waiting at least 72 hours between each strength training session. Still, “it is harder for [AFAB people] to build bulk,” she said. “There’d be a lot of supplements going on there to maintain it.”
Is the rise of ripped women in cinema just another example of Hollywood controlling and contorting women’s bodies as if they’re puppets? I don’t think it has to be.
Perhaps we can learn from the size zero era that safeguarding our mental health is just as important as working out. So while we should celebrate the beefy femmes transcending cinema’s patriarchal norms, let’s make sure we do so mindfully, so we don’t end up replacing one oppressive archetype with another.