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Yes.
The general public is largely still turned off by the extreme physiques we see in Physique and Bodybuilding classes for women. But there is no denying the health benefits of lifting weights. More and more women are in the gym, even if they aren't trying to compete. Seems like even just 10-15 years ago, women thought if they touched a weight, they would look like an IFBB pro bodybuilder. Just about every gym I've gone to now, has women that either compete or look like they could compete within 6 months-year, and I don't live in a very big place.
Hello from Austria (no cangaroos here).
Having my own take on that question: are women more inclined to SHOW their strength: yes.
Its difficult to compare bdoies as the whole fitness industry is fast moving forward (just compare todays figure girls to past bodybuilders).
Started lifting myself in the late 80s, and in any gym (independent where you were going), new female joiners were told to stay away from free weights. They ganged up in aerobic classes, and that was as far as mainstream would be going. This might sound weird for the younger guys, as mixed gym areas are the norm these days. The girls are pumping and flexing ... with pride. TV presenters are flexing biceps without even being asked. Its just cool to be strong as a girl.
INterestingly, professional bodybuilding took just the other route. Real competitive female bodybuilders were sort of "freak show" in a positive sense. In particular in Austria we had plenty of classy bodybuilders in the 80s and 90s. They were on TV shows, on commercials, in music videos. Also I used to watch american gladiators, which was available here too.
It feels like the big gap that existed back then closed. Women are now proud to show their strong bodies in their individual way, which is also reflected in the various categories. That purist thought of bodybuilding as an elite movement somewhat vanished.
I'd agree with the poster above.
The idea of being strong, being muscular, lifting weights, etc is more popular than ever. You can see it in the numbers that leanbeefpatty does on Youtube. She's a mainstream success and a great example of a natty achievable physique. Lots of girls see themselves in her.
Leanbeefpatty would have a pretty close look to an offseason 1980s FBB.. the same that would have been on TV shows and commericals back then. Having a body like hers would have been edgy in the 80s and its arguably kind of routine these days.
Bodybuilding and physique - in contrast - is a lot more extreme and niche. As casual lifting and casual PED use has radically increased, of course the competitors have - in turn - become more specialized and elite. But I would say that's a reflection of the overall popularity of physical culture.
I know that people here don't pay attention to male bodybuilding, but I've been going to the Olympia and the Arnold for years, and I've never seen so many huge and ripped non-competitive guys. Like even up to the mid 2010s you'd see an ocean of normie bro lifters and a smattering of pro bodybuilders. But the Olympia had more enormous, freaking ripped guys than I've ever seen before. And most of them are doing this as a pure hobby. The training knowledge and the availability of effective drugs has come so far.
I have nothing to contribute here but what Chill and muscles t said about being a little more mainstream in a way. The girls are no longer just cardio bunnies they're out in the weights area (but the stigma are still there sometimes about being bulky).
Of coarse WWE has a few past and present on tv. Some athletic newscaster as well.
Subjective question of course, but to clarify, by "muscular" I don't necessarily mean someone at the level of bodybuilding or physique divisions, nor someone with a body fat level low enough to be stage-level.
By "muscular," I more so mean someone who clearly exercises regularly and has a impressive amount of obvious muscle tone and development. Or maybe another example would be that of a women is who more muscular and toned that the average healthy-weight man who doesn't lift weights regularly.
Do you believe that women with at least this level of development are mainstream? Or at least far, far more compared to previous decades?
A yes or a no is a pretty black-and-white poll option, but I'm curious to get the opinion out here (on this highly biased forum).
I'm of the opinion that the answer is generally yes, at least in regards to millennials and younger generations. Sydney Sweeney's recent transformation for her upcoming boxing movie prompted this post, but the transformations of other celebrities for buffed-up female roles, the celebration of muscular athletes like Simone Biles, and the social media presence of muscular women online ("muscle mommy" trend, etc.) also play a significant factor.
The first two factors of course existed for decades now, but I feel that there much more common and intense now. I don't believe a movie like "Love Lies Bleeding" couldn't have seen a wide release outside of the past few years for examples.
Feel free to dissent with nuances in the comments below.
Yes, but not quickly enough.
Agreed. Bodybuilding will always be a small market, but I do think CrossFit in the 2010s thread the needle for fit women in the mainstream. Heck, now even anime has more muscle chicks in them!