The growth of professional bodybuilding women has been a slow climb to the top. The reason for this is that bodybuilding was defined from its very early days as a predominantly male sport. If you look at the photographs of those who were prominent in the profession from the 1940s through the 1970s, the number of bodybuilding women is zero.

(The only ‘masculine’ sport that women seemed to receive any acclaim for during the era was on the old Roller Derby circuit) However, the role of women in the professional ranks of bodybuilding has increased exponentially in the last 20 years. Read more