WOMEN BETWEEN THE COVERS

Many women bodybuilders complain of the lack of coverage in industry magazines, but sometimes no coverage is better than what's actually published. One article that appeared recently in another bodybuilding magazine enraged many women in the sport, while providing a textbook illustration of the misunderstandings and fears female bodybuilders inspire in the underdeveloped male psyche. The piece, an interview with NPC amateur Colette Nelson, was peppered with the type of vulgar insults and profanity consistent with an arrested adolescent mindset. The author's vile attacks toward women bodybuilders in general, and his constant assurances to readers that he was normally repulsed by woman bodybuilders but was sexually turned on by Colette Nelson despite the fact she was a woman bodybuilder, was an obvious example of a man not in control of his sexual identity. Which is okay in and of itself. Many people have profound and complex feelings toward their sexual desires and find it difficult to untie the knots of their passions. But like the latent homosexual who publicly utters homophobic slurs at openly *** men, the danger is when these sexual insecurities lead to rage and contempt toward that which exposes the suppressed urges.

Really, shouldn't at least those in the bodybuilding community be immune to these adolescent insecurities, these locker room taunts towards women with muscles? If women bodybuilders send a person into such a severe crisis of sexual confusion, perhaps that person should refrain from addressing the subject at all, at least until seeking the appropriate counseling. You won't find these cries for help in FLEX. While we have been accused of underreporting female bodybuilding, we treat these athletes with more seriousness than our competitors. As a commercial enterprise, we must respond to the demands of our market, mostly young males, who tell us in research and letters that they are exclusively interested in information from male bodybuilders whom they idenity with and admire. While our page-count devoted to women's bodybuilding may not satisfy the female athletes in the sport, we will continue to report on the major women's contests and competitors and do so with sober intent and respect. (sidebar two)