Pre-competition consumption rituals are fleshly.
After finishing my book, which is now in the hands of external referees, I realized that many photographs—taken by the incomparable artist and designer Patrick J. Reed—could not be included in it. I think his images offer feminist interventions in the often heteronormative, individualistic, and sexist world of bodybuilding/figure competitions, revealing moments of intense effort, communal caregiving, vulnerability, gender confusion, and trust. I include a few of my favourites below, though I saved the best examples for the book. I especially treasure the images in which I look tired, bored, or hideous, since they offer a nice counterpart to the more typical photographs of the so-called ‘finished product,’ showing a body that is tanned, posed, shiny, and flexed. So what do you think of the pictures below? If you have any images of your own competition or other event (preferably of backstage interactions or training rather than the usual glamour shots), I encourage you to share them with the FFG family.
Trying to become the other takes lots of practice.
I like how this image portrays my posing lesson as a business transaction, revealing the bureaucracy of physique culture.
The night before my show, I was painted with tanning dye by a gigantic floating arm. Thanks G-Smash.
Velvet wedgie.
It is difficult but necessary to contain such excessive femininity.
There is nothing like a 6 am cold steak fat-load at the hair salon. You know what that’s like.
Doubting T is reassured, and amazed.
She is a beautician, not a magician.
One Louis XIV special, coming right up.
I frankly found all practices of self-care, including having my make-up applied by a professional, to be tedious chores.
This is one of my favourite pictures, because it shows how much the care, attention, and labour of others went into producing my body. Plus that’s my LSP in the background, so feast your eyes on more than his Lebanese man arms. It won’t be happening again.
None of my helpers are responsible for the big galoot that awkwardly marched across the stage, as seen below.
Feminist Figure Girl's Blog 
love these pics
That’s the Alberta Winter Tan in the top photo?
I don’t blame you, the process of being cared for *looks* tedious, just from a few photos.
You’re right though, these images are a nice complement to what’s generally seen on stage, at least from the few competitions I’ve caught on TV. I’d never really thought about the support team each competitor would necessarily have.
For what it’s worth, the other women in the stage photo look no less awkward and galooty. Is that a word, galooty? Well, it is now, I just added it to my dictionary. It thought I might have meant ‘galaxy’. Silly dictionary. Look at that galaxy of galoots! Perfect English.