Author Archives: feministfiguregirl

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About feministfiguregirl

I am a 51-year-old professor named Lianne McTavish who receives as much satisfaction from working out at the gym as from publishing my academic research. About eight years ago, I decided to combine my two primary identities (scholar/gym rat) to create "Feminist Figure Girl," a fictional character who both analyzes and participates in bodybuilding. I competed in my first figure show in June of 2011, and then wrote a book inspired by the process, published by SUNY Press in February 2015. In this blog I will write about and consider my ongoing research on the body, while regularly making fun of myself. I recommend that you start reading my first post from August 2010 (available on the home page), instead of backwards from the most recent one, in order to get the full FFG effect.

Against Tolerance

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I cannot really tolerate this guy.

I cannot really tolerate this guy.

The other day I received the following comment on a post called “Love of Labour Lost,” which I published on December 25, 2013. In the original post, I nastily rant against unfit people who are afraid of becoming “too muscular” by accident: Dear FFG, I really enjoy your blog and find your posts very satisfying to read, so first off, thank you! However, on the issue of bodybuilding, I must say that there seems to be a great deal of intolerance on the part of the athletes towards anyone who doesn’t agree with the aesthetic. I fully agree that the comments by the gym-goers who fear bulking up are ignorant and uninformed (and in very poor taste), but one’s body shape is a matter of personal preference. It is possible to achieve various healthy alternatives. I understand your point that there is a lack of appreciation for the hard work and time investment in achieving a muscular physique, but I find the lack of regard for someone else’s aesthetic quite jarring. Continue reading →

Reflecting on 2013: More New Year’s Advice to Ignore (about the art of debate)

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Sometimes a dung beetle is just a dung beetle. Forever.

Sometimes a dung beetle is just a dung beetle. Forever.

It is the beginning of 2014, spurring many people to plan for a better future and transform themselves from dung beetles into magical butterflies. I wish them well. As for me, I am perfect already so no changes will be necessary. This is not just my opinion; I read it online, Continue reading →

Love of Labour Lost

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FFG after a back workout last year. I cannot wait to train hard again!

FFG after a back workout last year. I cannot wait to train hard again!

Hard work no longer gets much respect. That pisses me off, something easily accomplished these days. I am curmudgeonly, quick to anger as I carefully slide my swollen ankles—they are in fact cankles—across the icy sidewalks in Edmonton. Foetor is now quite large, weighing me down while Continue reading →

Positively Rural: An Update from Kick and Glide

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Cross-country skiing in Edmonton Alberta.

Cross-country skiing in Edmonton Alberta.

Hello again,

It is too cold to cross-country ski so Kick and Glide is inside at the keyboard. I must admit that I am becoming a bit of a wuss. I prefer to ski in the blue wax zone (-1 to -10); I’ll ski in the green zone, (-10 to -15), but silver (-15 to -30) is just too darn cold. By the way, those temperatures for wax application are a generalization of the Swix company waxes. They do over-lap, so under certain conditions you might get away with using green at minus seventeen … sorry, way off topic.

I would like to come back to JMS and FFG’s questions relating to what is a positive image, or idea, of rural life. Continue reading →