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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.

The Beauty Myth, Revisited

Gleefully Italian. Please keep your ranking to yourself.

Gleefully Italian. Please keep your ranking to yourself.

So this post is a few days late. Once you watch this video clip, which you have likely seen before, you will understand why I have been distracted:   

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BiAwpYIkRmU&feature=related

‘Quick,’ cries my LSP, ‘it’s the dance scene!’ I rush out of my home office to join him as he rests on the couch, taking a few days off to recuperate from a sudden, explosive illness. Ah Napoleon Dynamite. Is there anything he can’t do? Continue reading

Interview with a Figure Champion

Naomi Sach's presentation pose, June 2012.

Naomi’s presentation pose, June 2012.

I have a special treat for you this week: a written exchange between me and an impressive woman I have not yet met in person, but will be cheering for when she competes in the Canadian Bodybuilding Federation’s National Figure Competition in New Westminster, British Columbia on August 11, 2012. Amazingly, Naomi qualified for Nationals during her first year on stage, after placing first in her height categories at both the local and provincial levels! In spite of her rigourous work and training schedules, she took the time to respond to my sometimes probing questions.  Continue reading

Working Out Euro Style, April-June 2012

This photograph shows me emptying gravel from my homemade ‘dumbbell’ after completing a final bootcamp in Cortona’s public park on May 29. Inventiveness and dedication are often necessary in order to pursue fitness while traveling, especially during extended periods away from home, far from a proper gym. I was recently in this situation for 52 days, teaching and doing research in Cortona, Florence, Siena, Rome, Arezzo, and Paris, but still managed to work out over 45 times. I post here a few pictures of my training during this period, Continue reading

The Sexualization of Female Athletes

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You are correct to think that this poster shows a male rather than female body, and not a very sexy one at that. Created by the Parisian advertising agency Leg, it encourages French attendance at the upcoming summer Olympic Games in London by poking fun at the stereotypical British physique; this softly beer-gutted man is more likely to throw darts than a javelin. Her Continue reading