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Commentary by Matt Hickman
Herald/Review
SIERRA VISTA — In recent years, the Copper Classic and bodybuilding as a whole have expanded their horizons to take the sport beyond the mere size and definition of muscle bulges.
Events have been added that better honor the spirit of Greek Antiquity and its veneration of the human form.
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However, these additions seem to come exclusively on the women’s side. In recent years, the Copper Classic has added Ms. Fitness, Ms. Figure, Model Search and last year brought us the Bikini Diva category.
The idea, apart from putting the ‘sin’ back in sinewy, is to show the diversity of the human form and offer a competition that accentuates more of the traditionally feminine.
So the sport is clearly embracing at least two themes on the female form.
Runway models have the market cornered on the skinny and heavier women had their day 700 years ago and it could be another 700 years and a few famines before they do again. Still, that’s twice as many identities as the sport recognizes in the male form.
All bodybuilding celebrates is the Charles Atlas monolith who walks around slowly with the theme from “2001: A Space Odyssey” playing constantly in his mind.
Is that the only form that defines the masculine? What would the Greeks think of all this narrow-mindedness?
How about an “Average Joe” class — a super-duper-novice division, if you will?
The Reubens woman had her heydey in the Renaissance, but when does the regular guy, the working guy, the guy who doesn’t have time to live at the gym, but spends what time he does have working on his abs 12 ounces at a time, get his moment in the spotlight?
He’s not morbidly obese, but he can’t fathom the idea of isolating a muscle and carving it like a turkey, either.
A sculptor he’s not — he’s more of a molder. But don’t think for a moment he doesn’t work at it.
A perfectly spherical pot belly, especially one that can shimmy in rhythm or balance his favorite pint of beer, is as hard to develop as those six-pack abs.
Let him Crisco up his torso and get some Full Monty cheers from the ladies and some hearty “one of us” grunts from his fellow slobs.
Bodybuilding has shown its willingness to expand its definition of the ideal female form. It’s high time men got the same courtesy.
