Jodie Marsh Takes It Mainstream

There has never been so much female muscle in the UK mainstream press and media. And ONE woman is responsible for it. And, although it should be, it's not Lisa Cross. It's Jodie Marsh.

For those readers outside the UK, Jodie Marsh was once famous for nothing more than having huge boobs. She certainly put in the hours, turning up any day of the week at any nightclub or film premiere where she could flash her tits and guarantee herself a picture in the next day's paper.




Her career 'moved on' to reality TV. The 'highlights' were Celebrity Big Brother and Totally Jodie Marsh, the concept of which was to find Jodie a husband. No, really. And she actually got married to the winner. Surprisingly, it didn't last.

Then, just over a year ago, these images appeared in the mainstream media.
Jodie Marsh had started bodybuilding!



At the time, I was, I admit, sceptical. She looks so much better, I thought, but it's got to be just another publicity stunt - the reality TV work was drying up at that stage, and with the breakdown of her 'marriage', Jodie seemed to be heading for the E list.
How wrong I was!

Last January, I stumbled across a show on The Active Channel on UK TV, and there she was, looking even better than in the photos, being trained by Tim Sharp.
The shows are still up on the website, part one is here.



Then, since the beginning of this month BOOM! Jodie Marsh and her muscles are everywhere. Print media, online 'news' websites, even breakfast TV. She had competed in a pro-am show in September, finishing fifth.




Turns out that Jodie hasn't completely given up her reality TV dreams. Her journey to muscle has been followed by a TV crew, and the show will be on DMAX in the UK in January next year.




Now, as I said at the start, this level of coverage for a female bodybuilder is completely unprecedented. And what's more, it's pretty much all positive. And so Jodie has suddenly become a kind of unofficial spokeswoman for the benefits of female muscle.

When I look back at some of the photos of me in my 'heyday' they make me feel physically sick. I look flabby, fat and full of cellulite. I used to loathe my body but now I absolutely adore it. This is the best I’ve ever felt, and the best my body has ever felt too.

Before taking up bodybuilding I was feeling depressed and suicidal. Now I have a new life ahead of me. I have a great new body and I feel at peace with myself.

Anyone who feels fat and flabby like I used to can change that. What I'm saying is try exercise, get yourself off the sofa. You don't know how much your life could change for the better.

I feel proud when I look in the mirror. I still can't believe it's my body. Like, when I look at my abs, I'm just like, f**king hell, I love it so much!

I'm the prettiest I've ever looked. It has totally changed my life, doing this. My self-esteem is higher, my confidence is higher, I feel more secure, feel powerful – I almost feel invincible. I do feel a bit like Superwoman!



Moreover, it seems that us fellas who like a bit (or even a lot) of muscle on our women are not such freaks after all.

I've never attracted so many blokes in my life. It's been a real eye-opener. Since I became a bodybuilder I've suddenly got about 50 guys interested in me.

It's not hard for me (and you) to understand why this should be. The surprise is that this coverage and these quotes are from national newspapers and national TV networks. Jodie Marsh has single-handedly raised the profile of female bodybuilding to new heights, spoken out about the benefits of muscle building for women, particularly those with low self-esteem, AND made female muscle fans feel like they no longer need to be shy about expressing their preferences. It's quite an achievement.

If you're from the USA, imagine a fading reality TV babe who you never thought was much of a babe. It should be someone who has an annoying accent, and who seemed to be entering the fifteenth minute of their alloted fame time. Now, imagine that she disappears for a year or two, and the next time you see her she is in national newspapers and on NBC or ABC or CBS receiving gushing compliments from interviewers and presenters. Then, in the same mainstream media, results of surveys start to appear in which men who find her and other women with muscle attractive are the majority.

This is what has happened and what is happening here.

And all because of Jodie Marsh...







Jodie's physique may or may not inspire one, ten, a hundred, a thousand, or ten thousand women to go to the gym because they want to feel a bit like Superwoman. She may or may not change the public's perception of muscular women (and the men who adore them). She may or may not continue bodybuilding. But she has given the sport more mainstream coverage than ever. When Andrulla Blanchette won Miss Olympia there was absolutely no recognition in the mainstream media. Jodie Marsh finished fifth in a small UK pro-am competition, and today, the best-selling national newspaper (a tabloid, so take the word 'news' with a pinch of salt) has run a story that tomorrow it will have an exclusive video of Jodie Marsh naked on its website.

So, a national newspaper believes it can attract readers with a naked female bodybuilder. Let me say that again. A national newspaper believes it can attract readers with a naked female bodybuilder.

That, dear readers, is a first. And long may it continue.

Check the Tube Videos page for some of Jodie's TV appearances, which I will put up shortly.

I'll leave you with Jodie's ripped abs.



Enjoy!