Back in 1984, two-time Ms International winner Yolanda Hughes was practising gymnastics in a gym in Kentucky when a pro wrestler called Hillbilly Jim (no, really) asked her if she would be interested in competing in bodybuilding. I trained for four weeks and I placed second. I thought that was good for not knowing what I was doing. The contest was the 1984 NPC Iron Maiden.
A successful amateur career followed, though by her own admission, I just kind of fooled around with it until I started winning the national championships and then I took it serious. Then, after winning the IFBB World Championships in 1992, Yolanda turned pro.
Her Ms International titles came in 1997 and 1998. I was living abroad at the time, but I can remember the shows being reported in WPW and other muscle magazines, and marvelling at Yolanda – beautiful, tall, athletic – and particularly her legs, not so much the size of them, but those thighs that seemed to go on forever.
However, it wasn’t until the internet came around, and clips of female bodybuilding shows past started to appear on youtube, that I really appreciated why Yolanda had been dubbed ‘The Queen of Mobile Muscle’. To really see Yolanda at her best, you have to watch her move.
And thankfully, Yolanda was competing at a time when women were given enough time for their routines. A time when gymnastics, dance and posing all combined to make a unique style of performance. And, I think you’ll agree, there were few better than Yolanda at using that time. Watch and wonder, but also listen to the crowd’s reaction as you enjoy her routine at the 1997 Ms I.
She retired shortly after her Ms I wins, and appeared, very briefly, in the 2001 re-make of ‘Rollerball’ as 'Red Team #28', blink and you will miss her). That was a great experience. Had a blast! Thought that I wanted to pursue that career. But the Hollywood life wasn’t for her. I went out to L.A. and changed my mind. It was just being that I was so different. Being muscular, a woman of color. They were saying 'you're way too big.' Just dealing with the superficialness, I decided I didn't want to do that.
However, while in Los Angeles, she had taken a pole dancing class. So what did Yolanda do next? Well, she settled in Washington state with her husband, and she opened a studio called Fitness Exotica, offering classes such as Cardio Striptease, Booty Camp, Sexy Flexy, and, of course, Pole Dancing 101.
There is nothing like seeing women who come in who are inhibited, seeing them blossoming. Seeing the confidence they gain. That's rewarding for me, she says. The girls learn how to do tricks on the poles, which is lifting your own body weight, which is a great way to get fit, because it is dead weight. It is like doing pull-ups. You learn how to dance. You put the combination of dancing and the pole together. Five minutes of dancing and doing pole tricks is a real cardio workout. It takes a lot of core strength and upper back and arms. It's really a good workout. It's fun, a sense of freedom. Liberating! For women to really just own their own power.
With the benefit of hindsight, it’s not hard to see why Hillbilly Jim believed that Yolanda had potential in the female muscle game. Here’s to Mr Jim, for without his intervention, the glory of Yolanda may have never been realised. And here’s to Yolanda, and all the other female bodybuilders, past present and future, who truly own their own power.
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Information on Yolanda and her fitness studio here and here
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