2016 Review: March

Hot and Hard 100 voting began for the third time, and while that was going on we "reduxed" the previous 10 months on FMS as a reminder. New stuff too though!

Debutants (And Their Backs)



In a post featuring six women making their first appearances on FMS we met Sandra Grajales Romero (above), "like Mexico's answer to Shanique Grant" with her Figure back that would do Physique proud, and Molly Brice, a 20-year-old Australian with a back that surely a 20-year-old hasn't had time to develop.



The Genius of Siberianar

I saw this on Google. I thought it was a real woman...



It's an easy mistake to make when first coming across the work of Andreas Siberis, we thought at the time, and a mistake I made myself. This digital artist is, as those more qualified to judge have pointed out, producing "the best 3D female muscle ever seen".

The FMS Arnold Classic Review

Went on a bit did this. We managed to get almost two weeks' worth of posts out of the Arnold Classic and Arnold Amateur, running from the last week of March into April.



Autumn Swansen cleaned up in the Physique International (no FBBs allowed near Arnold these days, so no Ms International to enjoy) and FMS wondered whether this was the look the IFBB were going to go for in 2016 and beyond - long, lean and ripped but not too ripped. Muscle but not too much muscle. How wrong we were! As usual.



Meanwhile, at the Arnold Amateur, Brazil's Fernanda Gutilla and Switzerland's Julia Föry won their classes and provided us with the biggest swoons.



Also making a big impression was Denmark's gorgeous Physique pro Ida Sefland, who tends to go through phases of competing a lot then taking a long break, so we got our swoon in while we could. And Diana Schnaidt, while she was still kidding herself she was a Figure competitor, was interviewed by Katie Lee for HD Physiques.

Watch to the end for the flexing!



April tomorrow - the Hot and Hard 100 is revealed (partly), among other things...

A New Golden Age? Part IV

PIU: For me , the pairing of Janice Ragain on the cover of WPW and Cindy was mostly to emphasise the positive appeal to other women (as opposed to the admiring male fans) as a lifestyle choice, while Cindy does her own promotion mostly and offers her own personal training and hopefully encourages the next generation of fit ladies.

FMS: Yes, absolutely. Not all those pictures are for our benefit! One of my other choices will return to the theme of the inspirational - "fitspirational" - types with large female social media followings. For now I'll add that it's a good sign that these women can make a career of being the muscular role model for other women. Not possible in the past I would say. Not to such an extent anyway, even if you were Cory or Kiana Tom and were on TV, I reckon there were a lot fewer women who were after your "look" compared to now.

My next choices probably take us back to a theme we touched on earlier. Marjo Selin - "bodybuilder" - and Diana Schnaidt, IFBB Figure.



OK, I haven't chosen a pic of Marjo at her most ripped, but I think it's fair to say that it isn't just today's Physique women who carry as much muscle as old school FBBs.



On top of that, what gloriously beautiful women they are. I can see how many of the freaky big women wouldn't appeal to a lot of guys, but not finding Marjo or Diana sexy is just incomprehensible.

PIU: Hmmm, Marjo and some others back then seemed to express a particular kind of European elegance and sophistication, as if they had to be that much better to be seen in the early days amid the dominance of the US Olympia contestants, like Marie Laure Mahabir (later Parisian but originally from French West Indies) or a particular early but very rare fave of mine Michelle Sa. Remember those Women's Muscle Power VHS tapes?



(But what is it with me and stunners called Michelle (Lewin, Cummings, Trapp, Sa?)

Now with the internet, we perhaps have a kind of globalisation, where a Russian, a South Korean or a Brit can potentially, if they make the effort to be seen, compete for world attention on a more level playing field, and build a fan base.

As mentioned before, readers' comments are always very very welcome but would be particularly welcomed on the subjects and female muscle eras discussed this week.

Or maybe you are similarly afflicted with a "thing" for hot muscle Michelles?

'Fess up!

Arnolds 2016 Review: Meanwhile @ the Expo

There was, I imagine, a bit of a queue to get up close and personal with Dani.



Even if the result of all that waiting in line was a picture of you and the goddess that leaves you - no matter how stunning you might be in real life - looking a bit, well, ordinary.



Because Dani, from any angle, was looking exceptional, arguably in her best ever shape. A shape good enough, remember, to take home the (not very big) cheque for 2nd place.



So good in fact, she was freaking herself out!



And adding yet more to the mountain of adoration she receives from the female muscle lovin' community. [I'm] Lost for words... claims one fan, before proving they are, after all, actually not. So gorgeous & built to the hilt! they continue. What a dream girl...



Also prowling around the Expo for HD Physiques was Katie Lee, interviewing various gorgeous women with greater or lesser amounts of muscle before rather rudely outflexing them as she signed off. Here the vision that is Diana Schnaidt gets "katied".



BOOM!

Much much more Katie on the HDPhysiques channel.