On Fandom: Chapter 1

Schmoe.

A person, usually male, who...



We all know the word. But do we know what it means?

You can look up definitions in reference books, research the origin of the word in both etymological terms, and in its use within the female bodybuilding world. And you still wouldn't find very much agreement on exactly what "a schmoe" is beyond that it's a negative term for a certain type of female bodybuilding fan.

Many female muscle fans define the word so as not to include themselves. "A schmoe is one of those guys who does those things I don't do" kind of thing. I know of one fellow fan who always used to add "Don't worry, I'm not a schmoe" to his communications with female bodybuilders, for example. Others, however, are happy, proud even, to be identified as schmoes - we featured a thoughtful new blogger from Ireland recently who is so OK with the term that the very title of his blog identifies him as one.



Here's what Marcie Simmons added to the schmoe debate back in August.

The Importance Of Schmoes In The World Of Bodybuilding!!!

8th August 2016

A "schmoe", Marcie confidently tells us, is an individual, typically a man, who is a hardcore female bodybuilding fan.

The difference between a schmoe and "a guy who just likes muscular women" is, according to Marcie, the amount they know. A schmoe will know "she did that contest, she came in that place, she's doing that contest next..." whereas non-schmoes will just say "she looks good, I like her biceps".

Schmoe has a very negative connotation, Marcie continues. You think of a guy who is very socially awkward, he's a weirdo, he's a pervert, he obviously has some mental issue because he's attracted to extremely muscular women.

But, she says, I'm here to let you guys know that is simply not the case. As a matter of fact I would say these guys are a very positive asset to the sport...

And what they provide is financial backing.

A lot of these girls that people admire, that they see on Instagram, on Facebook, all these nice pictures... Had they not had a schmoe behind them to support them financially, they wouldn't be in the position that they're in now.



This financial support, according to Marcie, does sometimes come in exchange for sessions. This side of the industry does exist, she says, and again, many times it's viewed as something that's a negative.

However, Marcie goes on to explain that as far as she can tell, schmoes are just guys with "a fetish".

Is there a difference really between liking the butt, thighs, breasts in comparison to liking biceps or a big back or, you know, nice cut triceps. Is there a difference really? Because schmoes are a little bit obsessed with these female athletes, they're viewed negatively, but when you think about it, many men obsess over women and their bodyparts, their butt, titties, all that stuff, but nobody ever really says anything about that, like there's something wrong with them.



I feel it's not a bad thing at all to the industry. It's something that does exist, and many of the athletes wouldn't be in the position that they are now had they not had a schmoe backing them financially. I think schmoes are good, I think schmoes are actually keeping the industry alive and I don't think it's something that should be viewed as a negative.



So far so good for the schmoes. Schmoes are the unsung heroes of the female bodybuilding world. Damn, we - I'm totally calling myself a schmoe at this point because I'm very very comfortable with Marcie's brave new definition - may be the only reason female bodybuilding still exists as going concern!

Say it loud! I'm schmoe and I'm proud!!!



Oh, hang on.

We'd better look at Marcie's latest take on "The Schmoe"...

Schmoes Vs. Fans!!! What The Difference Truly Is!

25th October 2016

They are very much different from people who are female bodybuilding supporters and fans, because they do stuff that turns people off, that's dangerous, and it's very unsavoury.

This includes "right clicking and saving" Facebook pictures, attempting to gain fitness consultations or to discuss issues related to female bodybuilding without paying Marcie for her time, "wanting to know all this extra stuff about you" such as full name or date of birth, making fake social media profiles in order to make contact and so on.

Where's Schwally? I



It gets very toxic, Marcie says, and goes on to explain how she and her husband have actually been harassed by email and phone, and that she knows other women who have had to change phone numbers and delete social media pages. Later, she also mentions having tyres slashed and being followed to and into the gym. They will strategically place themselves on some workout equipment so that they can stare and take pictures of you so they can go home and masturbate to them. It's pretty crazy.

Where's Schwally? II



These guys, she says, they congregate in an area I call "Schmoeville". She's talking about the forum whose first rule is... though not only there. According to Marcie, in "Schmoeville", anything goes, and a lot of it is invasive and/or hurtful or even downright illegal.

Yes, she says, of course if women are putting up pictures of themselves on social media, comments are to be expected, but it's the two-faced nature of the schmoe - claiming to be a fan on the one hand, acting like "a creepy-assed stalker" on the other - that earns them the title.

The guys who are real life bodybuilding fans and supporters, they don't do those types of things. They actually respect your privacy. They do what they can to actually support you and grow you as a brand.



So, I guess I'm back to not being a schmoe again.

And we're not really any clearer about what a schmoe is, are we?



I think I know why.

The problem is the label itself. "Fan" is just as problematic as "schmoe". Everybody will have an idea of what "a fan" is, but it's such a broad term that what it means really depends on who's using it. Marcie says the fans are people who help her and other women "grow as a brand" in October, but says something similar about schmoes in August. Fans know where their favourite female bodybuilders are competing next.

Or is that schmoes who know that?

If you only have two labels, it's going to be hard to fit everyone in one of the boxes.

So, throw away the labels. Throw away the boxes.

The women, Marcie included, are all individuals, and wish to be seen as such - unusually focused and dedicated individuals, sure, and they certainly have muscles in common, but if you had to fit all the muscular women in the world into one of two boxes, it might be a bit of a struggle, whatever labels you put on them.

By trying to fit those of us who love muscular women into one of two boxes, Marcie, and anyone else who tries to do the same, leaves no room for grey area, and this creates a problem because we, like them, are individuals.

[from off stage a Monty Python voice is heard: I'm not!]

Some of us are not even men.

Our individual expression of our love or appreciation or whatever for women with muscle can take many forms. Mine is mainly, though not exclusively, in the form of this blog. Now, is it a fan blog or just another suburb of Schmoeville?

Or something in between?



Whatever Marcie's shortcomings in terms of intellectual consistency, I applaud her for actually talking about this (and other issues). She may not have made it any clearer to me whether I am a schmoe or not, but she has certainly made me think.

to be continued...

Marcie Madness

Marcie Simmons isn't competing this year. Instead, she's on a break, enjoying her off-season "full-time superhero" body, unable to resist flexing while out shopping, feeling "huge and beautiful" and, in the summer sun, like a "bronzed queen".



She's never been backwards in coming forwards about how sexy her muscles make her feel (see FMS passim), but in the last few weeks on her "reloaded" YouTube channel Marcie Madness, she's been offering her opinion on a number of issues.



They include R.Kelly's 19-year-old girlfriend, how to be pro-black without being anti-white, and male bodybuilders who go "gay for pay". But the majority of her pronouncements are of more specific interest to the female muscle fan. In fact, female muscle fans themselves are the subject of more than one of her clips - for example, What Are Some Possible Causes Of Sexual Attraction To Muscle, Strength, & Power?? and The Importance Of Schmoes In The World Of Bodybuilding!!!



Well if that's the definition of a schmoe, then yours truly is...

She's even used the picture on my Blogger profile to illustrate the clip!



Great to have an FBB's perspective, and even better that perspective is almost completely positive. Sure, the "script" could be a little tighter - let me say right here that if you need an editor, Marcie, I'm here for you - but it's wonderful that she's discussing this and other "taboo in the FBB world" subjects so frankly.



Ever wondered what the pros and cons of being a female bodybuilder in daily life are? Marcie wants to tell you. Want an FBB perspective on "The Dark Side of Female Bodybuilding" or how getting involved in the adult entertainment industry can affect how an FBB's placing in a competition? You can find out at Marcie Madness.



Enjoy!

More Muscle?

In Dallas last weekend, a blast from the past took her first pro title in the Women's Physique division. She competed in NPC Bodybuilding until about 2009, and, as far as I know, has always been known by just the one name: Yasha.



The thing that struck me as I checked out the pics from the contest is that Yasha has got a lot of muscle going on right there. And as I checked out the women who finished in 2nd, 3rd, and so on, it became clear that the judges had given the title to the most muscular woman on stage. The woman who most resembled a "bodybuilder".



Have you just spat your breakfast cereal all over yourself? Are you about to send me a picture of Anne, Christine or Mmmmmonique with the subject line "This Is a Bodybuilder Fool!"? I have been spending a fair bit of time in the FMS archive recently with the so-called "old school" bodybuilders of yore, so I am prepared to accept that I may just be comparing Yasha to a somewhat outdated idea of a "bodybuilder", but I am not alone in having noticed the muscle and making that comparison.

I am so CONFUSED!!! wrote FMS fave (and Hot and Hard 100 #26) Valerie Garcia Giovanoli after the Dallas show. Congratulations to Andrea Calhoun (left, below) who just won 1st in Figure in Dallas and to Yasha who won 1st in Physique at the same show. I think both women are incredible, BUT, am I the only one confused as shit about what the IFBB wants from physique?!? Yasha would have won a pro Women's Bodybuilding competition any other year. This is not what we have come to expect from the new Women's Physique category. Am I the only one who switched over and has been pounding away at the weights without restraint, finally happy I can train the way I want without worrying I'll be 'too muscular' for Figure?



None of my training is going to allow me to compete with a female bodybuilder's physique! I am happy to see more muscle being rewarded in figure... But then that crap confuses me too!!! I am currently prepping for the Wings of Strength show in August, and now I don't even know where I fit in: Figure or Physique?

I read Valerie's rant and I thought back to last year's NPC Nationals when Valerie won her class and her pro card and how she compared with another pro card winner that day, Marcie Simmons, who had been awarded the overall title as well.



Marcie was easily more muscular than Valerie at that show, but she was also the most muscular woman in any class on that stage. She had the biggest muscles and the best conditioning, so those big muscles were also the most defined. In short, she was the most like a "bodybuilder", and this was noted at the time, both by FMS and by commentators who know much more about these things than I do.



And it's not just in the Stateside pro shows this seems to be happening. Meanwhile, as we saw yesterday, over here in Europe Cristina Goy Arellano has been packing on more muscle for this contest season. And the judges have rewarded her.



Cris wasn't the only lady at the Europeans who was displaying some serious muscle. Running her a very close second in the taller class was a woman completely new to me - the arrestingly pectacular Liudmila Goshko from Russia.



Before anyone else gets in with it, I'll say it myself: Oh my Goshko!



I often describe freakishly ripped muscle women - probabaly so often it's boring - as being all skin and muscle or some such. Well, with Liudmila, I'll take that description even further because it looks to me as if she's dispensed with the skin on those glorious pecs altogether, like she's had it surgically removed or something. So insane is the amount of detail that it's like the pro tan is applied directly onto the muscle!

Of course, it isn't all medals and wins for the more muscular Physique competitor. Though she and Liudmila muscled up the taller class, Cris ultimately lost out in the overall posedown to the less muscular (although probably better-conditioned and balanced blah blah) package of Lithuania's Alina Cepurniene.



And a random selection of some of this year's pro Physique winners on the IFBB circuit also demonstrates that while one show might throw up a winner who is more at the "bodybuilding" end of the Physique spectrum, on a different weekend in a different place, a Physique look that leans more towards Figure will get the judges' nod.




Top left is the less muscular look of Toronto Pro winner Ceaanna Kerr, and next to her we have ex-bodybuilder and new New York Pro winner Michelle Cummings. And you can check out Michelle's last outing in Women's Bodybuilding from Tampa in 2013 and see for yourself how little difference there is in her look. Then bottom left is the Orlando champion Ayanna Carroll, muscular for sure, but smoother and not as muscular as the bigger and more defined Puerto Rico Pro winner Gloria Faulls.

It's easy to see why Valerie is confused. All this inconsistent judging. Competitors not knowing what kind of package the judges at the next show will decide to give the top places to. Hang on! That sounds just like the situation in Women's Bodybuilding!!!

But there was no confusion at all at the recent NABBA Worlds because...

Drum roll...

The big girls were back!

After a one-year hiatus when it seemed NABBA had gone the way of most federations and jettisoned Women's Bodybuilding (which in NABBA-speak is Physique) at its premier event outside the UK, true bodybuilders returned to flex their muscles in those beloved NABBA-style thong posing suits in Malta last weekend.

The winner was the Czech Karolina Borkovcova (who is probably more familiar to readers under her previous guise of Karolina Holubcova). Sit back and dig the muscle as you watch Karolina's utterly glute-tasic - and winning - routine.



You can see much much more of the contest on the NABBA YouTube channel.

Enjoy!

Peaks of the Day: The Look of Love

It doesn't seem to matter whether they've just started their mission to muscle or they're a big name fbb with years of growth behind them. If photographic evidence is anything to go by, muscular women just can't get enough of their own biceps.



And why not? Even if the woman in question is more naturally muscular than most, she still needs to do her curls. Even if certain substances are used, those peaks aren't going to rise if she spends her time sat on the sofa watching The Jeremy Kyle Show.



And when she's doing those curls, focusing her thoughts into the muscle, isn't it the done thing to look at it? She's willing it to grow before her very eyes, watching it get bigger, thicker, fuller and peakier with every rep. Yes, Dani! Do it! Grrrrrrr!



But apparently exercising the muscle isn't the only time she wants (needs?) to see it at its proudest. Any excuse will do. Take Mona Muresan (below) - is it just me or is Mona getting a bit emotional about that (highly impressive) peak of hers?



Look at the camera, Marcie... Look at the camera real quick... Just wanna get one shot into camera Marcie... Looking great, Marcie... eyes to camera now...



I wonder if the amount of time spent in loving gaze is in any way proportionate to the size of the muscle. Does the self-adoration grow as the muscle does? To find out you'd have to spend a lot of time with women of varying levels of muscularity and record in detail how often they checked out their own flexed biceps. Then watch how this changes as they grow... Someone should do that. I should do that. As soon as I'm done with this post, I think I'll make an application for funding from The Pennypacker Foundation. I'd have to study a lot of them to get truly definitive results. I'd have to study a lot of them over a long period of time to gather sufficient evidence.

I might need some volunteers to help out...

But not with Oana. I'll study Oana myself thank you very much.

Enjoy!

The Look of Love previously on FMS: Biceps, Abs, & Mirror Mirror

Hot and Hard: Marcie Simmons IFBB Pro

Preparing for the recent NPC Nationals in Miami, Marcie Simmons had a plan. I did my research, she told RxMuscle. I looked at the people who were in the Olympia... If I come into this show looking similar, then I should be on point. It was a plan that worked. Conditioned to bits with every beautiful muscle full and defined, Marcie won both her class and the overall title, and with that, of course, her pro card.




But it's one thing to have a plan to "look similar" to the top Physique Olympians, and quite another to actually pull it off. I mean, if it were that simple, every amateur would end up looking like Dana Linn and Juliana clones, wouldn't they?




I think I'm a genetic freak. I gain muscle easy. I can eat candy and gain muscle! Marcie says, probably joking about that last bit. Or perhaps not. Her triumph at the Nationals came at only her third ever show, following a qualifier the month before and a single show in 2010 at which she was the only female competitor.



It all seems a bit too easy, but then again she does have fifteen years of powerlifting under her (weight) belt. She is as strong as she is sexy. She can squat an eye-watering 435lbs (197kg), and for her next trick is planning a deadlift of 500lbs (227kg) in order to break a state record in her Illinois home. I gain strength easy, she says. No surprise there, then. Suddenly her Instagram monniker "shehulk" makes perfect sense.



But if you spend a little time with Marcie on said Instagram, you may start to suspect that perhaps all that muscle and that crazy conditioning isn't just for the benefit of the judges, or at least, it's not only the judges who like that sort of thing. This year, if you've discovered a woman who revels in her muscularity more than Marcie seems to do then I would love to hear who it is, because if there is one thing guaranteed to get FMS' juices flowing faster than a sexy muscular woman, it's a sexy muscular woman who wants you to know how sexy she feels with all that muscle. Just like Marcie.



Whether on stage or backstage, at the gym, at home (or indeed just about anywhere she can find a mirror to admire herself in), whether she's in her posing suit, in her (revealing) gym togs, or getting glammed up for a night out (and when she does glam up, she makes damn sure there's muscle on display), Marcie's smile and Marcie's eyes don't lie. Doesn't she look like she is digging the hell out of herself? Or is it just me?



I, for one, can't wait to see Marcie presenting an even more muscular package to go with the unreal conditioning when she mixes it with the pros in 2015. Although I seriously doubt I will be enjoying it as much as Marcie will!



Next week: FBBUK on FMS