Hot Hot Heat of the Day

Retro Heat: Lisa Bavington


The combination of her magnificent upper body in (near enough) it's full glory and her slightly coquettish pose make this an iconic image of a true female muscle superstar. Back at the turn of the century, Lisa's body clothed was enough to set my female muscle lovin' loins aflame, but when I came across this little throwaway candid of her actually topless, well, I don't think I've ever been so near to spontaneous combustion. The fact that I'm still here to tell the tale is testament to the speed with which I looked away and locked the image in a fire-proof container. Only now, over ten years later, have I been able to open said container.

Dust your safety goggles off and prepare for more hot hot heat tomorrow.

Muscle and Madmen

And I was thinking 2012 had been a pretty good year for female muscle in the mainstream, but if 2013 continues as it’s started, we are in for a treat!

A female bodybuilder in a make-up ad and it’s beautiful

Advertisement uses muscular female model in a non-insulting, beautiful manner

Female bodybuilder Jelena Abbou shows off her amazing physique in campaign

These headlines and more have been generated by the advertising campaign for a new cosmetics range, called ‘Strength’ (get it?), from MAC, who, apparently, are a big deal in the field. And while I have never taken much of an interest in the cosmetics industry or its advertising methods, they’ve got my attention now!

Flex your femininity with a color collection that’s fearless, elegant and strong, reads the copy. Strike a powerful pose, stand out, redefine the notion of beauty - and do it with strength too irresistible to ignore.

The most exciting thing about this is that for the first time I can recall, a muscular woman is being used in a major advertising campaign in order to associate the product with the qualities she displays. I’ve seen female bodybuilders in ads before, but it’s always been purely for the shock value. But here there’s no irony (not that you’d expect much from a make-up ad), no snigger at all. It’s almost too good to be true!

She's styled and photographed in a way that glamourizes her and highlights her beauty and her femininity, writes Jenna Sauers at jezebel.com, but the ad also does not camouflage or attempt to minimize her incredible body. In fact, Abbou's muscular arms are the focus of this picture. That's what makes this ad so striking, and so incredibly beautiful.

And Sauers’ reaction is pretty much typical. ‘Finally something different… and I love it!’ would be a fair summary of the huge number of articles the ad has generated:

As a fashion and beauty site  we have to do a certain amount of coverage of fashion and beauty campaigns. For the most part, they are uniformly boring. Because they are all the same. Thankfully, those wily pigment junkies at MAC Cosmetics just went and made our job a little more interesting…

This is a body type we’re completely unused to seeing represented in beauty advertising - so unused to it, in fact, that it’s jarring. But it’s also quite a lovely ad…

There’s no denying the image is shocking, and that’s why it’s so awesome. If only all cosmetic advertisements emphasised their subject’s unique beauty…

Admirable that MAC has cast a sort of woman who seldom appears outside of fitness magazines…

Hats off to you, MAC Cosmetics, you folks did an amazing job creating an ad campaign that shows the beauty of a muscular female body in a complimentary, gorgeous way…

The praise, from the articles I’ve read, and I’ve read more than a few, is universal. And even the majority of comments from other readers have welcomed the campaign:

It's about time strong females were used in marketing a bit more. I always see a push for more rounded ladies, but what about super fit ladies? It's great to see the beauty stereotype challenged…

I love it! She looks great and this is a great positive body shape to aspire to. She is very sexy and feminine looking. And strong…

Nice to see women with a bit of character and oomph instead of a load of uninspiring lollipop heads…

Couldn’t agree more!

This woman ‘with a bit of oomph’ was born in Serbia, but left in 1997, at the age of 20, to pursue a fitness modelling career in the USA. Now 35, Jelena has been competing at the highest level in her adopted country for the best part of 12 years.

It’s funny that the only negativity I’ve managed to find about the whole thing has come from female muscle fans themselves, bemoaning the fact that Jelena isn’t a ‘proper’ bodybuilder, only a figure competitor. Sure, the people at MAC have chosen their model well. Ripped she may be, but Jelena is also one hell of a looker.

The PR people have gone for a woman with plenty of the requisite ‘conventional’ beauty. So what? What’s significant is that the model involved has any muscularity at all, and furthermore, that those muscles are the focus of the image. The apparent success of the campaign only helps to further the ‘Strong Is Sexy’ cause. It’s a bit unrealistic to expect the admen to adopt someone like Alina Popa or Sarah Hayes, beautiful as they are, to front a major campaign at this stage.

Interestingly though, while MAC might not be ready to use a fully-fledged female bodybuilder in their ad campaign, it’s quite likely that Alina or Sarah have been using MAC for some time. MAC products are of professional standard, specifically engineered to stand up to the lights and subsequent heat of a live performance. Consequently, the range is widely used not only by theatre actors and pop divas, but it’s also apparently the favoured make-up of female bodybuilders in competition. (Now that’s something that I’d never thought about in all these years of female muscle lovin’ - what make-up do they use?!)

Anyway, back to the point. I, and perhaps you too, dear reader, have often dreamed of a world where muscular models strut the catwalks and adorn the pages of fashion magazines. At the beginning of 2013, it seems to me, the success of this campaign means that dream is a little closer to reality, and that should be something to celebrate.   

Well done MAC, and well done Jelena!

Practising for the MAC shoot?

…for more of Jelena, visit her website and youtube channel

Hot Hot Heat of the Day

Webcam Heat: Femme Fatale

In her own words, she is old enough to be a real femme, young enough to be fatale, and with caps like these, you don't need to have had a webcam show with Femme Fatale on HerBicepsCam to imagine how sensationally hot she is - but it helps.



She says that her best bodyparts are her abs, eyes, brain and pecs, though not necessarily in that order. We say, she's all good. Highly recommended.



More hot hot heat tomorrow. Just you go and cool down now.

Hot Hot Heat of the Day

Jamie Pinder



Jamie transformed herself from, in her own words, a bad bikini competitor to a pro in the Physique division in just one year. The results speak for themselves. A word of warning, though. Don't spend too long drooling over her magnificent bod. I've already had two screens melt on me as a result of the hotness she emits. You could cook an egg on those big juicy biceps of hers. And cook it quickly at that.

If you want pics of Jamie winning her pro card at the  2012 NPC Nationals (and I think you do) they can be found at Bodybuilding.com or RxMuscle.com, among others. You might also like to see her amazing transformation pictures for yourself on Sioux Country - it's a treat.

Hot Hot Heat of the Day

Happy New Year to you, dear reader. Swell is back from warmer climes, and though it's been a good break, it's also good to be back. The one thing I'm struggling with, though, is the temperature. Having spent the last month and a bit in a T-shirt and shorts, the northern hemisphere winter has been a shock, to say the least.

I need some heat. And I couldn't think of anything else when compiling this week's daily picture post. So heat it is. Hot hot heat from the hottest of the hot...


The magnificence of Tina Chandler from a guest posing routine last year. I'm not sure if it's the pose, the discarded whip or the way she's eye-balling the guy in the front row that makes this image sizzle. Maybe it's the thickness of her legs and arms, or the way her hair is hanging down just right that's making it feel like summer in here all of a sudden. Maybe it's all of these things. Whatever it is, she is smoking like Vesuvius the night before it buried Pompeii. Can you feel the heat?

A New Page At Female Muscle Slave Up Today: A Shared History of Female Muscle Fandom

Check out the new page A Shared History of Female Muscle Fandom, new today.

Have a look and if you want to add your own memories or experiences to it, please comment (anywhere on the blog will do) or email directly to 6ft1swell@gmail.com. I look forward to hearing from you.

The original post, explaining the project and asking for contributions, can be read here.

Enjoy, and thanks to Aiden for getting the ball rolling.

Happy New Year

Ruthie says...

Happy New Year to all our wonderful friends and readers  x

Best wishes for 2013!

Images of 2012

Last year, Female Muscle Slave brought you Images of 2011, so to keep the tradition going, we are doing the same again.

As before, we're not promising that all these pics were taken this year, but they have all arrived on the Female Muscle Slave desktop since January 1st 2012.

The only difference between last December's post and this one is that this year I was consciously thinking about the post all year, so I think it does reflect the year as a whole in a way that perhaps last year's more spontaneous post didn't, as collecting the images this way has allowed certain trends to be identified more easily.

All in all, I'm happier with these pics as a reflection of my female muscle lovin' year. A massive Happy New Year to all you lovely people who bother to read and comment on my little blog, and I do hope you enjoy this collection of images half as much as I've enjoyed choosing them.

Her Vein

The kind of picture that we'd all like to be taking given half the chance (or is it just me, as usual?). Over your morning coffee, only a few tables away. The rush of adrenaline, 'The Madness' descends, and before you know it, your phone is in your hand and you're zooming in on that arm... [Meanwhile she's texting her boyfriend about the weirdo who's a few tables away trying to take surreptitious pictures of her].

left: Anne Freitas: Phenomenon
One of the many eye-popping images of Anne to emerge from her training before the Europa Pro show in June. Freaky conditioning and muscularity. Just how we like it.

right: Rene Marven: Bringing It Back
A late entry into the list of images for this post, Rene's single-handed (well, maybe double-handed would be more accurate, but anyway) resurrection of the most muscular pose at the NPC Nationals in November would have been enough to get her into the charts, so the fact that she looked so fine doing it is a bonus. Hot stuff.

Gratuitous Abs Flex of the Year

So at this stage I think the contest is over. Sure, there will be more flexing for the cameras after the presentation, but right now there'a a man here who wants to give you a trophy and a medal and a bunch of flowers or something. But Elena is so taken with her own muscular midriff that she can't resist, or rather, can't stop flexing her abs. The guy puts the trophy down, and before he can hang the medal round her neck, she just can't help herself, she has to flex them. Bang! A completely unnecessary abs flex right in the dude's face. Absolute gold. And he stops himself reaching out and giving them a good stroking, which is probably why he's presenting and you and me are not. ps. Elena apparently stopped flexing her abs the following Wednesday.

Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others I

A rear view of Kim Perez's knee-buckling massive upper body.

Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others II

Elena again, with a webcam most muscular (and a little more breast than before).

Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others III

Katka Kyptova's calves (sounds like the start of a tongue-twister, doesn't it? Katka Kyptova's calves caused chaos when uncovered...) No? Sorry. But we're all glad that the rumour Katka had switched to the Physique class were unfounded.

Abs Shot of the Year Runners-Up
left: The Six-Pack of Victory
The London 2012 Olympics gave us plenty of opportunity for guilt-free muscle-ogling, but my favourite shot of an athlete's abs was this unidentified martial artist. Hard to say why, but maybe it's because her sports bra matches her belt, or maybe it's because she's a winner. Maybe it's because those muscles look good enough to eat, or maybe it's because she's so damn cute with it. Probably all of the above.

right: Michela Soto
Abdominal perfection and a perfect tan. Oh, and she's an ex-porn star. Yummy.

Abs Shot of the Year Winner
Frida Palmell

Frida is a serial self-snapper, and the more freakily ripped she is, the more she seems to snap. This sizzling shot of skin, veins and granite blows me away.
Every time.

Self-snapped images were becoming more and more common before the start of the year, but it seems to me as though 2012 was the year when self-photography became the norm. In fact, the quantity of images has been so great that it's almost impossible to choose 'The Best'. But two of my favourites were these pics:

left: The Babe and the Bandana

right: Mallory Haldeman

Rears of the Year
left: Julie Bourassa
Imagine Julie sashaying along the street in this outfit. No one would be able to take their eyes off her, indeed no one would be able to take their eyes off them. She'd leave destruction in her wake. Six car pile-ups, heart failures galore.

right: Leslie-Ann Armstrong
No apologies for re-posting Northern Ireland's finest rear. One reader commented on that first post: Stunning. Like a bronze statue. Indeed it is. So perfect is she that it is hard to believe that what you're looking at is sculpted flesh.
More Leslie-Ann and her magnificent rump here.

left: Maikku Hiljanen

Ask any group of men 'Who doesn't like a woman who can touch their toes?' and the only hands that will go up will be from those who didn't understand the question. Maikku brings that bit extra to the party, a kind of 'toe-touching plus' flexibility that I can't resist. As for the unidentified lady on the right, well, I doubt I need to explain what I find so appealing about her.

Pec Peeks
left: Crossfit
Love this. The effort it's taking to shift that weight is written not just all over her face, but also all over her upper body, and it's the bulging pecs that really hold my attention. She'll probably need a good massage after she's finished pushing her beautiful (and functional) body to the limit, and I know just the man to give it to her.

right: Cinderella 'Cindy' Landolt
One of our Women of the Year from 2011, Cindy is not getting any smaller, or uglier.

Femuscle Fantasies
left: Nathalie Falk
I was on holiday in Germany. A friend of mine had recommended a certain bar...

right: Kortney 'KO' Olson
This new flatmate just walked in on us while we were at it, she was stark naked, and she just slung my girlfriend over her shoulder, warned me off with a quick bicep flex and as she was leaving the room said, 'I'll bring her back in the morning.'

Shock and Awe I

I love seeing, hearing or reading about reactions to female bodybuilders. Here Zoa Linsey gives some young ladies a sight they will never forget. The sexual excitement in the room is tangible from the photo (or is that just my imagination?) What's the situation here? Can you hire Zoa for parties? My 40th is coming up...

Shock and Awe II

The guy on the right looks like all his birthdays have come at once. He may have exploded with joy right after this snap was taken. The guy on the left, though, now his expression is a lot more complex. Sure, he's bagging an eyeful of Brigita Brezovac's bod while he can, but is there a tinge of sadness there too? Has he just understood he will never be so happy again, never again so close to the woman of his dreams? Too close to the Sun? Poor Icarus.

The major sites and the major photographers are still very much in evidence despite the rise of self-photography. But I really think that some of the big photo and video clip sites need a re-think in the face of the glut of images being uploaded from PCs and mobile devices these days. In my ill-informed, unqualified opinion, they need to start focusing on quality rather than quantity. Some of them have got a bit lazy, it seems to me. Is the female muscle lover going to keep paying for 40 almost identical images when there are so many free images of the same women available? Better, I think to give the punters fewer but more varied images that show off the subject with techniques beyond the amateur snapper. Just my opinion.

left: Rebekah Kresila
Don't get me wrong, I love this image. I love it enough to include it among the best of the year. She's amazing, the outfit, setting and lighting are all top notch. The only problem is that it comes as part of a set that contains pretty much the same image 40 or so times. I could have chosen from about 10 virtually identical images.

right: Rene Campbell
The future for female physique photography could be in images that bring something different to the viewer. More artistic, more textured than the image of Rebekah, and part of a small set of photos that show Rene in a variety of poses within the same location. Variations on a theme, but each a unique photo.

left: A Different Point of View
It doesn't help when different websites have virtually the same images too! But it's definitely good for the model to get three jobs' worth for one lot of posing. And besides that, this photo reminds me of the kind of images you used to get in the UK newspaper The Independent when it was first published - rather than run the same picture of the President, Prime Minister or whotever, they would run a picture of all the photographers and the President, Prime Minister or whoever. So well done to the photographer here for taking in the whole scene.

right: Denise Masino
Now here is a woman who can tell you a thing or two about offering something different. And now that pictures of female bodybuilders naked are everywhere, what does she do? Show you that you don't need to take it off to show it off! Well, Denise doesn't anyway. Although not many women can compete with her endowment.

Body Beautiful

Tina Chandler guest posing, in a great outfit, with a whip. Questions?

Just Beautiful

 Female Muscle Slave favourite Nataliya Romashko up close.

At Home with Annie

James Cook's enviable position as Annie Riveccio's man has allowed him to shoot the muscle goddess in a variety of domestic situations this year, offering us a new kind of female muscle image, which you might call the 'professionally-taken candid'.

The Ecstasy of Muscle

Annie again, oiled and naked and doing what she loves. Cook is living the dream!

And finally...

The Eyes Have It

Virginia Sanchez Masias has taken countless pictures of herself and her magnificent body this year, often when she has been extremely ripped and barely clothed. They're all very very sexy. But trying to choose between them proved very difficult. What I chose, in the end, was this image. Why? Well, she does have beautiful eyes. But more than that, it was, uniquely, the image that was different.

Happy New Year!

 Female Muscle Slave will return some time in January.

Christmas Morning Muscles

HAVE A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS