The first person to warn me against getting “bigger” was my mother. I can’t remember the exact words she used, but her comment fell somewhere between “big muscles aren’t a good look” and “muscular bodies are slightly gross.”
I don’t blame her; everyone has their own taste when it comes to beauty. I also know that, even subconsciously, her opinion was formed and reinforced by years living in a society that expects women to be “lean but not too toned,” to “appear feminine” in order to be loved.
Since then, I’ve received my fair share of similar comments from friends and strangers alike.
For what it’s worth, I don’t think of myself as particularly muscular, but that’s beside the point. I wonder why people seem so compelled to comment and worry about muscular female bodies? Why do people need to voice out their opinion about bodies in general?
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