Originally Posted by
mickey
sanjuro ronin,
How did I know you would be the FIRST to respond? :)
She claims to have written the first book about bodybuilding for women, before Lisa Lyons. Since I have not read it, I cannot tell if it was geared for the sport of bodybuilding or just for health.
I agree that there was not much for a woman like her to do during those times.
When it comes to weightlifting, I think it was an essential part of the physical education system in this country at one time. Marilyn Monroe did it. Jane Russell did it. And if you took a look at some of the builds of the women back in the '40's and 50's, they had to be doing something besides lying on their backs. Physical Culture was big at one time and proponents like Dan Lurie and Jack Lalanne promoted health through exercise to both men and women. I have seen vintage photos of women circus performers with some serious arms and serious builds. Physical Culture was no joke. And this was long before the drugs. I have met elderly women back in the 1980's who shared how they used to lift weights. I wish I realized the importance of recording those moments at that time. Those moments offer a very different view of the world with regard to health. In current times, I have observed women and men immigrants coming from the old countries of Europe with incredible musculature (not to mention heightened brain activation), even those who are up in age. They were trained for a lifetime of productivity. They look amazing. If there is anything that saddens me, it is that the benefits of good health are not passed on to their children were born here.
mickey