Any fears of not looking feminine with more muscle?

[No-Exit]

I realize that femininity is not only a reflection of one aspect of a woman but how do you all feel about getting too big? Some people say it's an irrational fear since most women cant put on much size due to hormonal limitations... but there are some frighteningly muscular women out there.

BTW, I say "frighteningly" not because it's necessarily unattractive... but like you dont wanna catch her on a bad day cuz she could squash you like a bug.

[imperfectly_lou]

IMO, anyone who is "frighteningly muscular" has either used steroids or growth hormones OR has trained for many many years with superior genetics - it isn't as if they woke up one day and went, "**** I'm big". So no, definitely no fears here - been training for 5 years and am certainly not unfeminine...

[No-Exit]

It's not a quick change though.... and you get used to seeing yourself.

People who get fat... they see themselves every day and sometimes dont notice until one day they wake up ands say "****, im fat".

[Euqinom]

Originally Posted by No-Exit

but how do you all feel about getting too big?

It annoys me, because every girl I meet (and that does not lift) says she will get big in no-time, whereas I'm working my ass of in the gym do not gain as much as they brag they do. I'm not the overly feminine type, and I love how I look now, because it actually gave me a more feminine body if you ask me. Finally: I have a waistline and good legs!

[No-Exit]

Originally Posted by Euqinom

It annoys me, because every girl I meet (and that does not lift) says she will get big in no-time.

LOL I ask cuz I'm not feminine to begin with. Im asian and have no hips and slightly broader shoulders. I was into working out as a kid (pullups, pushups, situps, rode around on a bike everywhere and lifted EVERYTHING from groceries to furniture) and then joined the military... where I discovered what a gym was. Anyways I personally dont care if I dont look feminine, its just something I'm used to. Part of it is the way I walk too.... I'll just NEVER be girly. I carry myself and look like a man in drag when in a dress.

Anyways, I just wanted to know how women with a bodybuilder's mentality felt about muscle and femininity. I actually got the answer I thought I would and was hoping for.

[Euqinom]

That's totally awesome.

[Eileen]

Well, if the alternative is being fat (and it is in my case), I'll take muscles any day.

Actually, you really don't see muscles on a woman unless she deliberately dresses or flexes to show them off. In street clothes, it's very hard to tell a body builder from anyone who is in halfway decent shape.

Now that I'm in reasonable shape, I have a much bigger choice of things I can wear, so I can change how I look much more than when I was fat. There's the odd outfit where my bossy daughter tells me "Don't flex", but usually she lets me out of the house without comment.

[justagirl]

with a lot more muscle, i would still look feminine. i have a cutie girl face (full cheeks too), a VERY small ribcage and wider hip bones

though my goal is to gain muscle, i do like having a soft body, just as a personal preference

[Eileen]

I've got wide child-bearing hips and big boobs. Not much I can do to not look feminine.

[No-Exit]

I get called "sir" more than "ma'am". My brother got in trouble once and the cops came... I was trying to kiss the guy's ass so he'd leave and said something to my brother about growing up and about how it isnt cool to pull these stunts. After about a 10 minute conversation, the cop said "you really should listen to your brother" to him . Around the same time I got pulled over for having a radar detector in my car and a busted windshield (yeah i was a bit ghetto) and when I handed the cop my license, he said "this say's female... I asked for YOUR license". That got to be a REALLY ugly conversation. My picture was about 3 years old and I had a different haircut but christ almighty... "this says female.."

[windsrprk]

I lift for me, not for anyone else. If I want my muscles to show (and I do) I'll reduce my body fat and wear a top that shows my arms and shoulders. If I didn't want my muscles to show I'd eat enough to bring my bodyfat up so I'd look softer. I'm lucky that I found a man who loves me and my muscles. He encourages me to flex for his friends! By the way, he and I both think I look feminine. I do not think having muscles means you automatically aren't feminine. Being feminine has more to do with state of mind than how big your body parts are.

[Uncategorizable]

While I'm not one to use terms such as "masculine/feminine" or its alternate forms, I like to think that I'm helping to change such concepts, if it's just a sliver of a sliver.

Since I started weightlifting and gained more muscle, I haven't felt this "sexy" (yeah, let's go with sexy) in forever, and in a form that I able to say that I'm comfortable in my own flesh. Going back to my initial comment, I have noticed that some people around me have been changing their minds about women and weightlifting because they seen the changes in me and it's not the "monstrous, juiced up" nonsense that they used to believe. Now, getting them into the gym is a whole different subject.

I also believe that weightlifting has enhanced most of my "feminine" attributes.

[darkangel]

Putting on muscle is a constant struggle for me. So much muscle I don't look feminine? I should be so lucky. What muscle I've achieved has helped me look more curvy and feminine.

[cathryn]

Originally Posted by darkangel

Putting on muscle is a constant struggle for me. So much muscle I don't look feminine? I should be so lucky. What muscle I've achieved has helped me look more curvy and feminine.

I hear ya, I'd love to be told I was too muscular!

Strong = confidence = sexy, for both genders

[misstransformer]

I'm very much looking forward to having visible muscle. Symmetry, Curves, femininity, and muscles. I'm not skurred. lol Unless a woman is utilizing some type of muscle enhancer, steroid, or has extremely rare genetics, looking masculine is not likely. T

[Beefcake Girl]

I agree with Lou...SO HARD to add that much mass naturally!

I find that the more my muscle shows, the more compliments I get on just being in great shape, not being too big or anything. But I do have naturally wider hips, a small waist and broader shoulders which give a curvy shape anyway. I like training and adding muscle because it makes me look "tight"...tight legs and glutes, tight midsection and of course a nice back and arms

I was also "blessed" with a fuller face (chubby cheeks!) so I have feminine face too...which I might add has not been affected by any substances. So far I have not gotten any negative feedback...yes, some people call me a bodybuilder, even though I am actually a pretty small figure girl, but I think it's only because they don't know the difference. Usually they are just trying to be nice and tell me they notice I am fitter than the average person I have become accustomed to a more muscular physique and I am more comfortable in this body now! If I get too soft, I feel squishy and out of shape!

[No-Exit]

Some of us arent "gifted" with looking feminine to begin with. I remember learning as a kid that protein= muscle... and for a little while I thought I wanted to be "petite" so I completely cut out as much protein as I could. I was in about 6th or 7th grade and just wanted to be "normal". This only went on for a few weeks until I couldnt take it.

In this forum I feel right at home but outside of here I never was terribly fond of my build. Im not as self conscious about it anymore but I wasnt comfortable with myself for a long time. The only time Im reminded of all this now is when I go shopping. I have to buy suits 1 size up and get everything taken in a little cuz of the shoulders and arms.

[Turbomunkey]

fit women are hawt

[eminva]

Only when it comes to my arms. They are pretty pathetic now but I tend to carry some fat on them so I sometimes worry that with all my training they will get a little big. Now, most of this will be the fat over the muscle, but I just don't like bigger arms on myself, regardless of composition. So I reluctantly do arm isolations, but mainly to support my bench press and dead lifts. I'm hoping that when I lose some fat they'll shrink right up and I'll be content. :-) Other than that, I've been amazed at how weight training has made my body so much MORE feminine. My butt is getting perkier, my waist smaller, and my overall shape is much more attractive that my previous apple/pear hybrid shape. (thick waisted, loe handles, but skinny, etc.)