Sharon Leigh Bruneau (born February 1, 1964) is a

model A model is an informative representation of an object, person or system. The term originally denoted the plans of a building in late 16th-century English, and derived via French and Italian ultimately from Latin ''modulus'', a measure. Models c ...

and retired professional Canadian female bodybuilder and fitness competitor.

Early life and education

Bruneau, a

French-Canadian French Canadians (referred to as Canadiens mainly before the twentieth century; french: Canadiens français, ; feminine form: , ), or Franco-Canadians (french: Franco-Canadiens), refers to either an ethnic group who trace their ancestry to Fre ...

Métis The Métis ( ; Canadian ) are Indigenous peoples who inhabit Canada's three Prairie Provinces, as well as parts of British Columbia, the Northwest Territories, and the Northern United States. They have a shared history and culture which derive ...

,Female Bodybuilding Legend and Fitness Model Sharon Bruneau
/ref> was born in the mining city of

Timmins Timmins ( ) is a city in northeastern Ontario, Canada, located on the Mattagami River. The city is the fourth-largest city in the Northeastern Ontario region with a population of 41,145 (2021). The city's economy is based on natural resource ext ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

and says that her "...native heritage is of Cherokee blood,". Few

indigenous Canadian In Canada, Indigenous groups comprise the First Nations, Inuit and Métis. Although ''Indian'' is a term still commonly used in legal documents, the descriptors ''Indian'' and ''Eskimo'' have fallen into disuse in Canada, and most consider them ...

women are involved in sport and even fewer in female bodybuilding, which makes Sharon even more proud of her accomplishments.Sharon Bruneau
at Female Muscle Blog

Career

She began her career as a

fashion model A model is a person with a role either to promote, display or advertise commercial products (notably fashion clothing in fashion shows) or to serve as a visual aid for people who are creating works of art or to pose for photography. Though m ...

, at which she was successful until contracting a bad case of

pneumonia Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severit ...

, which caused her to lose a lot of weight. Soon after her recovery, she began training with weights to regain the weight she needed to get back to modelling. After achieving a somewhat toned build, she was rejected at model agencies for being oversized. She then decided to give up modeling and dedicate herself to bodybuilding. During her bodybuilding career Sharon had gained nearly 50 pounds, but then cut back when she changed to fitness competitions.University of Windsor
/ref> Bruneau was on the cover of ''

Muscle & Fitness ''Muscle & Fitness'' is an American fitness and bodybuilding magazine founded in 1935 by Canadian entrepreneur Joe Weider. It was originally published under the title ''Your Physique'', before being renamed to ''Muscle Builder'' in 1954, and ac ...

'' and ''

Flex Flex or FLEX may refer to: Computing * Flex (language), developed by Alan Kay * FLEX (operating system), a single-tasking operating system for the Motorola 6800 * FlexOS, an operating system developed by Digital Research * FLEX (protocol), a com ...

''. Weider Health and Fitness publications had taken Sharon on as one of their first ever signed female representatives from 1991-1998. Sharon Bruneau 1992 Emerald Cup

Sharon retired from bodybuilding competition after the 1994 Ms. Olympia contest, switching to

fitness competition Fitness and figure competition is a class of physique-exhibition events for women and men. While bearing a close resemblance to bodybuilding, its emphasis is on muscle ''definition'', not size. The class was originally introduced when bodybuilding ...

. After placing 11th out of 17 competitors in the 1995 Fitness Olympia, Sharon had noted that her low ranking was due to her muscularity. In 1997, Ms. Fitness Olympia's judging procedure involved awarding points to the women with an overall toned body and marking down those who appeared "overly muscular". Sharon can now be found inspiring people all over the world with her motivational workshops where she speaks about health and fitness. She has had minor roles in the movies: '' Tornado Run'' (1995), '' Nemesis 2: Nebula'' (1995), '' Nemesis 3: Prey Harder'' (1996), and '' R.S.V.P.'' (2002). In 2007, she did minor stuntwork for the movie ''

Smokin' Aces ''Smokin' Aces'' is a 2006 American action comedy film written and directed by Joe Carnahan. The film centers on the chase for Las Vegas magician turned mafia informant Robert 'Buddy Aces' Israel (Jeremy Piven), on whom a one-million-dollar bounty ...

''. Sharon was also offered a role in the movie ''

Endangered Species An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching and invas ...

'' (1982) to play a bad alien. Around the 1980s and 1990s, many agents were recruiting body builders and wrestlers for sci-fi films. This, in turn, offered a wider range in career possibilities for fitness and bodybuilding athletes.

Portrayal of Indigenous Heritage in Flex Magazine

Sharon Bruneau featured in ''Flex'' magazine showing off her muscular physique in tribal-like attire, with bones around her neck and a spear in her hands. The caption associated with this image referenced Sharon stating, "I am particularly proud of my Native American heritage to which this photo pays homage."

Contest history

* 1991 IFBB North American Championships - 1st (HW) * 1991 IFBB North American Championships - Overall Winner * 1992

Ms. International The Ms. International female bodybuilding contest was considered to be the second-most prestigious competition for female bodybuilders (second only to the Ms. Olympia competition), from its inception in 1986 through 2013. It was first held in 19 ...

- 4th * 1992 IFBB Ms. Olympia - 11th * 1993

- 7th * 1993 IFBB Ms. Olympia - 10th * 1994

- 6th * 1994 IFBB Ms. Olympia - 16th * 1995 Fitness Olympia - 11th

Films

* '' Tornado Run'' - 1995 action movie (VHS and DVD) * '' Nemesis 2: Nebula'' - 1995 sci-fi action thriller with Sue Price and Debbie Muggli (VHS) * '' Nemesis 3: Time Lapse'' - 1996 sci-fi action thriller with Sue Price, Debbie Muggli, Ursula Alberto (VHS) * '' R.S.V.P.'' - 2002 horror movie * ''

'' - 2007 action movie (DVD)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bruneau, Sharon 1964 births Living people Canadian female bodybuilders Fitness and figure competitors Professional bodybuilders Sportspeople from Timmins Canadian Métis people Métis sportspeople Franco-Ontarian people