''Women's Physique World'' was a magazine covering female bodybuilding and

fitness and figure 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 bodybuildin ...

, published from 1984 to 2006.

History and profile

The first issue was dated Fall 1984, and featured Lori Walkup on the cover. Subsequently, the magazine was published with varying frequency, ranging from two to six issues annually. ''Women's Physique World'' also produced documentary style videos that featured the women posing in non-contest settings in

bikini A bikini is a two-piece swimsuit primarily worn by women that features two triangles of fabric on top that cover the breasts, and two triangles of fabric on the bottom: the front covering the pelvis but exposing the navel, and the back coverin ...

s, dresses, and other outfits. Most of the videos feature bodybuilders or fitness and figure competitors, but athletes from sports such as

arm wrestling Arm wrestling (also spelled armwrestling) is a sport with two opponents who face each other with their bent elbows placed on a table and hands firmly gripped, who then attempt to force the opponent's hand down to the table top ("pin" them). The s ...

and

track & field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping eve ...

were occasionally featured. The videos often included footage of the subjects performing gym workouts, as well as interview segments. ''Women's Physique World'' also produced a number of contest videos. These typically featured NPC level shows, though the magazine also produced the video for the 1999 Ms. Olympia contest. Human sexuality scholar Cindy Patton observed that the female bodybuilders in ''Women's Physique World'' are shown as "fresh-faced girls who seem to have accidentally produced their specialized shape".

References

External links

Official website
1984 establishments in New Jersey 2006 disestablishments in New Jersey Defunct women's magazines published in the United States Female bodybuilding magazines Fitness magazines Magazines established in 1984 Magazines disestablished in 2006 Magazines published in New Jersey Sports magazines published in the United States {{bodybuilding-stub