Femuscle is a combination of the words “female muscle." It is used to describe the worldwide trend of female muscle building. Other physically fit females may also fit into the category of femuscle, but most often, the term is used to describe women with large muscles who work to maintain the physique.
In early culture, the popular female physique was softer and focused more on the curves rather than hard lines. In pictures, plays, and even movies, female warriors were not toned so much as curvy. Female athletes were rare, and in most cases, were only slightly more fit than non-athletes. Late in the 20th century, however, a new obsession began in movies and popular culture with the large body-builder-type men. With this growing trend, a new focus began to shift towards women with lean bodies and hard muscles.
By the early 21st century, it was very common to see swimsuit models with six-pack abs, super models with defined calve and arm muscles, and even workout videos hosted by actresses. Femuscle is very popular on toned, slightly muscular women in almost any career. Female wrestlers with bodies comparable to their male counterparts are wildly famous, and even cartoon or comic-style art depicts warrior women with large, muscular bodies rather than the former soft curves.
The growing femuscle trend has become large enough that international female body building competitions exist. While the United States is credited as being the forerunner in the femuscle world, more and more women from countries in Europe and Asia are joining in the competitions as well. Controversy rages over the professional female muscle building world, and many accusations and accounts of steroid use or other substance abuse have surfaced over the years. Most competing women, however, maintain their stance on natural muscle building over a period of years and cite the growing number of fans at these competitions as their reason for continuing.
Whether it’s the form of a fit model, an Olympic runner, or a professional body builder, it all stems from the culture of femuscle. The level of muscle tone women desire or like to see may depend on lifestyle, personal taste, and even cultural influences. Many countries still maintain the vision of soft or even plump women as perfect and consider any female muscularity vulgar. Most countries, however, have begun to accept a certain level of muscularity as sexy or healthy, and the worldwide popularity continues to grow.