The spectacle of female bodybuilding is not a particularly new thing but images of its participants never ceases to completely mess with my head. The lengths that these women go to to arguable suck out every trace of femininity from their bodies is truly amazing and in their world the Ms Olympia contest is the ultimate in recognition for their efforts.
The sad truth was revealed in a recent study of 75 American female amateur bodybuilders in the U.S where an overwhelming majority (65 of the 75 subjects) of them reported extreme dissatisfaction with their bodies, evidence, psychologists argue, of a newly described syndrome called "muscle dysmorphia" in which bodybuilders in top physical condition still feel small and weak.
Whether you think they're elite athletes or steroid junkie freaks, London photographer Zed Nelson's images of the contest and the "sport"(pictured to the right of this post ----> ) are well worth a peak...
For more info on the world of Bodybuilding check out the
You're so Vein article published in the Tough Edition of Lifelounge magazine and for more information of the photographs visit
Zed Nelson's website