First Draft:

                                                                Breaking Standards

            With the increasing power of social media, children at extremely young ages are predisposed to the incredibly unrealistic standards society has labeled “fit” or “healthy”. In order to be considered healthy there must be a balance of physical, emotional and social well-being, however, to complete two aspects of health, there is a need to reach beyond oneself and find reflection in the world. Social media platforms such as Instagram, only portray a portion of what health really is. Bodybuilders Roxanne Edwards and H. Cassils take the idea of a perfectly healthy body and toss it out the window. Even though they encompass all three aspects of health, they develop their own views and expand the idea of health by challenging the standards set for women and fitness.     

            To understand the actions of both Edwards and Cassils one needs to have a mental image of the ideal body that women are pressured to achieve. When looking at any fitness magazine, there are certain body parts of the model such as the hip and butt area that are emphasized more in order to show off her “femininity”. She will usually have a slim silhouette with a smaller torso and a sizable chest. This ideal physique follows women everywhere. Celebrities such as Kim Kardashian capitalize on this as they embody this ideal figure.

            In her interview with DIS magazine, Roxanne Edwards is very open about the journey she went on to reach her intimidatingly large stature. What started out as just a quest to “look better naked” (Massey) ended up being a life changing experience in which she has personally grown from, both spiritually and mindfully. Edwards remarks on the common issues that are prevalent within the scene of bodybuilding. She unapologetically admits to the use of steroids in order to aid in her progress and states that as long as “…it makes you work twice as hard” (Massey) she sees no reason not to continue using it. She also addresses the comments of her masculine physique and the standards set for women in bodybuilding competitions by saying that femininity is a choice that is different among all women. Having the biological aspect of a female (i.e. breasts) doesn’t grant you the power of being feminine, it’s more about “elegance and how you carry yourself” (Massey). Roxanne argues that her body is a representation of her inner power, “I wear my strength outward” (Massey). After a while, bodybuilding became less about her physical strength and more about the fight to express her femininity the way she feels and understands it. After completion of her physical health, she diverted her attention more on her relationship with herself and the world. In doing this, Edwards has established a new set of standards of well-being that are unrelated to her appearance. In this sense, Roxanne is successful in her quest for physical health and has now began her attempt to find well-being in her emotional and spiritual state. By reflecting what she has learned to the world and trying to empower femininity in anyone who embraces it, she has found a much bigger picture of health that H. Cassils has also discovered.

            Cassils acknowledges the ideals set for a “perfect body” and attempts to embody it down to the T. The only catch is, she aims to achieve the perfect masculine physique that is captured in ancient Greek sculptures. During her 23 weeks of training, the artist and personal trainer, experiences many ups and downs in which she documents in “Cuts: A Traditional Sculpture” a video project filmed by Robin Black followed by an article. Similar to Edwards, Cassils engages in the consumption of steroids as a means of “bulking up” as she gained 23 pounds in the span of the project. During Cassils journey to blur the lines of a male/ female body, she stated that “It was also empowering” (Cassils). Transforming her body had an overwhelming influence on her emotional well-being. She felt as if she gained more respect while attempting to break through the ideal female body by accomplishing a “perfectly” masculine one.

By having these uncanny bodies, Edwards and Cassils are able to grab the attention of the world and achieve their emotional and social health. They are promoting well-being for all by building a bridge between the standards set for a male and female body. They expand the idea of health by attempting to establish fluidity. The cliché idea of “you can be whatever you want to be” is exactly what these two empowering individuals are striving to establish in a world built on rigid societal expectations.