What a FLEX

Women are getting stronger for themselves and for each other...male-imposed beauty norms be damned.

- BY BONNIE TSUI

Several months ago, after internet trolls dragged the actress Sydney Sweeney and her bulked-up new physique for the upcoming biopic of legendary boxer Christy Martin—bemoaning that they found her “chunky” and less attractive—Sweeney clapped back with a video compilation of the insults (and their authors) and a training montage of herself rolling truck tires, weight lifting, and sparring in the ring. No caption—she let her biceps do the talking.

Sweeney, who has dealt with body-shaming for much of her career—the irony being that until recently it has been based on the hypersexualized assumption that, as she put it, “I have big boobs, I’m blonde, and that’s all I have”—is the latest star to join the Hollywood gun show, a lineup that includes Ryan Destiny transforming herself to play two-time Olympic champion boxer Claressa Shields in The Fire Inside, and Kristen Stewart and Katy O’Brian in last year’s steroid-pumped bodybuilding noir Love Lies Bleeding.

It’s all part of a pop-culture-fueled fitness trend toward muscle that prioritizes the female gaze—and well-being—over the male. Big shoulders are in. When it comes to strength training, the word is out: Women need to lift, and lift heavy, to build up muscle mass. That’s what helps stave off the loss of bone and muscle as we age.

The movement is only, well, growing. On TikTok, self-proclaimed “muscle mommies” and “muscle mamis” share tips about maximizing protein intake, macros, and gains. (No more dainty “toning and lengthening” via Pilates.) Even Taylor Swift, over the arc of her five-continent Eras Tour, made a point of flexing and kissing her own biceps ahead of performing “The Man,” a song that skewers double standards for how men and women are treated in society. Fans lost their minds, but this power pose was far from frivolous.