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A visual history of female bodybuilders and other muscular women from the late nineteenth to mid-twentieth centuries.
Price: $27.95
Pages: 256
Publisher: Arsenal Pulp Press
Imprint: Arsenal Pulp Press
Publication Date:
01 December 2010
ISBN: 9781551523859
Format: eBook
"A celebration of female strength, Venus with Biceps proves that today’s hard-arm look dates way back—even if, as coauthor David L. Chapman puts it, muscular women 'risk being seen … as dangerous.'" —People magazine
"A truly fascinating tour of the hardbodied heroines of the photographic age ... I opened the book prepared to gawk at the weirdness of a past when most women were tiny, fluffy, corseted creatures and those who weren’t were sent to the freak show, but by the time I’d read it through to the end, I’d realized that nothing of any significance has occurred in the realm of thinking about women’s figures for at least a hundred years. An edifying read indeed." —The New Yorker
"Chapman and Vertinsky collaborate for a fascinating portrayal of the world of female bodybuilding ... The authors have created an excellent collection of thoughtfully-curated photos and essays; the result is an intriguing look at a little regarded period in sports history." —Publishers Weekly
"Simply jaw-droppingly amazing ... This coffee table-sized paperback is so heavy and heaving with astonishing images that one builds one’s own bice ps in reading it." —EDGE (New York, etc.)
"This fascinating visual history uses archival images, posters, comic books, magazine illustrations and photography to trace the history of the physically strong, muscular woman and of society's evolving attitudes toward female strength." —Seattle Times
"Visually stunning, rigorously researched, and thoughtfully written, Venus with Biceps is as much a treasure chest of rare vintage ephemera as it is a fascinating and important meditation on a contentious facet of gender identity and cultural politics." —Brainpickings.org
"A truly fascinating tour of the hardbodied heroines of the photographic age ... I opened the book prepared to gawk at the weirdness of a past when most women were tiny, fluffy, corseted creatures and those who weren’t were sent to the freak show, but by the time I’d read it through to the end, I’d realized that nothing of any significance has occurred in the realm of thinking about women’s figures for at least a hundred years. An edifying read indeed." —The New Yorker
"Chapman and Vertinsky collaborate for a fascinating portrayal of the world of female bodybuilding ... The authors have created an excellent collection of thoughtfully-curated photos and essays; the result is an intriguing look at a little regarded period in sports history." —Publishers Weekly
"Simply jaw-droppingly amazing ... This coffee table-sized paperback is so heavy and heaving with astonishing images that one builds one’s own bice ps in reading it." —EDGE (New York, etc.)
"This fascinating visual history uses archival images, posters, comic books, magazine illustrations and photography to trace the history of the physically strong, muscular woman and of society's evolving attitudes toward female strength." —Seattle Times
"Visually stunning, rigorously researched, and thoughtfully written, Venus with Biceps is as much a treasure chest of rare vintage ephemera as it is a fascinating and important meditation on a contentious facet of gender identity and cultural politics." —Brainpickings.org