Strongwoman
Encyclopedia
Circus
A circus is commonly a travelling company of performers that may include clowns, acrobats, trained animals, trapeze acts, musicians, hoopers, tightrope walkers, jugglers, unicyclists and other stunt-oriented artists...
, or a woman who competes in strength athletics
Strength athletics
Strength athletics, more generally known as strongman competitions, is a sport which tests competitors' strength in a variety of different ways. Some of the disciplines are similar to those in powerlifting and some powerlifters have also successfully competed in strongman competitions...
. Traditionally, strongwomen have had a special appeal, as women involved in demonstrated feats of strength were exceptions.
Traditional strongwomen
Traditionally, strongwomen were featured as performers in a circusCircus
A circus is commonly a travelling company of performers that may include clowns, acrobats, trained animals, trapeze acts, musicians, hoopers, tightrope walkers, jugglers, unicyclists and other stunt-oriented artists...
, or in vaudeville
Vaudeville
Vaudeville was a theatrical genre of variety entertainment in the United States and Canada from the early 1880s until the early 1930s. Each performance was made up of a series of separate, unrelated acts grouped together on a common bill...
, music hall
Music hall
Music Hall is a type of British theatrical entertainment which was popular between 1850 and 1960. The term can refer to:# A particular form of variety entertainment involving a mixture of popular song, comedy and speciality acts...
s, or other venues, and engaged in feats of strength such as barbell lifting and human juggling.
Some famous traditional strongwomen include:
- MinervaJosephine BlattJosephine Blatt , best known by her stage name Minerva, was a strongwoman. She married strongman Charles Blatt in 1888.-Early life:...
(Josephine Blatt née Wohlford), (c.1869 – 1923) born in New JerseyNew JerseyNew Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
. - CharmionCharmionLaverie Vallee née Cooper , best known by her stage name Charmion, was an American vaudeville trapeze artist and strongwoman whose well-publicized suggestive performance was captured on film in 1901....
(Laverie Vallee née Cooper), (1875 – 1949) born in SacramentoSacramentoSacramento is the capital of the state of California, in the United States of America.Sacramento may also refer to:- United States :*Sacramento County, California*Sacramento, Kentucky*Sacramento – San Joaquin River Delta...
, CaliforniaCaliforniaCalifornia is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. - VulcanaVulcanaKate Williams , sometimes called Kate Roberts, better known by her stage name Vulcana, was a Welsh strongwoman born of Irish parents in Abergavenny, Monmouthshire....
(Kate Williams aka Kate Roberts), (1875 – 1946) born in AbergavennyAbergavennyAbergavenny , meaning Mouth of the River Gavenny, is a market town in Monmouthshire, Wales. It is located 15 miles west of Monmouth on the A40 and A465 roads, 6 miles from the English border. Originally the site of a Roman fort, Gobannium, it became a medieval walled town within the Welsh Marches...
, WalesWalesWales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
. - Katie SandwinaKatie SandwinaKatie Sandwina , born Katie Brumbach in Vienna, Austria, was a circus strongwoman.-Life in the circus:...
, (1884 – 1952) born in ViennaViennaVienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
, AustriaAustriaAustria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
. - Joan RhodesJoan RhodesJoan Rhodes was a London-born British performer, wrestler, stuntwoman and strongwoman. Born into poverty in London, she and her siblings were deserted by their parents. Following unhappy spells in the workhouse and with an aunt, she left home at 14...
, (1920 – 2010) born in LondonLondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, EnglandEnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. - Linda Sandberg, (1996 – 2011 - ) born in SwedenSwedenSweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, RussiaRussiaRussia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
.
Modern-day strongwomen
In recent years, the term strongwoman has come to refer to the women who compete in events such as the annual World's Strongest WomanWorld's Strongest Woman
World's Strongest Woman was an annual strongwoman contest organized by the International Federation of Strength Athletes . The format was similar to the World's Strongest Man contest, but with lighter weights. The contest was first held in 2001....
(WSW) competitions, sanctioned by the International Federation of Strength Athletes
International Federation of Strength Athletes
The International Federation of Strength Athletes was an international governing body for strongman competition...
(IFSA), and televised nationally on ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
. In these contests, the participants compete in events such as the farmer's walk (walking as far as possible with heavy steel rods in each hand), the shield carry, the car deadlift, and others.
Some notable modern strongwomen include:
- Jill MillsJill MillsJill Mills is an American powerlifter and strongwoman.Mills competed in bodybuilding from 1993 to 1995, but turned to powerlifting in 1996. She is undefeated in powerlifting competition, and has set many state and national records....
, winner of multiple WSW competitions including the first one held in 2001 - Robin ColemanRobin ColemanRobin Coleman is an American actress with backgrounds in figure competition, rowing, professional strongwoman, and former female bodybuilder....
, who took 3rd place in the 2001 WSW competition - Becca SwansonBecca SwansonBecca Swanson is an American bodybuilder, powerlifter, pro wrestler and strongwoman who is often referred to as "The World's Strongest Woman" or "The Strongest Woman on the Planet"...
, powerlifting world record holder - Aneta FlorczykAneta FlorczykAneta Florczyk pseud. Atena – Polish female athlete, especially strongwoman.Aneta Florczyk started her career at the age of 16, as a powerlifter. She won Polish Championships several times, and in 2000 became European Champion. As a first Polish athlete she has broken the barrier of...
, winner of the 2005 WSW contest - Cynthia MorrisonCynthia MorrisonCynthia Morrison aka "Cindini" is an escapologist and strongwoman who is based in Palm Beach, Florida, USA. She has competed in powerlifting, Scottish highland games and track & field events. In addition she has competed in a modern form of medieval jousting...
, Florida-based powerlifter now working as an escape artist - Elena SeipleElena SeipleElena Seiple is an American bodybuilder and strongwoman.Seiple was born in 1973 in Harmony, New Jersey. A gifted athlete from childhood, she excelled in swimming , basketball, soccer, and track. While attending a private Christian school in Pennsylvania, she competed in men's soccer due to the...
, NPCNational Physique CommitteeThe National Physique Committee is the largest amateur bodybuilding organization in the United States. Amateur bodybuilders compete in various competitions from local to national competitions sanctioned by the NPC...
judge and powerlifter - Chyna, bodybuilder and professional wrestler nicknamed "The Ninth Wonder of the World"
See also
- Amazon feminismAmazon feminism-Summary:Amazon feminism is a branch of feminism that emphasizes female physical prowess as a means to achieve the goal of gender equality. Adherents are dedicated to the image of the female hero in fiction and in fact, as expressed in the physiques and feats of female athletes, martial artists and...
- Female bodybuildingFemale bodybuildingFemale bodybuilding is the female component of competitive bodybuilding. It began in the late 1970s when women began to take part in bodybuilding competitions.-Beginnings:...
- Sthenolagnia
- Strongman (strength athlete)Strongman (strength athlete)In the 19th century, the term strongman referred to an exhibitor of strength or circus performers of similar ilk who displayed feats of strength such as the bent press , supporting large amounts of...
External links
- Strongwomen from the 18th Century onwards- A compilation of images, articles and information on strongwomen and female bodybuilders of the past from David Horne's collection.