Strong & sexy

I have always photographed strong women.

In the early seventies I looked to my circle of friends for inspiration. We were the women who dared to be different: feminist, independent, self-reliant and active. My photographs visually defined this new wave of 'heroines' who challenged the sexual and cultural representation of women.

By the late seventies I was working out with weights, and then photographing women in gyms and at the first women's bodybuilding competitions. I documented the classic beauty of the muscular and strong female form, and saw the participants in the sport change from muscular dancers to college athletes who had trained for years. These images were published in my first book, Strong and Sexy: The New Body Beautiful (Delilah Publishers, New York, 1983.) It features eight photo essays and profiles, with over 100 images of women working out in gyms, at international competitions, and posing in my studio.