Roxanne Edwards Interview

      Roxanne Edwards is a female bodybuilder who expresses what her chosen lifestyle is like, and her views on femininity. In regard to my definition of someone who possesses a healthy body image, Edwards is one who has gone above and beyond. Although I do not completely agree with the extent of Edward's physique, I do support the reasons she stands behind. In my opinion Edwards pays very close attention to her body, and in doing so she has set goals to the type of appearance that she would like to achieve. Edwards shares that she would like to accomplish a "peeled" body type, a "peeled" body type is one where people can see the muscle fibers move underneath one's skin. At the time Edwards described herself as "shredded," a body type in which one can partially see muscle fibers moving underneath the skin. The type of mentality that Edwards has differs from mine in that her determination to obtain a certain look greatly outmatches mine. Edwards claims that one of the reasons that she does bodybuilding competitions is to express her views on femininity. Edwards supports this view when she says, "femininity is not necessarily your breasts but how you are as a human being, or as a woman." This statement supports that femininity shouldn't be defined by what is popular, but by the quality of one's personality. The topic of femininity relates to our class discussion on what is considered a perfect man or woman. Some of the characteristics that were contributed the definition of a "perfect" person include; muscles, an hourglass figure, the right amount of facial hair, and more. After the observing the interview this list definitely holds less significance in that one should not hold themselves to those kinds of standards. Edwards being African American has undergone some form of discrimination during her bodybuilding competitions. The reason that discrimination exists in bodybuilding is that women who have lighter skin are more "marketable" because their muscles stand out more than on those with darker skin. When the interviewer asks if she considers herself "superhuman" I was intrigued by the way that she answered in several ways. Edwards stated, "This is how I choose to express my version of femininity," meaning that every woman is entitled to their own unique way of expressing femininity. Also, I was intrigued to hear her say that she does not consider herself "superhuman," rather she considers herself someone who saw the world from a different vantage point and went after different opportunities. Overall, I have a tremendous amount of respect for Roxanne Edwards in various ways. One way in which I respect her is that she has the courage to express her femininity in a different way that is not deemed "popular" in our society. Another reason is that Edwards has the determination to be the best she can be, and does not let what other people think stand in her way. What I take away from Roxanne's interview is that I should not let my insecurities stand in the way of my goals.