James
July 5th, 2005, 07:34 PM
this is a letter that was sent to IFBB/AMI from Melissa Cota a NPC National Level Female Bodybuilder and long time partner of IFBB Pro Female Bodybuilder, Nancy Lewis. here is what is says:
To Whom It May Concern at IFBB/AMI,
Hello, my name is Melissa Cota a NPC National Level Female Bodybuilder and long time partner of IFBB Pro Female Bodybuilder, Nancy Lewis. I write this letter to the IFBB/AMI and to anyone else who will listen and HOPEFULLY take a stand on changing the future of woman's bodybuilding.
My letter to you begins with the news of the MOST prestigious show in bodybuilding (MS. Olympia) being converted into a side show event at a morning EXPO. I ask to ALL of you, how disgraceful is this for the veterans of female bodybuilding? Woman, such as my partner, who have trained most of there lives, 20+ years to be in this event. I also ask, how can someone like Nancy Lewis, who has been in the MS. Olympia competition 13x+...How do you ask someone with this sort of caliber reputation to now step on an Expo hall stage to show off her prized physique??? I am not just speaking up and sharing my thoughts and concerns for Nancy. I am standing up and sharing my thoughts for ALL the woman of female bodybuilding that are being degraded to becoming a side show event at an Expo Hall so it will not come in between the selling of the Mens pro prejudging tickets!!!!
Coming from a very competitive background and professional background in Mountain biking...I have NEVER scene such a sport that is SO 100% sexist and plagued with the thought of ONLY supporting the male end of the sport. Nancy and I own and run our own European supplement company, therefore, I fully understand the business aspect of what sells and what does not sell. For you, I understand that it is all about dollars and cents and what sells and what does not sell.
Yet I ask you, do you not think that if you promoted more woman's bodybuilding that more of the main stream/norms would accept it? I ask you, do you not think that a 8 time MS. Olympia winner should not get some sort of an endorsement deal or contract for her outstanding achievements in the sport? I have never seen such a disgrace in show money, promotion of the shows nor judging criteria. Your only answer to the invaluable question/s of "Why do the pro men make 100,000s more when they when a pro show," or why do the men have 15-20+ pro shows a year and the woman have now 4 shows...One in which you have to be invited to (Arnold's) and the other you have to qualify for.(MS. O)??? Your answer to these questions are..." The public accepts the mens look and its promotable." Well, I ask, how in the hell do you know what's promotable if you have NEVER REMOTELY tried promoting ANY female athlete. Further more, how could female bodybuilding become a main event if the woman are not promoted in the magazines, so the public can know more about the sport and come to understand it and support it.....and learn that we are not some freak show on steroids!
Your efforts of slowly destroying woman's bodybuilding was noted by most of us long ago! However, I admit, I never thought I would ever see the day that the greats of female bodybuilding:Lenda Murray,Betty Pariso, Iris Kyle, Denise Masino, & Nancy Lewis' and etc. Would EVER have to succumb to such discrediting measures as a day at the EXPO event for there night show. This is TERRIBLE!
I know closely, several pro judges that have answered some of these questions that have plagued woman's bb. There answers are, "Woman pro bb physiques aren't attractive and are not attainable by the normal society if they picked up a magazine....that the public would immediately think...steroids!"
Well, I would fire back at this and say....Well I know MANY people that pick up your Flex magazines, your Muscle Magazines, etc., and look at the NASTY DISTENDED Muscle bellies of your 7x Mr. O, and look at the look of your Markus Ruhls that shout out EXCESSIVE DRUG USE!! Honestly how attractive are there physiques??? What happened to the FLAT full muscle belly looks and an overall aesthetically pleasing physiques of the great Sean Reys or today's physiques of the great Dexter Jackson???
So I ask, again, how attainable are those physiques of Ronnie Coleman or Markus Ruhl, etc., to your average man wanting to begin working out. Many look at those physiques and think...LOTS OF DRUGS!!! But yet you think that is promotable!!! And you wonder why the NORMAL public does not want to get tied into bodybuilding period and why the US Olympics committee does not want to pick up bb...it is because WHAT YOU ARE DOING TO THE SPORT!!!
Sense your concern is 100% MONEY and not AT ALL the athletes than don't you think that you would make even more money if you promoted ALL your athletes EQUAL at the shows, in the magazines and had an equal amount of shows for both the men and woman. Got endorsement deals going for the woman and promote them in your magazines with interviews and questions from the public so the public can get to know the female side of the athletes?? Don't you think that if you changed your criteria for your shows that even more people would enter your shows, more fans would come out to promote there friend or family member, and don't you think that if you promoted athletes that shared physiques that the NORMS could possibly attain..THIS WOULD EVEN PROMOTE YOUR SPORT MORE! Which means more MONEY FOR YOU!!!! I would have thought your high priced sales team would have known this!!!!
I now write to the ladies of female bodybuilding...I know there are MANY more issues that must be addressed but NONE of these issues I noted on or any other issue will ever be addressed if the woman athletes do not stick together and work together and stop settling for these INSULTING shows and INSULTING prize show moneys!! STOP taking these underground photo sessions with photographers that are going to give you what, 2-300.00 for a photo session and go and sell hundred's or even thousands of them on the Internet!!!! STOP DOING IT! I taught Nancy long ago.....you are a commodity....your name and face mean something...if a photographer wants to shoot with you, you get so much up front and the copyrights to your pictures and the say so as to where they go. Isn't it strange that when she started asking this...NO photographers came her way!@!!! Why because they were turning around and selling them for 20.00 a pop!!! Its TERRIBLE!!! So start treating yourselves as the beautiful woman you are and stand up for yourselves and for your rights as a pro athlete! STOP ACCEPTING any and everything that comes your way.
With all this being said, I wish you all the best in your endeavors and may the IFBB and AMI get a clue one day...BUT know things will NEVER change if we as a whole do not do something drastic about it.
*PLEASE PASS THIS ON!!!!
Best of Wishes,
Melissa Cota
To Whom It May Concern at IFBB/AMI,
Hello, my name is Melissa Cota a NPC National Level Female Bodybuilder and long time partner of IFBB Pro Female Bodybuilder, Nancy Lewis. I write this letter to the IFBB/AMI and to anyone else who will listen and HOPEFULLY take a stand on changing the future of woman's bodybuilding.
My letter to you begins with the news of the MOST prestigious show in bodybuilding (MS. Olympia) being converted into a side show event at a morning EXPO. I ask to ALL of you, how disgraceful is this for the veterans of female bodybuilding? Woman, such as my partner, who have trained most of there lives, 20+ years to be in this event. I also ask, how can someone like Nancy Lewis, who has been in the MS. Olympia competition 13x+...How do you ask someone with this sort of caliber reputation to now step on an Expo hall stage to show off her prized physique??? I am not just speaking up and sharing my thoughts and concerns for Nancy. I am standing up and sharing my thoughts for ALL the woman of female bodybuilding that are being degraded to becoming a side show event at an Expo Hall so it will not come in between the selling of the Mens pro prejudging tickets!!!!
Coming from a very competitive background and professional background in Mountain biking...I have NEVER scene such a sport that is SO 100% sexist and plagued with the thought of ONLY supporting the male end of the sport. Nancy and I own and run our own European supplement company, therefore, I fully understand the business aspect of what sells and what does not sell. For you, I understand that it is all about dollars and cents and what sells and what does not sell.
Yet I ask you, do you not think that if you promoted more woman's bodybuilding that more of the main stream/norms would accept it? I ask you, do you not think that a 8 time MS. Olympia winner should not get some sort of an endorsement deal or contract for her outstanding achievements in the sport? I have never seen such a disgrace in show money, promotion of the shows nor judging criteria. Your only answer to the invaluable question/s of "Why do the pro men make 100,000s more when they when a pro show," or why do the men have 15-20+ pro shows a year and the woman have now 4 shows...One in which you have to be invited to (Arnold's) and the other you have to qualify for.(MS. O)??? Your answer to these questions are..." The public accepts the mens look and its promotable." Well, I ask, how in the hell do you know what's promotable if you have NEVER REMOTELY tried promoting ANY female athlete. Further more, how could female bodybuilding become a main event if the woman are not promoted in the magazines, so the public can know more about the sport and come to understand it and support it.....and learn that we are not some freak show on steroids!
Your efforts of slowly destroying woman's bodybuilding was noted by most of us long ago! However, I admit, I never thought I would ever see the day that the greats of female bodybuilding:Lenda Murray,Betty Pariso, Iris Kyle, Denise Masino, & Nancy Lewis' and etc. Would EVER have to succumb to such discrediting measures as a day at the EXPO event for there night show. This is TERRIBLE!
I know closely, several pro judges that have answered some of these questions that have plagued woman's bb. There answers are, "Woman pro bb physiques aren't attractive and are not attainable by the normal society if they picked up a magazine....that the public would immediately think...steroids!"
Well, I would fire back at this and say....Well I know MANY people that pick up your Flex magazines, your Muscle Magazines, etc., and look at the NASTY DISTENDED Muscle bellies of your 7x Mr. O, and look at the look of your Markus Ruhls that shout out EXCESSIVE DRUG USE!! Honestly how attractive are there physiques??? What happened to the FLAT full muscle belly looks and an overall aesthetically pleasing physiques of the great Sean Reys or today's physiques of the great Dexter Jackson???
So I ask, again, how attainable are those physiques of Ronnie Coleman or Markus Ruhl, etc., to your average man wanting to begin working out. Many look at those physiques and think...LOTS OF DRUGS!!! But yet you think that is promotable!!! And you wonder why the NORMAL public does not want to get tied into bodybuilding period and why the US Olympics committee does not want to pick up bb...it is because WHAT YOU ARE DOING TO THE SPORT!!!
Sense your concern is 100% MONEY and not AT ALL the athletes than don't you think that you would make even more money if you promoted ALL your athletes EQUAL at the shows, in the magazines and had an equal amount of shows for both the men and woman. Got endorsement deals going for the woman and promote them in your magazines with interviews and questions from the public so the public can get to know the female side of the athletes?? Don't you think that if you changed your criteria for your shows that even more people would enter your shows, more fans would come out to promote there friend or family member, and don't you think that if you promoted athletes that shared physiques that the NORMS could possibly attain..THIS WOULD EVEN PROMOTE YOUR SPORT MORE! Which means more MONEY FOR YOU!!!! I would have thought your high priced sales team would have known this!!!!
I now write to the ladies of female bodybuilding...I know there are MANY more issues that must be addressed but NONE of these issues I noted on or any other issue will ever be addressed if the woman athletes do not stick together and work together and stop settling for these INSULTING shows and INSULTING prize show moneys!! STOP taking these underground photo sessions with photographers that are going to give you what, 2-300.00 for a photo session and go and sell hundred's or even thousands of them on the Internet!!!! STOP DOING IT! I taught Nancy long ago.....you are a commodity....your name and face mean something...if a photographer wants to shoot with you, you get so much up front and the copyrights to your pictures and the say so as to where they go. Isn't it strange that when she started asking this...NO photographers came her way!@!!! Why because they were turning around and selling them for 20.00 a pop!!! Its TERRIBLE!!! So start treating yourselves as the beautiful woman you are and stand up for yourselves and for your rights as a pro athlete! STOP ACCEPTING any and everything that comes your way.
With all this being said, I wish you all the best in your endeavors and may the IFBB and AMI get a clue one day...BUT know things will NEVER change if we as a whole do not do something drastic about it.
*PLEASE PASS THIS ON!!!!
Best of Wishes,
Melissa Cota