LADY VANITY - It's My Turn To Burn

BODYBUILDING
The lifestyle that made every change
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To most people, bodybuilding and weight training are probably the last thing on a girl's mind, especially in this competitive modelling industry where the pressure is to be long, thin and willowy. However, it is common knowledge to those close to me that bodybuilding has been my life's passion for the past 6 years.

As a matter of fact, I owe every single success in my modelling career to this "bizzare" practice most women have been known to (sadly) misunderstand and steer clear of. You see... for as far back as I can remember, I have been waging war against obesity, which is also a heriditary problem that runs in the family.

I used to be teased very badly for being a fat kid and had serious issues with self-confidence. There were even times I experienced joint pains due to all the excess weight. Revelation came when I finally signed up at a hardcore gym in 2004. I was 15 years old then.

Since I was a child, I have always admired muscular men and women, and have had dreams of looking like them. My main role models were Valentina Chepiga and Cory Everson. So when I first stepped into a gym and picked up my first set of weight it was like a fresh breath of air and I was hooked. My parents were generally against me going to a gym in the beginning, but after seeing results they relented, and up till today this wonderful lifestyle has become a dominant feature of my daily routine. It was difficult at first, being the only girl in such a dominantly male enviroment. I started out with little or no help, reading up as much as I could from websites and magazines, and later on meeting some very wonderful people who have helped me generously along the way.

2002-2004
BEFORE

Present
AFTER

While my true aim in bodybuilding has always been to put on muscle and eventually becoming a competitor, it has also, very unexpectedly, gotten me some attention which resulted in my modelling involvments. Without bodybuilding and the gym, I would probably have been stuck being the same shy girl with the same issues and problems. But no - bodybuilding has given me everything that I have today and has given me a new perspective in life, which is a great testimony and motivation for me to stay true to the lifestyle.

Deep down I will always be an athlete at heart, and no matter where my modelling career brings me, I know that bodybuilding and lifting weights will always have a special place in my soul. I aspire to one day stand for bodybuilding just as my idols have. Today I am also a personal trainer, and I also have been interviewed in The Star Newspaper about bodybuilding. After all these years I am certain that it is something that I will be doing right up to the grave. I believe that the discipline that is practiced and acquired within the gym is also strongly applicable to life in general. On top of that, many friendships have been forged along the way and these are memories that I shall cherish forever.

This is my tribute to the Iron, and all the amazing people of the Brotherhood who have stuck with me, seen me grow and spread my wings. THANK YOU.

"The Iron never lies to you. You can walk outside and listen to all kinds of talk, get told that you're a god or a total bastard. The Iron will always kick you the real deal. The Iron is the great reference point, the all-knowing perspective giver. Always there like a beacon in the pitch black. I have found the Iron to be my greatest friend. It never freaks out on me, never runs. Friends may come and go. But two hundred pounds is always two hundred pounds." ~Henry Rollins~

LadyVanity xoxo