A University of Georgia cheerleader claimed that she was pressured to use anabolic steroids in order to obtain a fitness modeling contract. Anna Watson alleged that her modeling agent recommended the “legal steroid” Anavar to help her achieve her goal of gaining fifty pounds of muscle. Watson was tempted but ultimately declined because she considered her body a “temple.”
“[Steroid use] was definitely something I was tempted with more than one time,” Watson told RedandBlack.com, an independent student newspaper at the University of Georgia. “[The agent] made it sound as good as he could.”
Watson claimed to have been close to signing a $75,000 per year fitness modeling contract if she would have taken steroids and gained fifty pounds of muscle. She reported that she had been in discussions with Elite Model Management representatives in Paris to pursue fitness modeling. Elite is considered one of the world’s most prestigious model networks. It has “discovered” numerous super-models including Cindy Crawford, Gisele Bündchen and Adriana Lima.
Watson gave up the glamorous world of high-fashion because she loved being a cheerleader at the University. Also, the use of steroids conflicted with her religious values.
“I don’t serve a modeling agent. I serve the Lord,” professed Watson, a proud member of the Athens Church. “I’m not going to compromise my morals and my beliefs just to take pictures. I believe that my body is a temple and a beautiful creation, so I don’t want to put anything into it that can harm it.”
The article raised several important questions. Is Elite Model Management really seeking models who looked like competitive female bodybuilders? Or was this merely a publicity ploy by Anna Watson trying to get attention by taking advantage of the public’s fear of steroids?
If Watson was able to gain fifty pounds on her already-muscular frame, she would have definitely been able to compete on an national level bodybuilding stage. But a model for Elite with a $75,000 contract?
Anyone familiar with the sport of bodybuilding, and female bodybuilding in particular, knows that type of money does not come easily in the sport especially from high-end modeling agencies.
Female bodybuilders struggle to obtain money from contest prize money, posing and sponsorships. With so little money in the sport, sometimes they resort to wrestling, posing and catering to the desires of “schmoes”. “Schmoes” is the derogatory term used to refer to men who have a sexual fetish for extremely muscular women.
A female bodybuilder is more likely to find “schmoes” offering significant money for her services than one of the world’s most prestigious modeling agencies.
Source:
Glaser, L. (January 26, 2012). Cheerleader not defined by physique. Retrieved from http://redandblack.com/2012/01/26/cheerleader-not-defined-by-physique/
