Pictorial: Women's Bodybuilding by Bill Dobbins

Bill Dobbins co-wrote, with Arnold Schwarzenegger, the book on bodybuilding, The New Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding:  The Bible of Bodybuilding, Fully Updated and Revised.  He also co-wrote Summer Olympic 1976 Decathlon Gold Medalist Bruce Jenner's the Athletic Body: A Complete Fitness Guide for Teenagers -- Sports, Strength, Health, Agility.  He was associated with Joe Weider when Mr. Weider founded Gold's Gym in California.  Bill Dobbins's work has already appeared in numerous magazines and books, and he founded and edited his own Flex magazine.  Mr. Dobbins was kind enough to submit the above sample of his work to us, telling us that "Women’s bodybuilding began in the late 1970's and it’s further development and evolution into fitness, figure, and fitness models mostly happened in Los Angeles.  This has led to celebrities hiring personal trainers to extend their careers, and a host of female stars still playing romantic leads well into their forties because of exercise, diet, and healthier lifestyles."  (Susan Lucci comes to our minds.)  Bill Dobbins further states that he has "been photographing this revolution all along," and "that this new development in our culture deserves to be noticed."

Not to worry, Mr. Dobbins; we noticed!  And we think our readers will notice, too.

Introduction by William Mortensen Vaughan