I Want Muscle

“I want Muscle is a film that plays with taboos and gender stereotypes. It aims to explore a different kind of female beauty. It provides a glimpse into the world of Kizzy Vaines, a female bodybuilder. She is the only British competitor for the Olympia Fitness title in Las Vegas.

The visual aesthetic and soundtrack of the film are reminiscent of the glamour of the late 70s and early 80s, the golden age of female bodybuilding. It pays homage to the pioneering goddesses of the sport like Lisa Lyon and Rachel Mclish.

I wanted to shoot a muscle worship film but taken out of a fetish context. The idea was to break with traditional ideas of femininity in fashion and play with imagery that is conventionally perceived as glamourous, sexy, soft and feminine to then juxtaposed with displays of pure strength and shots of the grueling pain and discipline that is involved in achieving this type of physique.”

a film by Elisha Smith-Leverock

ASVOFF Grand Prix winner 2011