Why clothes don’t fit female bodybuilders

Female bodybuilders face a constant battle with clothing designed for average body shapes – from tight shoulders to jeans that won’t fit over quads

The Louise Plumb Column

YOU'D think trying on a cute dress would be the easy, fun part of a shopping trip. The reward after endless hours of training and meal prepping. But for female bodybuilders, stepping into a high-street changing room can feel like entering an escape room – only with worse lighting and no guarantee you’ll get back out again.

Take it from me. Not long ago, I was in TK Maxx, browsing the racks like any normal woman looking for a little retail therapy. I found this gorgeous dress, floaty, pretty, in my size (or so I thought) and just the thing for keeping cool when the sun's turned up to the max. I squeezed into the changing room, pulled it over my head – and got stuck.

And I don’t mean slightly snug. I mean full panic. Arms jammed above my head like I was trying to signal for rescue, the fabric glued around my shoulders and lats like shrink-wrap. Within seconds I was sweating, make-up smudging, hair stuck to my forehead. There was this fleeting, horrifying moment where I genuinely pictured myself waddling out on to the shop floor in my underwear, half-dressed, begging a stranger to help peel me out of the prison I’d willingly stepped into.

Funny now, but humiliating at the time. That moment perfectly sums up the hidden headache of being a muscular woman in a world of cookie-cutter sizing.

When we talk about the challenges for female bodybuilders, people usually think about heavy weights, strict diets, or stepping on stage in tiny sparkly bikinis. But no one talks about the everyday battles, like trying to find a pair of jeans that will fit over your quads and hug your waist without gaping open like a tent.

Standard women’s clothing is designed for an ‘average’ female shape; narrower shoulders, slim arms, soft curves. That really doesn’t leave much room for broad lats, thick glutes, or triceps that look like you could smuggle dumbbells under your sleeves.

Here’s the reality:

If it fits your legs, the waistband is a baggy mess.

If it fits your waist, good luck getting it past your thighs.

Shirts and jackets that fit your torso can trap your shoulders like a straitjacket.

Shirts gape at the chest, sleeves squeeze your arms like sausages and fitted dresses? Let’s just say, RIP to seams everywhere.

Add in that we actually want to show off our muscles (we work hard for these physiques) and suddenly the dressing room becomes a battlefield of fabric, zips and broken dreams.

Some people might say, “Just wear gym clothes then.” And sure, we do. Stretchy leggings, hoodies and racerbacks are our daily uniform. But we’re not machines, we’re women, too. We want to feel feminine, to dress up for a wedding, put on a power suit for work, or rock a cute sundress on a date.

That’s where the real frustration kicks in, because the message from the mirror sometimes feels like: “Your body is too much for ‘normal’ clothes'.

The mainstream does not provide clothing for female bodybuilders

It’s a reminder that the same muscles we’re so proud of make us ‘different’, that mainstream fashion still hasn’t caught up with strong female physiques. And while we wouldn’t trade our muscle for anything, the fitting room struggle can test your confidence faster than any competition prep.

So, what’s the solution?

Do we just accept the struggle? Not exactly. Many of us become part-time tailors, amateur stylists and bargain-hunters in the men’s section. Some brands have caught on, a handful now offer ‘athletic fit’ jeans and jackets with extra room for biceps and quads. But options are still limited.

Until the fashion world wakes up to the fact that women can be both muscular and stylish, we do what we always do, adapt, improvise and share our hacks with each other.

So, for my fellow muscle queens stuck in changing room limbo, here are my Top Five Tips to survive:

Top 5 Tips for Dressing a Muscular Body

1: Size Up, Tailor Down:

Don’t be afraid to buy a size (or two) up if it fits your biggest areas; shoulders, arms, quads. Then pay for alterations to cinch the waist or taper sleeves. A good tailor is a muscular woman’s best friend.

2: Embrace Stretch Fabrics:

Look for clothes with a bit of lycra. A small stretch percentage can make a huge difference when pulling jeans over quads, or bending your arms into a blazer.

3: Men’s Section Magic:

Don’t be shy! The men’s department often has better options for broad shoulders or longer torsos. Men’s blazers, shirts and coats can be surprisingly flattering when styled right.

4: Belt It and Own It:

If you end up with a dress that’s roomy at the waist, add a belt. It’ll accentuate your shape instead of hiding it and stop you looking like you borrowed someone else’s clothes.

5: Know Your Brands:

Hunt for brands known for ‘athletic cut’ or ‘curvy fit.’ Some jeans and sportswear labels design specifically for bigger thighs and glutes. Read reviews and join bodybuilding forums, word of mouth is gold.

At the end of the day, I’d rather break a dress than break my confidence. I worked for these shoulders. I built these quads. If they don’t fit the standard high-street sizing? That’s the high street’s problem, not mine.

So next time you see me laughing at myself in a changing room mirror, arms pinned up, stuck halfway into a dress know this: it’s not a weakness. It’s proof that I chose strength over squeezing into someone else’s idea of ‘normal.’ And I’d choose that again every single time.

*Read more from Louise Plumb here.

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Online hate in female bodybuilding: What drives the stigma?

Female bodybuilding has grown significantly in recent years, with more women stepping on stage across multiple divisions. But despite that progress,Female bodybuilders continue to face criticism online and much of that stems from a deeper female bodybuilder stigma that still exists within and outside the sport.

The Louise Plumb Column

WE LIVE in an era that preaches body positivity. We're told to celebrate diversity, to embrace different shapes and sizes, to "be kind" and not to judge others for how they look. It is no longer OK for someone to be bashed for being too fat, or too thin for that matter – and rightly so. But that message seems to stop short at women with muscles. For female bodybuilders, the rules are different. We’re met not with support but with scorn.

“You look like a man.”
“That’s disgusting.”
“Put down the steroids.”

Despite all the progress in how society views women's bodies, it still seems entirely acceptable to hate on muscular women.

The moment a woman begins to visibly build muscle, the comments and the female bodybuilder stigma starts. Strangers online, often hiding behind anonymous profiles, feel entitled to tear us down. We're called "manly," accused of being on steroids, or told we're "ruining" our femininity. And it’s not just passive disapproval – it’s aggressive, mocking and sometimes deeply personal. Somehow, muscular women have become fair game in a culture that claims to be anti-judgment and pro-body autonomy.

The irony is that these same people would never dare fat shame someone publicly. They wouldn't mock someone for being too thin or too curvy, at least not without consequences. But a woman with visible abs, capped shoulders and quads she worked years to build? Suddenly, all bets are off.

Over the years, I have given this topic a lot of thought. In my opinion, part of this female bodybuilder stigma stems from discomfort. Female muscle challenges long-standing gender norms. We’re not dainty, delicate, or decorative. We are powerful. And that power unsettles people. Strength in a man is expected, however strength in a woman is often seen as unnatural, even threatening.

We’re told we’ve gone “too far,” that we’re “trying to be men”. But building muscle doesn’t erase femininity, it redefines it. The real issue isn’t with our bodies, it’s with outdated beliefs about what women are supposed to look like.

What’s especially frustrating is the glaring double standard. Male bodybuilders (no matter how extreme) are worshipped. Their discipline is praised, their physiques admired. But when a woman achieves the same muscularity, she’s “gross” and "masculine." Social media platforms celebrate shredded men but quietly suppress muscular women. Algorithms often penalise female bodybuilders, shadow banning content or removing posts under vague community guidelines – usually because our physiques are wrongly sexualised or labelled “offensive”.

This online hostility isn’t harmless. It wears you down. Even the most confident athletes can feel the sting of constant judgment. It creates self-doubt, anxiety and a sense of isolation. Some women stop posting progress pictures altogether. Others retreat from online spaces they once used for motivation and connection.

For those of us who love bodybuilding, it’s heartbreaking. We work hard, sacrifice and strive to better ourselves, not to be told we’re “too much” or that we’ve “ruined our bodies”.

Still, we’re not going anywhere. Female bodybuilders continue to rise, build and post with pride. We speak up, we educate and we connect with others who understand the struggle. We won't shrink ourselves to fit others’ comfort zones. And we show what’s possible when women own their strength unapologetically.

This isn’t just about muscles – it’s about respect. It’s about broadening the definition of beauty to include all bodies, even the ones society still finds uncomfortable.

To those who claim to support body positivity, here’s a challenge: Mean it. That means supporting all women, even the ones with biceps and six-packs. Muscles don’t make us less feminine. They don’t make us less human. What they do make us is strong and that shouldn’t be controversial.

If you truly believe in empowerment, then you should celebrate all expressions of it. And for many of us, that expression just happens to be made of muscle.

To the ones who get it

Amid all the online noise, it's moments of real-life kindness that stick with me most. Like the woman at the kebab van one night, someone I didn’t know well at all, who came right up to me, smiled and said: “You look incredible. I can’t imagine how much work it takes to look like that.”

She didn’t flinch at the muscle. She didn’t mock or question. Instead, she praised the strength, the dedication, the power it takes to build and maintain this kind of physique. It was so unexpected – and so genuine. May I just add, I was getting food for my teenagers who ADORE a chicken shish wrap. To people like her, who see past the stereotypes and celebrate what we do... thank you. Your words stay with us longer than the hate ever could. You remind us that there are people out there who truly respect female muscle, who understand what it represents and who cheer us on without condition.

And that means everything.

*Read more from Louise Plumb here.

Female bodybuilders face a constant battle with clothing designed for average body shapes – from tight shoulders to jeans that won’t fit over quads

The Louise Plumb Column

The mainstream does not provide clothing for female bodybuilders