Arab Woman Storms Male Bodybuilding Bastion

Tunisian female bodybuilder Dorra Zaier, 28, stretches during a training session

Dorra Zaier thinks women in her country should follow her example by getting off their sofas and pumping iron, not only for their health but also to tackle gender inequality.

August 5, 2008

By Sonia Ounissi

Female Arab bodybuilder Dorra Zaier is breaking gender taboos in her native Tunisia as much thanks to her independence of mind as her muscles.

The 28-year-old thinks women in her country should follow her example by getting off their sofas and pumping iron, not only for their health but also to tackle gender inequality.

"I hate the image of a woman as a modeling clay doll that has to look after her children and make herself beautiful for her husband," the aerobics instructor said.

"Why don't women have a mixed image of beauty and strength?"

For Zaier, bodybuilding generates physical and mental well-being and fights stress, benefits she says are much needed in her own country, the most Westernized nation in north Africa.

It also boosts women's control over their own lives.

"A woman has to be independent and she doesn't need to ask a man to give her a hand with every single thing she does," she said. "We (men and women) are equal and we complement one another, and we (women) are not supposed to be totally submissive to men's wishes and orders."

Female bodybuilding is not about becoming masculine.

"It's not like what you see in the U.S. and Canada where they are transformed into men," said Zaier. "The aim is not to mount the podium for competition, but to shape the body in a way that looks pretty and feels great."

TIGHT, TONED BODY

Encouraged by her father, Zaier began developing her muscles seven years ago, becoming one of only seven Tunisian female bodybuilders. She says her father is proud of her.

But her mother and fiance are critical of her participation in what is still an overwhelmingly male sport.

"My father encouraged me to do bodybuilding. But mum hates it. When I have a dress on she tells me to hide my shoulders with my hair," she said, laughing.

"As for my fiance, he dislikes exaggerated, growing muscles. He'll allow me to continue doing it even after the marriage since I've promised him not to take (bodybuilding) proteins."

Zaier's physique reflects her belief that bodybuilding is not just about muscles. Hers is no freaky musculature. In her black aerobic outfit, she has a tight and toned body.

She gets up at six in the morning to jog and an hour later is home eating a breakfast of cereals, lots of fruit and milk.

A trainer in two gyms, she devotes eight hours a day to aerobics and bodybuilding coaching.

Changing attitudes and a Westernized lifestyle are prompting growing numbers of Tunisian women to take care of their bodies, and many of them now attend fitness courses.

Unlike some other parts of the Arab world where women are brought up to stay at home with the children, well-educated Tunisian women are active in politics and civil society.

LAZY TUNISIAN MEN

But bodybuilding is still male-dominated -- there are 350 male bodybuilders in Tunisia. And still too few women go to gym, Zaier says.

"Tunisian women get stressed in cars, work and at home. They need to let off steam and to conserve their bodies," she said.

Zaier takes a dim view of the average Tunisian male's sporting habits.

"Unfortunately, a large slice of Tunisian men are lazy and not aware of the need for sports. Their hearts are in staying in coffee shops with friends smoking shisha (water pipes)."

"Even if some practice a sport, they'll give it up after a short period under the pretext of lack of time and fatigue."

"What's funny is that they try to pick up slender women, forgetting (to maintain) their flat bellies!"

Zaier's career turns a page next year when she appears in a female bodybuilding contest. There will be only one other contestant, and the event will be private, but for her it will be worth it.

"It will be closed (to the public), as Tunisians are not used to seeing women wearing just a swim suit to show their muscles," she said. "They accept to see them like that on beaches, but not on the podium!"

(For full Reuters Africa coverage and to have your say on the top issues, visit: http://africa.reuters.com/)

(Reporting by Sonia Ounissi; Editing by William Maclean and Paul Casciato)

Source:  Reuters