Personally, I believe that most people who make negative comments about female bodybuilders are reacting to their ‘contest shape’ look; with the orange tan, dehydrated skin, seemingly .01% body fat and vein popping arms and legs.

What a lot of people don’t realize is that there is also an off season look, where the arms and legs are more thick and smooth and the skin looks natural and doesn’t wear the fake tan. And being more thick than muscly, these looks tend to preserve some femininity for female bodybuilders that some people think they might lack.

When the female bodybuilders drop down to sub 12% body fat (which is not exactly healthy) I don’t think many people in the general population find that look appealling.

Once they get up to say 14%-16% body fat then it can look appealling depending on your preferences. I personally prefer the look of 18%-24% body fat but then I’m not looking to get into competitive bodybuilding. I just like a lean & fit, yet feminine look with a little bit of softness in the right places.

With the super low body fat levels unless you get really good genes you lose your feminine curves. That’s why so many female bb’s get implants, unfortunately they can’t do much for their lack of hips. It’s a tradeoff one has to make if they are serious about bodybuilding.