{"id":52582,"date":"2016-09-20T07:15:12","date_gmt":"2016-09-20T11:15:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/?p=52582"},"modified":"2021-11-18T07:00:08","modified_gmt":"2021-11-18T12:00:08","slug":"evolution-womens-arms-body-image","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/fitness\/evolution-womens-arms-body-image\/","title":{"rendered":"More Muscle: The Evolution of Women\u2019s Arms"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Photo: Pond5<\/a><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

As we prepare to bid farewell to First Lady Michelle Obama, we will always remember her \u201cLet\u2019s Move<\/a>\u201d campaign, her \u201cMom\u201d dance moves<\/a> and, oh, those super-toned arms<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Surprisingly, those bare biceps\u00a0routinely made headlines<\/a> \u2014 even sparking controversy<\/a> in her first official photo as First Lady just eight years ago. And they made news again<\/em> last year when FLOTUS finally revealed her workout routine<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Yet as we reflect on her legacy, it\u2019s worth noting that the First Lady has done more for female arms than showing them off in presidential sleeveless sheaths. She helped normalize them as a symbol of strength for professional women \u2014 a status usually reserved for female athletes<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In case you forgot that sculpted arms<\/a> weren\u2019t a mainstream beauty ideal until the last decade, here\u2019s a look back at the trend\u2019s evolution through the years. It might even motivate you to tick\u00a0off those upper body workouts<\/a> with more pride and purpose.<\/p>\n

RELATED: <\/strong>19 Reasons to Work Out (Beyond the Perfect Body)<\/a><\/p>\n

Wait \u2014 Fitspo Wasn\u2019t Always a Thing? <\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Take a scroll through Instagram<\/a> and it\u2019s hard to believe there was once a time when women were encouraged not<\/em> to exercise. \u201cIf we go back 100 years ago, femininity was tied to frailness, weakness and vulnerability. Think of the damsels in distress in the 1920s expecting men to swoop in and save them,\u201d explains Linda Lin, PhD, psychologist at Emmanuel College in Boston who researches how women\u2019s body image is portrayed in celebrity gossip magazines. \u201cPower, strength and muscularity were thought of as masculine traits, and gyms were for bodybuilders and athletes.\u201d<\/p>\n

Even in the 1960s, women were warned that exercise could damage their health and cause them to stop menstruating, she says. \u201cThe prevailing myth of the time was that women\u2019s bodies couldn\u2019t handle strenuous exercise,\u201d Lin says. (Check out this eye-opening BuzzFeed video to see how the feminine beauty ideal has changed over time: \u201cWomen\u2019s Ideal Body Types Throughout History<\/a>.\u201d)<\/p>\n