Nancy discusses the many detailed self-grooming steps bodybuilders must undertake. Self-grooming could almost be a sport in and of itself.
In this 33 MB Quicktime file which you can obtain by clicking on Nancy's
picture, we discuss three changes in personal grooming she is undertaking in preparation for her upcoming contest. These include hair removal, final tanning, and body glue to keep her show costume in place.
Personally, I think of these as three small, final mortifications all bodybuilders go through as they attempt to achieve a pinnacle of perfection for the day of the show. And, as Kevin Kelsey has noted previously in this blog, it really is just day of the show. It all disappears pretty quickly afterward.
Based on my conversation with Nancy, it works like this. Bodybuilders darken their skin to enhance their apparent muscular definition. Before the show, they tan. They day of the show, they deepen their tan with pro-tan and oil to keep their skin moisturized. They remove their body hair, both to keep the muscle from being obscured by thick hair and to keep from looking an unsightly mess mixed with all of the skin treatments. The body glue, bikini bite, makes sure the extremely brief garments they wear stay in place.
Additional Links
- Needless to say, bodybuilding.com has a whole series of articles on hair removal. Some long-term bodybuilders opt for permanent laser removal of all their body hair.
- Pro-tan is a commercial product and costs almost $2.50 an ounce.
- This article provides expert advice on tanning and using body paint to achieve the perfect color the day of the show. The painting process itself can take days, and as I have observed with Nancy, tanning can go on for months.
- Bikini Bite can be obtained for under $6 at flexyourmuscles.com.
