What Lianne McTavish learned from the experience:
I was and remain more comfortable at the gym than at the university, likely because I refuse to disguise or reject my working-class background. Unlike the teaching, publishing, and administrative work that my career requires, bodybuilding is rooted in physical labor that is visible for all to see. According to the sociologist Pierre Bourdieu, bodybuilding is thus a working-class sport that privileges strength, endurance, and the spirit of sacrifice, whereas such bourgeois activities as golf and horse riding typically require early training and emphasize grace rather than muscularity. Whereas those arguably more upper-class sports ideally appear to be natural or effortless, I contend that bodybuilding is entirely unnatural and thrives on the display of effort.
(Image from Venus With Biceps, a history of strongwomen reviewed by Maria Popova)
The Dish 