- A conversation with the Central Province Bodybuilding Championship – Women’s Physique title holder
Fitness is a topic that is discussed widely all around the world, and even in Sri Lanka, a greater number of people of all ages are now focusing on leading a healthy lifestyle compared to a few years ago. The pandemic encouraged more and more of us to engage in exercise as a regular part of our daily lives, and has increased the focus on maintaining a good physique as well as health. However, in Sri Lanka, the ideal, desirable female body has been predetermined through generations of social and cultural conditioning, and as such, a woman who is also a bodybuilder, gets served with her daily dose of unapproving glances, tutting tongues, and raised eyebrows. Most of these women who engage in competitive bodybuilding are now viewed as being undesirable in terms of their muscular builds.
Prof. Dinishika Vithanage is a Senior Lecturer in Psychology at ICBT Kandy, with a focus on social responsibility, criminal justice, criminology, and political science. She recently won the Central Province Bodybuilding Championship – Women’s Physique category, and is the current title holder. Brunch chatted with Prof. Vithanage to understand her journey, her battle against stereotypes and stigmatisation, and more.
A life-altering transformation
“I started working out as a hobby because of my husband, Vihanga Subasena, who has been a bodybuilder for over 13 years. He has been reading, researching, and training in this field, and while he never forced me to train my body, he became my inspiration to improve my fitness level,” Prof. Vithanage shared. The senior lecturer noted that while she never had an issue with her body image, the fact that she was in her late 30s, and underweight, was a concern for her. As such, she decided that building healthy muscle mass would allow her to transform her body in a healthy and strong direction.
Prof. Vithanage discussed her journey into the world of bodybuilding and her regime, stating that when she initially joined a gym, her husband would guide her for three days a week, where all the sessions focused on training her to learn the right technique, and consisted of full body workouts. “But now, my workouts are different because I am at an advanced level of working out. Therefore, I now train intensely for four days of the week, isolating areas of my body. If there is a competition, the frequency and intensity will increase,” Prof. Vithanage shared.
The bodybuilding champion stated that her workouts, which began as a hobby, soon turned into a passion to see how much she could strengthen her body. “I like the discipline that comes with bodybuilding. When you really start to enjoy something like this, you want to see results, and you want to see how much you can transform your body,” Prof. Vithanage shared.
Discussing her diet, Prof. Vithanage stated that she did not maintain a strict diet at the beginning as she was already underweight and wanted to gain some weight. However, given the competitive nature of her bodybuilding now, she shared that she has eliminated certain food items such as refined sugars from her diet. “I focus a lot on healthy meals. A lot of my meals are very simple and easy to make at home, but are very healthy. I have completely cut down on eating out as much as possible, except on rare occasions. I am proud of myself for changing certain aspects of my lifestyle and standing by my goals,” she expressed. She also extended her gratitude to Revolucion Fitness Studios in Kandy, CEO Harsha Ratnayake, and all the trainers for their help, support, and sponsorship that has been given to both her and her husband.
Prof. Vithanage further added that all the stigma surrounding female bodybuilders in Sri Lanka is a motivation for her to take to the stage and represent female bodybuilders, and that therefore, she will be participating in competitions in the future too.
The socially predetermined female physique
“Sri Lankan society has not been exposed to the evolution of female bodybuilders. The first female bodybuilders came from the US in the 1970s and the first show was introduced in the 1980s. Even at the time, Sri Lanka was not exposed to muscular women,” Prof.Vithanage stated. The championship title holder also added that because of how Sri Lanka appreciates the quintessential feminine body image, but not a muscular one, most women here who train and are fitness enthusiasts, still maintain the norm and stay away from building muscle mass, or getting into competitive bodybuilding. “It is perfectly alright for women to get on a stage in bikinis and high heels for fashion-related purposes. But if they get on stage as bodybuilders, they are immediately labelled ‘manly’ and shunned,” Prof. Vithanage stated, stressing that the lack of education on the subject, as well as the many misperceptions have created a heavy amount of stigmatisation towards these athletes. This stigmatisation, according to the athlete, has also stopped women from exercising in some cases, because they are afraid of putting on muscle.
“I would say that even men are frowned upon for having pronounced muscles, but women are stigmatised. I have had people call me ugly too because I have muscles, and because my body has changed from when I was underweight,” Prof. Vithanage shared. She further added that while the Bodybuilding Federation of Sri Lanka is a very supportive organisation, they too, are challenged by this stigmatisation that is levelled at female bodybuilders by the rest of our society.
Discussing the matter of whether or not working out would impact the fertility of women, Prof. Vithanage shared that the issues with infertility can happen regardless of whether or not one works out. Many women have higher levels of testosterone due to genetics, stress factors, external contributors, or other issues with their hormones. “There is no relationship between fertility and bodybuilding in women. My choice to not have children is my choice and has nothing to do with my bodybuilding or fertility. I recently had a doctor advise me to have children and ask me to stop bodybuilding. This is all because we are not interested in researching and dealing with facts. We would much rather conform and follow baseless misunderstandings,” she noted.
Chasing dreams
Being an academic, Prof. Vithanange’s decision to also pursue competitive bodybuilding is a polar opposite to her everyday field of work and study. Discussing the impact of fitness and bodybuilding on her life, the championship holder stated that it imbibed a sense of drive and discipline in her that has helped her greatly, in addition to improving her mental and emotional health at the same time.
Sharing a message with aspiring bodybuilders, Prof. Vithanage stated: “Always listen to your trainer. This is the most important rule. I listen to my husband who is my trainer. I do not go and follow other trainers as I wish, or watch YouTube videos. If you want results, and no injuries (or at least avoid injuries), follow your trainer religiously. I have been working for 2.5 years and I have sustained no injuries so far.”
Wrapping up our conversation, the competitive bodybuilder, senior lecturer, and athlete shared a message to all women out there, irrespective of their background, or passion. “Do what makes you happy. I am doing what I love, regardless of the stigma because I believe in practising what I preach. Don’t give into the pressure coming at you from others. This is all about being strong both in mind and in body. Read, research, and chase your dreams,” she concluded.
