Denise Rutkowski

[DRF]

"HARD AS ROCK" -Denise Rutkowski

[DRF]

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[DRF]

No one had her package and possibly no one will!

[alison brundage]

DR fan
Every bodybuilder should enjoy the encouragement of a loyal fan such as yourself.   Now don't get me wrong here,  my only suggestion would be to downplay the sexual display and continue to promote ( as you do so well) her historic physical development.    I say that because one thing you would not want to ever do is to cheapen this woman in any way.   She is a bodybuilding star for all time.  You don't want to in any way tilt her pedestal.

Alison

[DRF]

Hi Alison,

Thats always a thin line to tread, but I must admit: I have succumbed to her promiscuous side which I don't think anyone here can disprove- and I am not going to even introduce the whole 'exotic dancer' background into this discussion. That being said, I don't think we can ever 'cheapen' or degrade what Denise stood for; she was a woman with a good heart who stumbled upon more than her fair share of misfortune but hey, she's human and whatever path she took i.e. PEDs, Religion, Exotic Dancing, possibly narcotics - whether right or wrong- will remain, not causes for objectification but, mortal puzzles that make up this enigmatic woman's life. At the end of the day, its all subjective and people will, and already are, look into differently.
I don't really think I am tilting her pedestal, if anything I'm trying to keep it intact, just google denise rutkowski and tell me how her 'pedestal' looks like after the entire media gamut started portraying her as: Former Bodybuilder turns into a man/homeless/crackhead after some unsavory images surfaced in 2013.

DRFan

[alison brundage]

From the very early days of bodybuilding which was then, Physical Culture in the 1920's the seamy side was an issue.  Bernar McFadden peeped at the mandatory naked file of gals competing through a peep hole in the back curtain.   He was the original Weider/promoter.  It has always been an uphill battle to separate the art from the sexual when it comes to promotion of women's bodybuilding.   That's100 % understandable just by the very nature of this sport.   In the more recent era what with the computer and wide use of performance drugs women got lured into self promotion with sexual lures..some subtile, some obviously purely sexual, encouraged by their muscle-luster fans. 

What I'm saying is...it would be mighty refreshing to celebrate the physique of this woman's artful development of the female form without obvious sexual orientation in presentation.   What she did in the past, how she was promoted in the past, how she self promoted herself as a sexual object ...is the past.    It would be nice to leave it there and possibly broaden that pedestal  upon which we place her.   Muscle development, balance, form, and the aesthetics of an artfully developed female body.....period   

[DRF]

Aiming to "celebrate" what this woman gave to this sport, I am trying to piece together a home-made biographical video of Denise that charts her progress from ex-stripper (it is what it is) to accomplished Bodybuilder (1993). Of course doing this on my own, I am taking my time collecting material (Magazine articles, strength show clips, contests, "videos from her pre-bodybuilding days") in order to make the video as comprehensive and accurate as possible. Plus I think its great that you pointed out to me the need to tune-down the "sexual orientation" and this made me look at the draft with more scrutiny to root out any such content (some are inevitable I have to say).  By doing so it becomes easier to dispel myths such as she retired immediately after the 93 Ms O, when in reality she was geared to compete for the 94 Ms O up to 8 weeks from the commencement of the event as evidenced by a what she stated during an on-screen appearance.   

[alison brundage]

Great ! 
Alison

[Tom4036]

I bet she gave a great lap dance but that's beside the point but she was one of my favorites female bodybuilders back in the day.

[DRF]

I bet she gave a great lap dance but that's beside the point but she was one of my favorites female bodybuilders back in the day.

She was Unique in dancing!!!

Alison,

You see, this is sort of the sentiment/impression Denise left on many, if not all, of those who got to see her in her prime. In other words; exotic dancing, smooth talking and - I hate to explicitly say it- appealing to men in general is what made Denise, and possibly herself today. Even if I inevitably portray her in a way that is seemingly degrading- at that time it would seem that this was what she was aiming for. Anyway, love or hate her she is who she is...

Cheers

[Tom4036]

In no way I was trying to degrade her or her accomplishments in bodybuilding, I was just stating a fact and that she was beautiful in her bodybuilding days.

[UK_Fan]

From the very early days of bodybuilding which was then, Physical Culture in the 1920's the seamy side was an issue.  Bernar McFadden peeped at the mandatory naked file of gals competing through a peep hole in the back curtain.   He was the original Weider/promoter.  It has always been an uphill battle to separate the art from the sexual when it comes to promotion of women's bodybuilding.   That's100 % understandable just by the very nature of this sport.   In the more recent era what with the computer and wide use of performance drugs women got lured into self promotion with sexual lures..some subtile, some obviously purely sexual, encouraged by their muscle-luster fans. 

What I'm saying is...it would be mighty refreshing to celebrate the physique of this woman's artful development of the female form without obvious sexual orientation in presentation.   What she did in the past, how she was promoted in the past, how she self promoted herself as a sexual object ...is the past.    It would be nice to leave it there and possibly broaden that pedestal  upon which we place her.   Muscle development, balance, form, and the aesthetics of an artfully developed female body.....period   

Indeed - even though I've always found female bodybuilders very sexually attractive, particularly Denise in her hey day in the early 1990s, I've always greatly appreciated (and have said so on many occasions, here and on other forums before) the more aesthetic appeal of many female bodybuilders - and not always the largest or most muscular at the time/at a contest.  I would easily put Denise in my all-time top 10 aesthetic female bodybuilders (physique-wise - I would say they have an 'elegance' about their physiques that you could easily seen being sculpted into art [what bodybuilding used to be all about]), with Annie Rivieccio, Juliette Bergmann, Nikki Fuller, Zuzana Korinkova, Sharon Marvel, Alina Popa, Bonnie Priest, Sue Price, Janice Ragain, Anja Langer and many other competitors like yourself from the 1980s and 90s in the mix.

I am most impressed today/last decade or so how some women, such as Alina Popa, Annie R and others still can build large physiques but which are very aesthetically pleasing as well, especially without the 'aid' of breast implants and/or any/significant cosmetic surgeries, heavy use of PEDs (compared to other competitors) etc, when there is so much pressure on modern athletes to do so, especially now that careers of those entering the pro ranks are far shorter than they used to be due to the lack of funding and poor treatment of the women's side of the sport (though lately improved due to WoS's involvement).

[DRF]

Indeed - even though I've always found female bodybuilders very sexually attractive, particularly Denise in her hey day in the early 1990s, I've always greatly appreciated (and have said so on many occasions, here and on other forums before) the more aesthetic appeal of many female bodybuilders - and not always the largest or most muscular at the time/at a contest.  I would easily put Denise in my all-time top 10 aesthetic female bodybuilders (physique-wise - I world say they have an 'elegance' about their physiques that you could easily seen being sculpted into art [what bodybuilding used to be all about]), with Annie Rivieccio, Juliette Bergmann, Nikki Fuller, Zuzana Korinkova, Sharon Marvel, Alina Popa, Bonnie Priest, Sue Price, Janice Ragain, Anja Langer and many other competitors like yourself from the 1980s and 90s in the mix.

I am most impressed today/last decade or so how some women, such as Alina Popa, Annie R and others still can build large physiques but which are very aesthetically pleasing as well, especially without the 'aid' of breast implants and/or any/significant cosmetic surgeries, heavy use of PEDs (compared to other competitors) etc, when there is so much pressure on modern athletes to do so, especially now that careers of those entering the pro ranks are far shorter than they used to be due to the lack of funding and poor treatment of the women's side of the sport (though lately improved due to WoS's involvement).

I mentioned this on multiple occasions, Denise's profile is possibly the most comprehensive you would ever find of a 90s BBer; she competed and was one step away from just conquering the entire female building sport in 1993, performed de facto wrestling, tried her chance at 2 strength show events, novice acting roles, tv and movie appearances. Holistically, there is no bodybuilder that had and did what she was capable of at her heyday and this is not just waxing lyrical, look at Cory Everton, the only reason she got to where she is was by virtue of her sort of being a progeintator of a bit more muscular look for FBBers (not to mention her more than cozy relationship with those at the top echelons of the Olympia hierarchy), and Denise took that leaps and bounds ahead (but that was the norm and she had to adapt). Ironically though this might be the same reason why Denise abruptly decided to quit the sport: she got interested in something else.

[alison brundage]

Yes....
The aesthetic vs the sexual has always been two driving forces in both men's and ladies bodybuilding.  Once you drift into the sexual , unfortunately there is a degrading of the gift of her aesthetics/development which involved an enormous effort on top of the natural gift.  There were few with the natural gift.  To take away from that would be a shame.

The sexual muscles out there are a dime a dozen...the gifted in form and development are few.  Denise is one.  That is what needs to hit the mark in a presentation of this woman as one of the all time greatest women in bodybuilding.
Alison

[DRF]

Will properly scan these later..some tidbits of information on Denise I came across...enjoy

[DRF]

Yes....
The aesthetic vs the sexual has always been two driving forces in both men's and ladies bodybuilding.  Once you drift into the sexual , unfortunately there is a degrading of the gift of her aesthetics/development which involved an enormous effort on top of the natural gift.  There were few with the natural gift.  To take away from that would be a shame.

The sexual muscles out there are a dime a dozen...the gifted in form and development are few.  Denise is one.  That is what needs to hit the mark in a presentation of this woman as one of the all time greatest women in bodybuilding.
Alison

Personally, the crux of the matter- as I see it- is what these individual FBBers preferred and hence, displayed on stage. Denise's symmetry, muscle density and development are certainly not up for discussion but here is the question, bearing in mind her pre-bodybuilding background, did she chose to present her package in a way that came across as promiscuous, I mean look up her 1993 Ms Olympia performance on youtube (the one with carla dunlap commentating) and you would unmistakably see Denise (In Carla Dunlap's words): "Treading the line between what is acceptable on stage, and what isn't."  With that being said, what is to stay that this didnt put her at odds with the judges?


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Definitely an inspiration for many!