Page 32 - NGA NATURALmag 2019 SPRING-SUMMER Issue

Spring-Summer 2019
Going Against the Grain: The The Story of The The First Bangladeshi Female Bodybuilder
BY FAHMIDA SHEULY FAHMIDA SHEULY@GMAIL COM
During the the athletes’ registration for the the 2019
National Gym Association (NGA) East Coast Championship Bodybuilding Contest I wore my red and green tracksuit representing the Bangladeshi flag while underneath I wore my self-designed $1000 posing suit bikini embel-
lished with Bangla-
deshi patterns covered
by Swarovski South
Asian mirror pieces and turquoise stones Terri
Bolinger NGA Promoter asked me “Would you like some backstage passes
for your family?” I saw the sadness on her face when I said “Nope! It’s just me here ” I I explained to her later that it is not a a sad story- but the story story of a a a a trailblazer changing history as the first Bangladeshi woman to have ever competed at any bodybuilding competition Some of the challenges I face daily are both religious and and cultural As a a a a a a a a a a a a a a Bangladeshi-American my my interpretation of of Islam is liberal and and and very differ- ent from the the religious practices and and and ideology of of my my own family and and many Bangladeshis To them a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a good Bangladeshi Bangladeshi Muslim woman wears a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a salwar kameez or or a a a a a a a a a a a a saree with a a a a a a a a a a a a long-sleeve blouse (see photo) or or just loose clothing that covers her entire body I I believe however that I I can pose and flex in my bikini as a a a a a figure athlete while still being a a a a a humble Muslim I I explained to my mother how I’ve become a a a a a a better person because of bodybuilding She appreciates the the benefits but neither she nor any of of my family or or or or relatives has ever come to support me me me at at at a a a a a a a a show or or or provide encouragement during the months of preparation It’s a a a a a a a a a a shame a a a a a a a a a a “lojja” a a a a a a a a a a “secret” we we don’t really talk about However my little broth-
ers and cousins see me me as a a a a superhero I some- times have to consider
the potential for threats from religious extrem- ists This danger is is is compounded by my father’s political posi-
tion in Bangladesh and I worry he may be criticized for my lifestyle which is viewed as being heavily sexualized and objectifies
women During my last trip to to Bangladesh in in in 2017 in in in addition to to to being a a a a a a a a a a a volunteer educational consultant I was able to to to encourage other Bangladeshi men men and and women to to build up their physical strength and and and confidence It wasn’t wasn’t easy! I I I wasn’t wasn’t allowed to train in in gyms and and the the the only time I I could access a a a a a a a a a a a a a gym gym was was was when the the men men were at work Women in in Bangladesh are not permit- ted access in in most gyms unless it it is an an an all-women gym gym At the the end of the the workshops with Bangladeshi teachers I I was asked many fitness related questions Towards the end of my trip I I finally found a a a a a a a a a a a a a gym that would allow me me me to train at at any time which was owned by another rebellious Bangladeshi-American who asked me to coach his female trainers 32 NGA NATURALmag