I got into weightlifting to improve my combat sports, but when I realized I was getting prettier, it took on a bodybuilding element for me. I know a lot of our trans comrades also use body building to help make their bodies signal the correct gender.
That said, I worry about it sometimes. The "ideal" male physique is heavily shaped by media featuring steroid users. While most people think Arnold looks gross, they don't realize that most actors are bodybuilding and on steroids, and think of an intermediate bodybuilder's body as being lean, athletic and attainable. Like, google "toned man" and see what comes up. It's all steroid users at like 10% bodyfat.
It's a body that is technically attainable, but only if you make fitness your main hobby, which is frankly not something I think most people should do. Most people's health would be properly served by eating their veggies and biking to the subway, which is a far cry from the 6+ hrs a week in the gym most bodybuilders do. That's just for able bodied people with high executive function. Add in neurodivergence and disability and the "ideal" body is literally unobtainable.
I want to be pretty, but I also don't want to contribute to inaccessible beauty norms. This is a tension that I'm not sure has a good answer, but I at least want to hear chacha's thoughts on it.
It's always interesting to me as well, looking at actual weightlifters, stongmen/women, ect. and how they often don't visually look that strong. They don't usually look weak, mind. But, like, they literally have min/maxed being able to be strong, and the body-builder look is just so ingrained in our minds as what 'strength' is, along side the cultural notion that 'fat=lazy and weak', that the usual bearish-type build of top class weightlifters doesn't seem like that is how that works. As if not having the absolute minimum amount of body fat and hydration has any impact on your musculature.