Meet the Muscle Mommy

When you hear the words ‘bulging biceps’, ‘strong hamstrings’, ‘flexed traps’, and ‘sculpted shoulders’, who do you think of? Chances are, it’s someone masculine. But that’s not always accurate.

In this case, the words are actually describing Hunter Lyn, fitness TikTok influencer and certified ‘Muscle mommy’ who took to her TikTok in June 2022 to share her frustrations with her 400,000 followers on dating. In a video, Lyn hit back at men who claimed they wouldn’t date her because of her muscular body, with a simple caption: “like igaf”. And just like that, the ‘muscle mommy’ trend began.

Growing in online mentions by 1138 per cent over the last year, the hashtag #musclemommy now has almost 665 million views on TikTok. The term has become an empowering phrase that celebrates women whose physiques are not typically seen as “sexy” or desirable.

For committed gym-goers like Bethany Beeley-Cave, being labelled a ‘muscle mummy is “the best feeling”.

“I really love the phrase and what it stands for,” says Cave. “For me, it’s a way of hyping myself, and other women, up, and showing off how hard people work to achieve the results they do.”

A ‘muscle mommy’ physique refers to one with a higher-than-average amount of muscle that other women look up to, explains Beth Gould, personal trainer and online coach, which is usually one that differs from what is considered to be conventionally desirable.

Everyone knows what that body type looks like: big bum, big boobs, small toned waist, slim arms. You only need to turn on Love Island or So Hot to Handle or open up any social media to see the influx of influencers and role models with this body type.

But the ‘muscle mommy’ trend is challenging this. These women are rewriting the rules on the stereotypical feminine body type and what men might deem desirable, leaning into an empowering online community of strong, muscular women.

This online fitness community has grown rapidly over recent years, explains Gould, becoming an open space for women to learn about weight training and building up muscle mass.

“When I started going to the gym, I was underweight and wanted to gain some shape,” says Gould. “No one understood why I wanted to go to the gym because I didn’t need to ‘lose any weight’, showing that the gym was often related to weight loss as the priority goal.”

It is this misconception which has maintained the ‘strong but skinny’ body type for so long: women aren’t meant to aim for weight gain, muscle, and strength; they’re meant to enter the gym and head for the cardio machines.

But the ‘muscle mommy’ trend is creating a community of role models for women who are looking to get into weight lifting, as well as altering the misconception that strength training is limited to men.

“There is so much to be gained both mentally and physically from using weights,” explains Eleanor Heaton-Armstrong, a personal trainer and nutritionist. “It’s opened up a whole new world of gym-going that doesn’t only include swiss balls and ankle weights. Beyond being slimmer, what could training offer us in terms of progress, personal bests and putting ON weight?”

Apparently a whole lot.

A 2022 study by the British Journal of Sports Medicine found that just 30 to 60 minutes of strength training a week reduced our risk of dying early by 10-20 per cent. Picking up the dumbbells can also prevent a decrease in bone health as we age, improve our metabolism, and boost our overall mood, says Gould.

“This is why I do what I do, to myth bust and teach women how empowering lifting can be, challenging yourself and striving to lift something you never thought you could – it’s an incredible feeling,” she says.

So clearly we can learn a thing or two from these ‘muscle mommies’. Instead of striving towards an unattainable body type and using unhealthy methods to get them, ‘muscle mommies’ are fueling themselves with food, heading to the gym, choosing the squat racks over the treadmill, and documenting it all on social media as they go.

The trend is putting a larger number of empowering fitness influencers onto our screens and For You Pages, helping to shift the general perception of what the stereotypical ‘perfect body’ looks like and creating realistic role models.

Young girls are easily influenced by what they see online and look up to women on platforms such as TikTok. Juliette Karaman, a lifestyle coach and relationships mentor, explains that being bombarded by all images and specific body types, means girls start comparing their bodies at a very early age.

“Having a role model who goes about safely transforming their body is always healthier than following someone who doesn't use a healthy way,” says Juliette.

Shifting the focus onto strength training and the number of benefits that go with it encourages young girls to prioritise fueling their bodies and growing muscle, a considerably healthier mindset than trying to fit what society deems ‘desirable’.

But can focusing on a body trend ever be empowering? Even though the ‘muscle mommy’ offers an alternative, more sustainable body image these influencers haven’t achieved their physiques without some serious training.

Gould explains that unless you’re training at an intense “athlete-style level”, a larger, more masculine physique is actually very unlikely due to the differences in hormones like testosterone. While weightlifting will help women to build muscle mass and general strength, it would take an intense and committed training plan to build a ‘muscle mommy’ physique.

For Sophie Hughes, a body positivity advocate and plus size content creator, this trend is still problematic as it suggests that women should change themselves to fit whatever body type is currently trending.

“No woman should be made to feel like she needs to starve herself this month because the tabloids say ‘heroin chic is back’,” explains Hughes. “Health is always in trend and you can’t be healthy if you don’t learn to love and appreciate the body you have.”

While Hughes encourages women to follow influencers they find inspirational, she explains that no comparison culture can ever be healthy.

“If a Muscle Mommy on Instagram inspires you and makes you feel empowered – amazing, hit follow,” says Hughes. “If Muscle Mommy’s or anyone draws you into comparison mode, hit unfollow and focus on your own health in a way which empowers you.”