Charisse K

Lisa Robin Lyon is a legend in the bodybuilding industry. She won the first ever Women's World Pro Bodybuilding Championship, released her own workout book, and carried the icon Arnold Schwarzenegger on her shoulders. 

 But Lisa Lyon was more than a bodybuilder. She was a dancer, actress and a performance artist intent on communicating through her body.

She modelled for photographers such as Helmut Newton, Marcia Resnick, Marcus Leatherdale, Joel Peter Witkin, and Robert Mapplethorpe.

She appeared in Playboy magazine, and movies such as Three Crowns of a Sailor, and the low-budget cult horror VAMP alongside Grace Jones. 

Lisa’s body was the inspiration for Marvel’s comic book character Elektra, which highlighted that her beauty and muscles defied the beauty standards of her time, which championed thin and petite women. Lisa’s reign did not last past the 80s, but her impact has, despite her death in September 2023. 

In my first YouTube deep dive I try to bring Lisa’s impact on beauty standards to life, by chatting to her friend, Oscar-nominated makeup artist Gigi Williams, and reading two books she was involved in. The first was her own book Body Magic, which focused on her fitness ethos, and the second was Lady, a collaboration with the most controversial photographer ever, Robert Mapplethorpe. I also owe a huge debt to John Hunt, director of Lisa Lyon: A Portrait of Power, for allowing us to use his footage in this video.

In episode 247 of the Beauty Me Podcast I dive into the conversation around the new Rihanna cover for the spring issue of Interview magazine.

It’s a cover that’s upset a lot of her fans because she’s not looking as pretty as they’re used to and it’s also upset others for the religious connotations we see. In this episode I first look at Rihanna’s history as a risk-taker when it comes to fashion, before going on to briefly discuss Interview’s own history as a magazine that doesn’t do safe/squeaky clean content. Then I go on to break down the cover, including the team, the image that inspired the look, the ensuing backlash and I’ll also touch upon the woman who first really rattled religious groups, the icon that is Madonna.

In the episode I promised to post a blog featuring all of the imagery I mention so that you would have a visual aid while you listen. Below you can check out the episode itself and as you scroll down you’ll see all the images as well as my sources. Hope you enjoy and if you do be sure to follow BeautyMe on Spotify or Apple and find me on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@charissekenion

Sources:

Rihanna is ready to confess: https://www.interviewmagazine.com/music/rihanna-is-ready-to-confess

https://system-magazine.com/issues/issue-22/in-the-words-of-mel-ottenberg

https://www.elle.com/uk/fashion/celebrity-style/articles/a29843/a-guide-rihannas-anti-tour-wardrobe/

https://cfda.com/cfda-fashion-awards/2014/honoree/rihanna

https://www.interviewmagazine.com/art/instant-gratification

https://hypebae.com/2023/11/skims-christmas-campaign-kim-kardashian-nadia-lee-cohen

https://news.artnet.com/art-world/cindy-sherman-new-portraits-hauser-wirth-2423424

https://www.vogue.co.uk/article/rihanna-september-cover-british-vogue-2018

Links mentioned:

Ep. 246: April Covers: https://open.spotify.com/episode/6KNUJ4Weklm5ctxfzoOylK?si=b010e6aa6cd0411f

Charisse on Fat Mascara: https://open.spotify.com/episode/4zxfqLLSojxWZ4B62ZJnG3?si=wS173WsGQ0ex8c2rAgBVYQ

BeautyMe on X: https://x.com/beautymepodcast