Natasha Carrington: Dream of the Soft, Hard Look – The Masters

Dream of the Soft, Hard Look takes us to Mooney Valley for the International Natural Bodybuilding Associations’ ‘All Female Contest’ in which dozens of participants compete for the title of Ms Figure — Master (40-49). They emerge on stage wearing a bikini and high heels to perform five compulsory poses that must demonstrate how closely their appearance approximates the ideal relationship between muscularity and femininity.

Dream of the Soft, Hard Look – The Masters is the second of a series of works designed to explore these gendered narratives and to bring to the fore the slippages or flaws in their routines that expose the boundaries between fiction, performance and just being yourself.