Muscle Mummies are on the rise!
A24's 'Love Lies Bleeding' is the perfect way to introduce you to the sapphic allure of muscular mothers
**NOTE: This article is delightfully SPOILER-FREE, read on!**
You’ve seen them, you love them, they intimidate you slightly but also…turn you on? What the internet lovingly calls “Muscle Mummies” - or muscular, tall, beautiful women (usually queer themselves) - are taking over the internet.
A24’s newest queer sensation Love Lies Bleeding directed by Rose Glass, will make you a believer that you – (Yes, you!) will be shaky in the knees for a certain aspiring bodybuilder main character with strong arm muscles, curly hair, dark eyes, glistening skin and a curiously bad case of roid rage.
Why is the trend of “muscle mummies” so effective in making the queer community absolutely obsessed? Why did watching the film lead to girls and other queer folk on TikTok filming themselves exiting the theatre with shaky knees?
What is a muscle mummy?
Muscle Mummies - or Muscle Mommies if you’re in the US, is defined in Urban Dictionary (the least vulgar one) as: “A woman with big muscle[s] that other girls look up to.” Another definition is “A jacked and juicy woman: If she can crush your skull with her things she is a muscle mummy”.
Well, we’ll just leave it at that. One visual example (and one of the most certified muscle mommies) would be WWE Superstar Rhea Ripley. Don’t know her? Look her up. Trust me. Rhea has her fans not knowing if they want to cower in fear of her or be absolutely throttled by her. Either way, she has amassed a great number of [queer] non-wrestling fans and wrestling fans alike with her dark gothic makeup, her dominant disposition, and her crave of power to get her way to a championship at any cost.
Another IRL example would be none other than social media star @leanbeefpatty. Amassing over 6M Instagram followers and 8.3M TikTok followers, Patty or “Beef” as she sometimes calls herself is a fitness instructor and muscular icon.
Some men find her intimidating (good) and women and everyone in between cannot get enough of her. But why, oh why is this so attractive and why is it suddenly rising to the spotlight? Some may argue that it’s a symbol of self-confidence, empowerment and self-acceptance, therefore having a certain glow that people consider attractive. Some are consuming this trend in droves because of the curiosity of how strong these muscular ladies really are. (Inner thoughts translation: Can this person pick me up and throw me, maybe?) Some guys [and gals] just really like the appeal of ripped women. The general consensus of queer women is that they’re intimidating—in a good way.
There’s also a whole TikTok sound singing a Steven Universe song that has the lyrics “All I wanna do is see you turn into a giant woman.” Maybe us as the queer community just needs a huge hug from a giant lady. (Doesn’t sound too bad to me!) Needless to say: to each their own!
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Love… it lies bleeding
Suppose that the same goes for the Muscle Mommy in our feature of the hour: Love Lies Bleeding.
Jackie (played by Katy M. O'Brian) bewitches us the moment that she arrives on screen at Lou’s (played by Kristen Stewart) gym. This movie touches on so many hard subjects – body image, queer love, queer pain, queer joy and of course, other compelling sub-plots within the story!
While uncovering secrets about Lou’s family, Jackie’s character development was bewitching to watch, turning into an unexpected version of herself. She finds all of this out, even though she totally did not sign up for any of the drama and romance that she had knotted herself into.
Jackie felt safe at times, as a character – she felt like she was so capable of love and understanding and all she wanted was to show off her sick bodybuilding skills to live a better life. She was also totally intimidating at times as well, don’t get me wrong.
While this movie has its – to be expected – signature A24 weird and wonderful moments, there were a few visceral moments all throughout the film that got the audience white-knuckling their movie seat armrests. If you’ve seen it, you know the ones!
Overall, this film was nothing short of a masterpiece showing the appeal of muscle mummies that even Lou was a victim to the Muscle-Mummy-pocalypse. So much so that it got her to question her own future and her upbringing. This movie makes you ponder topics like love, life, addiction, how far people go to be at their best performance, body image, and what queer love/lust really is.
Needless to say, we all felt exactly like Lou after watching this movie and could totally not resist someone like Jackie if she came into our gym. We feel you.
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KENNA DEVALOR// @teadragonz (they/them/theirs): Kenna is a nonbinary and queer (sapphic) writer and uni student studying English Literature and Creative Writing residing in the mystical land of Bloomsburg, PA, United States. Kenna has been published nearly 30 times in their career and they also run a mag of their own (@flowermouthpress). When they aren’t reading, analyzing gothic literature, or writing– they are a professional tattoo artist in their hometown of Bethlehem, PA.
Further Reading
“Love Lies Bleeding” Is a Queer and Carnal Neo-Noir Western
Inside Kristen Stewart and Katy O’Brian’s Sapphic Fever Dream on Steroids
‘Love Lies Bleeding’ Director Rose Glass on Her Wild Lesbian ‘Anti-Romance’
Love Lies Bleeding Will Leave You Gayer And Hornier Than Ever
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