Shaping Strength
What drives a generation of young women to the all-consuming pursuit of perfection? We speak with photographer, Keerthana Kunnath, revealing how young Indian women are challenging traditional outlooks on the idea of beauty or femininity – even if it comes at a cost.
By Glorious
Photography by Keerthana Kunnath
India has long been viewed as a conservative society, but modern India looks increasingly urban and international. Among its young progressives are women who see bodybuilding not only as a means to succeed financially but as a source of identity. It’s an all-encompassing way of life, requiring a strict diet, rigorous training, and a significant amount of sacrifice. But in India, pursuing bodybuilding as a woman is not just about strength and discipline; it’s a journey filled with socio-economic and cultural hurdles. What are the realities faced by these women who balance the intense physical demands of their sport with the complex challenges of societal expectations and personal sacrifice?
I’m speaking with Keerthana Kunnath, a photographer from the South of India, herself not a bodybuilder, and who was recently awarded Best Portfolio at London’s Offspring Photo Meet. I’m intrigued by what inspired her to start this project.
Kee’s artistic practice underwent a radical shift after she moved to London. “It felt like I’d opened Pandora’s box! I was never exposed to that level of work,” she reflects. After working in mainstream fashion photography, she felt as if her work wasn’t evolving. It wasn’t until a conversation with a new mentor that she found her true calling. “He suggested that when I next went home to India, to just shoot whatever I felt like. Honestly? I thought it sounded a bit pointless! But I was willing to give it a try.”
That experiment led her to reflect on her own experiences growing up as a woman in India and her struggles with understanding her sexuality. Kee’s work has always been political, exploring topics often ignored in commercial spaces, such as the queer community and gender norms. “Queerness is such a normal conversation in London, but in India, it’s something that’s never discussed. You never see them.” Photography became a way for her to engage with society, addressing these unspoken realities. “It led me to explore what the female gaze meant in spaces that are unconventionally theirs.” It was this exploration that eventually brought her to the world of female bodybuilding.
The stories of women in bodybuilding intrigued her. These women aren’t following any trends – they have no role models to follow, no instrumental motives. They are naturally motivated, driven by their innate passion for the sport. “These girls were so inspiring because they challenged everything in what’s expected of a woman, what she’s expected to look like, the sports she can go into, and the trajectory she should take,” Kee tells me with sheer conviction.
It explains why her images have an air of heroinism about them. These aren’t the typical bodybuilding photographs of someone on stage in heavy makeup and a tiny bikini or flexing their muscles in the gym. “It was pretty obvious that they worked out! I wanted to challenge the stereotype of these people and make it more relatable to more women from India. For example, the girls were dressed in local clothes, styled in a more fashionable way, taking inspiration from the local clothes.”
For Kee, this approach was about challenging the male gaze – not just following the conventional portrayal of women as coy and desirable, but making it about the unique voices of these women and who they wanted to be.
Despite the challenges on competition day, the women are determined, often juggling multiple jobs alongside their training, from teaching to vegetable picking to working in local gyms and raising the next generation of female athletes. “There’s no break from it! It’s a sport revolved around consistency,” Kee notes. The women speak passionately about their dedication and long-term vision, thriving off the process and bettering themselves for no one else but them.
TENACITY
I’m not surprised to hear that family plays a huge role in India, but I am taken aback by how their expectations hinder these women’s journeys toward self-betterment. “India is one of those places where everyone has an opinion on your life. People get really uncomfortable seeing something that isn’t from the norm,” Kee says, and I sense she speaks from personal experience.
With no sponsorship and little opportunity to open up conversations about the sport, these deeply ingrained cultural standards create significant barriers, making it even more challenging for women to advance. One of Kee’s models is Hindu. While her parents support her pursuit of bodybuilding, her father is still troubled by relatives who disapprove of her choice. She loves the sport but doesn’t want to cause conflict for her parents, illustrating how deeply layered these socio-economic challenges are for women in bodybuilding.
Keerthana is optimistic but also realistic. “India is a big, complex country,” she acknowledges. “There are people working hard to make a change, but things won’t be perfect anytime soon.” Still, she believes that pushing these conversations into mainstream media – whether through art, cinema, or photography – will drive positive change. Her work, especially her photography of female bodybuilders, is a step in the right direction.
As I ask her what’s next, Kee shares that the project is ever-evolving. She wants to understand the environments these athletes grew up in, as well as gain insight into how their families perceive bodybuilding. As she follows them through competitions and uncovers the intricacies of their journeys, she finds that each woman has a distinctive story to tell – one that Kee is determined to capture through her lens.
“Things are definitely changing,” she reflects, “but it’s unrealistic to expect rapid progress. Someone has to be the black sheep to pave the way for future generations.”
Her work pushes the boundaries of traditional narratives, challenging entrenched cultural norms and the way society views women in sports. With her photography, Keerthana isn’t just documenting these women’s lives; she’s actively reshaping perceptions, making a bold statement about women’s roles in sport, culture, and society. The journey ahead remains long, but with trailblazers like Kee leading the charge, there is genuine hope that lasting change is on the horizon.
Check out more of Kee’s work here: https://keerthanakunnath.info/ and keep up to date with her on IG: @kee_kunnath
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