“Empowered Elegance: Keerthana Kunnath’s Striking Portraits of Kerala’s Female Bodybuilders”

Similar to numerous sports, men have generally held supremacy in the realm of bodybuilding, but for a select group of women in India, weightlifting and sculpting their physiques transcends mere athletic contests.

In an ongoing photographic series named Not What You Viewed, photographer Keerthana Kunnath captures an emerging community of female bodybuilders in Kerala. Set against familiar settings like coastlines, the exterior of a traditional Indian residence, and vibrant, green vegetation, the collection underscores an alternative representation of beauty rooted in profound female strength.

Since the inception of the series, Kunnath has encountered around a dozen women engaged in the sport. Her initial interaction, however, was with the renowned athlete and coach Arathy Krishna, whom she stumbled upon while investigating the Indian martial art known as Kalari. This encounter directed the photographer to a small cohort of women bodybuilders dispersed across the nation.

“My first introduction occurred via social media and through various fitness trainers who work with some of these women,” Kunnath remarks. “I subsequently began attending the competitions to support them and also to connect with more bodybuilders.”

In Not What You Viewed, broad, athletic shoulders and muscular thighs are contrasted with traditional attire and airy, feminine textiles chosen in partnership with stylist Elton John. Beauty standards have often focused on slender figures, fair skin, and long hair in India, and as Kunnath elaborated to WePresent last year, challenging conventions and opposing gendered expectations carries extensive implications for individuals pursuing the sport. She states:

Many of them hail from families that either cannot or do not endorse their passion for the sport due to societal pressures or financial concerns. They must continually navigate the intricate physical and emotional challenges of developing and sustaining their physique while battling the deeply rooted expectations of how a ‘woman’ ought to appear and what they can seek as a ‘respectable profession.’

Posed flexing their biceps and showcasing their impeccably defined physiques, the women radiate not only strength and pride but also exhilaration. Illuminating a broader spectrum of experiences is a vital aspect of Kunnath’s work, which frequently focuses on under-represented communities and those challenging norms, particularly in Southern Asia.

Presently dividing her time between London and India, Kunnath is scheduled to exhibit her work next month at Fuji’s House of Photography in London and the Royal Photographic Society in Bristol. Keep up with her recent projects, including updates to Not What You Viewed and a new series dedicated to her grandmother, on Instagram.