All you ever wanted to know about Schmoes

Do you know what a schmoe is? If you follow bodybuilding in any way, you probably do…but if you don’t, allow me to enlighten you. Schmoe is a term coined by a female bodybuilder (and stripper) from the ’80s who went by the stage name “Pillow”…it’s Yiddish in origin (although she was from Alaska, and I’m unsure of her ethnicity). The term basically refers to a male who has a fetish for muscular women, and goes a bit beyond being just a fan of female bodybuilding.

To be really honest, I would feel pretty confidant saying that schmoes are really only attracted to chemically enhanced female physiques (the types on display in the IFBB, for example). Generally, they’re seen as the absolute bottom feeders of the professional physique world, and although they often support the women they admire (financially), it’s creepy as hell. I go into a bit of this in my upcoming book, Generation S, because it’s pretty much the domain of steroid-using females exclusively. And as a side note, I’ve personally worked for/with two separate guys who have made money selling womens “physique” videos (you know, the ones with classy titles like “Female Muscle Domination part IV”) – so I have a bit of insight into that industry as well. Schmoes are just creepy as hell, and the entire industry around them is absurd. But that’s just one man’s opinion (mine). To hear all you ever wanted to know about Schmoes, listen to Carl Lanore and Aaron Singerman on their Off-Topic Podcast, where they interview a muscular female dominatrix (*who caters to schmoes), and even a former schmoe. Click Here to Listen!

J Soc Psychol. 2004 Oct;144(5):487-506.
Perceptions of the social and personal characteristics of hypermuscular women and of the men who love them.
Forbes GB, Adams-Curtis LE, Holmgren KM, White KB.

Department of Behavioral Sciences, Millikin University, Decatur, IL 62522, USA. gforbes@mail.millikin.edu

A predominately European American sample of middle class college students rated hypermuscular female bodybuilders and the men who were romantically involved with them on measures of perceived gender traits, personality traits, social behaviors, and heterosexual behaviors. Participants perceived hypermuscular women, as compared to the average woman, as having more masculine and fewer feminine interests, less likely to be good mothers, and less intelligent, socially popular, and attractive. However, participants also perceived them as being less likely to engage in socially deviant behaviors or to be sexually manipulative and more likely to be extraverted, conscientious, and open to new experiences than the average woman. Participants perceived men who are romantically involved with hypermuscular women as having stronger masculine traits, interests, and identities than the average man. The authors found no relationships between the perceiver’s gender type and his or her perceptions of hypermuscular women or the men who were romantically involved with them.

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