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Brains, Beauty, and Brawn
Carla Dunlap and the new aesthetic
by Brion O'Connor
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 Carla Dunlap-Kaan is ripped, and it's a beautiful thing. Not everyone might agree, but she accepts that – Carla's comfortable with her lean, muscular build, and with who she is. She's also worldly enough to know that everyone brings a unique collection of perceptions and opinions to any setting -- an understanding that has proven essential in her current work as a health and fitness trainer and consultant. Asked to define beauty, Dunlap replies, "I can't. I can't. You have a feel about it. It's almost like things come together to be beautiful. People always say bulldogs are so ugly -- They're beautiful. It's what strikes you."
"And people always used to say, 'Oh, women with muscles are disgusting. How could she grow muscles?' I said, "You know something? Stop and think about it. If you're a man who's drawn to blondes, and your favorite blonde suddenly dyed her hair black, something would be lost to you. It would probably change your perception of things.' So, if a person's attracted to muscles, if they like one element of that particular thing that is attractive to them, there's nothing they can do about that. That's in their chemistry. Period."
Dunlap moves gracefully and confidently as she walks about her Wakefield, Massachusetts fitness studio, FlexFit. Here she dispenses wisdom on myriad health subjects, ranging from nutrition to yoga, from the mind/body connection to weight lifting and belly dancing. It's a far cry from her New Jersey childhood, were she was drawn first to gymnastics and then to swimming at the local YMCA. After breaking down stereotypes about African-Americans in competitive swimming -- both in speed and synchronized events -- and after earning her degree in advertising design from the Newark School of Fine and Industrial Arts, Dunlap next set her sights on bodybuilding.
By 1980, at age 26, Dunlap was fully committed to her training and muscle development. Her hard work brought rewards: two national titles and three major professional championships, including the coveted Ms. Olympia. Those results, and a naturally outgoing personality, landed Dunlap numerous television appearances as a spokeswoman for fitness, on shows such as Good Morning America, Nightline, Entertainment Tonight and Inside Edition. She starred in the documentary Pumping Iron II -- The Women and serves as a representative on Team Danskin. She also recently concluded a four-year stint on ESPN's popular Bodyshaping. Intelligent and articulate, Dunlap proved it was possible to combine brains, beauty and brawn. Always yearning to learn more, she recently completed a course in the Pilates method of health and fitness, and also plans to add licensed therapeutic massage to her host of services at FlexFit.
"But it's whatever rolls over that horizon," Dunlap adds with a trademark laugh. "Gee, that looks interesting. I think I'll go there."
Next page | Getting started, getting wet
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Meet former Ms. Olympia Carla Dunlap-Kaan in this video clip!
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Carla Dunlap-Kaan
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