Two hardcover books with black covers and minimalist muscular male figures on the front, one with the title "HARD BODIES" and colorful abstract backgrounds.

Hard Bodies - Master Thesis

Role: Writer, Designer, Art Director

Created as the theory portion of my final project at the HfG Offenbach, Hard Bodies explores how femininity has been defined and challenged within women’s bodybuilding from its beginnings through the early 2000s. The work combines both academic and original research, which I wrote and later designed into a visual book. Using a warm, vintage color palette and a soft, rounded typeface, I contrasted the sculpted muscular aesthetic with softness and nostalgia. An original illustration of women with chiseled silhouettes ties together the project’s central question: what does strength look like when femininity is under the spotlight?

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Open book with article titled "Muscle Definition and Femininity: A Paradox?" on two pages, with text discussing muscle and femininity in bodybuilding, against a lavender background.

Open magazine with black and white pages featuring text about a bodybuilding competition, with a dark background and silhouette images of muscular figures on the right page.

Open magazine with article titled "The Feminine Ideal and Women's Bodybuilding"; left page features black and white photo of a female bodybuilder from the back, flexing her muscles; right page features a color photo of a female bodybuilder in a pink

Open book with text on pages, featuring a title in large orange font that reads "My Perspective - Conclusion" on the left page, with a faint background of abstract shapes and a purple surface underneath.

Open book with a photograph of a woman in a black bikini, flexing her muscles in a gym setting with dumbbells in the background, on the left page, and text discussing body image and cosmetic procedures on the right page.

Open book with repeated bold text 'HARD BODY' in peach and black print on a gray background.