Shattering female stereotypes can be a herculean task, especially when you’re a certified make up artist, where people think that all you can do is make yourself and others look pretty. And breaking a stereotype which has its roots in patriarchy tends to be a more colossal task when a woman takes up bodybuilding in India; a sport otherwise associated with big, bulky, beefed up men.
Navreet Josan is a makeup artist based out of Delhi, and is also a bodybuilder in the bikini class category. The category is the least bulky category, where the emphasis is on muscle tone and symmetry.
This Jalandhar girl has brought together two seemingly different professions, without one overshadowing the other.
She got hooked to bodybuilding when she first heard of a girl prepping for a bodybuilding competition in her sister’s gym. Since then, there has been no looking back for this lady.
And she’s not just training for the fun of it, but also competing and winning on an international level.
In 2015, she stood first in the Bikini Novice and Bikini Open competition, at the NPC New York Grand Prix. And then on, she has been on a winning streak. She grabbed the second place at the NPC Eastern USA Championship, 2015, in the Bikini Novice competition, placed third at the NPC Fort Lauderdale Cup 2015, in a similar contest and fourth in the Bikini Open competition.
An unconventional profession choice for a makeup artist to say the least, her relatives were definitely taken aback by it, and many people were aghast by her new transformation.
The feedback she received were on the lines of “Girl, you are putting on too much muscle!” and “You work out too much”. But that did not shake her resolve or deter her grit.
Gender barriers exist everywhere and she had her fare share of experiences as well. Many were dumbfounded by her confidence and dedication to the sport.
Women have often been repressed and asked to confirm to the established, conventional and delicate image of how a woman should look like, but Navreet is breaking all those barriers and more. By competing in a bodybuilding competition and pursuing her love for beauty through her profession as a makeup artist, she’s redefining the meaning of being a woman. And we are more than proud of her!
