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Documentary Analysis: Pumping Iron

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Pumping Iron is a 1977 documentary featuring the lives of bodybuilders all leading up to the glorious Mr. Olympia competition. Pumping Iron helped legitimatize bodybuilding by getting rid of old stereotypes that bodybuilders are all about muscle and giving these individuals personalities. Before this movie, bodybuilding was taken as amusing. Bodybuilding appeared in the back of comic books and was referenced to people that were insecure. It had a bad stigma to it and made these people seem as though they were freaks and fools. However, Pumping Iron had made it social acceptable and inspired people during the late 70s and early 80s to start going to the gym. The film takes on the role of going through each individual’s life and shows that they

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