Abbye Stockton
Abbye Stockton, born Abbye Eville on August 11, 1917, in Santa Monica, California, was a pioneering figure in the world of bodybuilding and women's fitness. Initially nicknamed "Pudgy," she transformed her physique through gymnastic exercises at Muscle Beach, which became the epicenter of the physical fitness movement in the mid-20th century. Abbye gained significant fame for her impressive strength and unique performances, often balancing her husband Les on her hands while lifting heavy weights, which captivated the public and media alike.
Throughout her career, she not only showcased her physical prowess but also advocated for women's participation in weightlifting through her column, "Barbelles," in the influential magazine Strength and Health. Abbye was instrumental in organizing the first sanctioned weightlifting contests for women and won numerous accolades, including the title of Miss Physical Culture Venus in 1948. Together with her husband, she opened a women's gym in Los Angeles and continued to influence fitness culture for decades.
Abbye Stockton's legacy is marked by her trailblazing efforts to redefine femininity in sports and promote the benefits of weight training for women, paving the way for future generations of female athletes. She passed away on June 26, 2006, leaving behind a significant impact on the fitness community.
Abbye Stockton
Bodybuilder
- Born: August 11, 1917
- Birthplace: Santa Monica, California
- Died: June 26, 2006
- Place of death: Santa Monica, California
Sport: Bodybuilding
Early Life
Abbye Stockton was born Abbye Eville on August 11, 1917, in Santa Monica, California. She was nicknamed “Pudgy” by her father because of her chubby appearance. Working as a telephone operator after graduation from high school, Abbye started going to Muscle Beach, south of the Santa Monica Pier, to shed some excess weight. On these exercise dates, Abbye and her boyfriend Les Stockton worked primarily on gymnastics. Large crowds flocked to Muscle Beach, the birthplace of the physical fitness boom of the twentieth century, to see weightlifting, hand balancing, human-pyramid building, gymnastics, acrobatics, and bodybuilding competitions and demonstrations. Abbye, Stockton, and their friend Bruce Conner performed an acrobatic act called Three Aces at football halftime shows and other venues.
Abbye and Stockton married in 1941. At about 115 pounds and 5 feet 2 inches, Abbye gradually became known as the most muscular blond beauty on Muscle Beach, with a “38-20-36” figure. She was a shocking spectacle because, at the time, women’s participation in weightlifting and bodybuilding was unusual. Her custom-made, two-piece bathing suit was another novel point of attraction.
The Road to Excellence
The public on Muscle Beach started paying attention to Abbye and Les when they performed a high-press routine. With a 100-pound barbell over her head, Abbye balanced herself on top of her husband’s outstretched hands. Abbye became famous when she supported 180-pound Les over her head in a hand-to-hand stand. The media, fascinated by her strength, physical beauty, and charisma, quickly capitalized on her. She appeared in photo essays in pictorial magazines such as Life, Pic, and Laff. In a 1939 Pic issue, Conner threw Abbye through the air while Les waited to catch her. She appeared on the covers of more than forty magazines around the world. She was also featured in two newsreels—Whatta Build and Muscle Town USA. Finally, she received product endorsement contracts from the Ritamine Vitamin Company and the Universal Camera Company. She appeared on local and nationwide exhibition shows and, sometimes, with Mr. America winners Steve Reeves and George Eiferman.
The Emerging Champion
From 1944 to 1954, Abbye wrote for Strength and Health, the most influential fitness magazine at that time. In her women’s column, called “Barbelles,” she used photographs of her and other women to argue for the benefits of weight training. Weights, she wrote, not only could enhance women’s figures but also make women better athletes. She also exposed the myths that women working with weights lost femininity and were unable to become pregnant.
Also in Strength and Health, Abbye publicized the first sanctioned weightlifting contests, which she helped organize. Virtually nonexistent during the 1940’s, these contests were sanctioned by the Amateur Athletic Union. The first contest was held at the Southwest Arena in Los Angeles on February 26, 1947. Here, Abbye pressed 100 pounds, snatched 105 pounds, and clean-and-jerked 135 pounds. She won a $1,000 prize and was named 1948 Miss Physical Culture Venus by Bernarr Macfadden, Physical Culture magazine publisher.
Continuing the Story
In 1948, the Stocktons opened the Salon of Figure Development, a women’s gym, on Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles. The Stockton Studios were opened in Beverly Hills two years later. From 1955 to 1960, Abbye retired from business and stayed home to raise her only child, who was born in 1953. After that, she spent the following twenty years instructing bodybuilding.
The Stocktons served as consultants for television documentaries and books on Muscle Beach. One of the books, published in 1999, was Remembering Muscle Beach: Where Hard Bodies Began by Harold Zinkin and Bonnie Hearn. Abbye received the Steve Reeves International Society Pioneer Award in 1998 and was elected to the International Federation of Bodybuilding and Fitness Hall of Fame in 2000. She received the Spirit of Muscle Beach award two years later. On June 26, 2006, Abbye died in Santa Monica of complications from Alzheimer’s disease. Her husband had died in 2004.
Summary
Abbye Stockton was part of the physical fitness culture that made Muscle Beach famous during the 1930’s and 1940’s. A pioneer in bodybuilding and the gym business, she inspired women to take up weight training during the 1940’s and also fueled the fitness craze in the 1980’s. As a role model for women bodybuilders, she proved that weightlifting did not make women less feminine and that weight training could enhance athletic ability.
Bibliography
“A ’Lady of Iron’ and a Model for Fitness.” Los Angeles Times, January 7, 2008.
Black, Jane. “Abbye ’Pudgy’ Stockton.” Milo 12, no. 1 (June, 2004).
McCracken, Elizabeth. “The Belle of the Barbelle.” The New York Times, December 31, 2006.
Thomas, Al. “Out of the Past … Fond Remembrance: Abbye ’Pudgy’ Stockton.” Body and Power 2 (March, 1981).