Kay Baxter, (October 3, 1945 – May 16, 1988), is considered by many to be the greatest female bodybuilder who ever lived. Kay was a part of the inaugural IFBB women’s Olympia in 1982 and continued to be a part of the next four Olympia competitions. She had beliefs and stuck by them. When others were influenced by judges and society to remain petite, she bucked the system. She wanted to be the best bodybuilder she could be and that meant building her body as much as she could.
Someone had to stick her neck out for the cause of muscular women … and I’ve got no regrets about that… not one”, she said. One of her catchphrases was “Get built without guilt.
Kay Baxter can be given credit for many of the trends that have become staples of the female bodybuilder lifestyle. She was one of the first to promote wrestling as a fun and lucrative means of income and entertainment, taking advantage of the strength and size she, and so many, strive so hard to achieve.
Her personality was naturally dominant and she used this to her advantage, going out of her way to meet people, including housewives, college students and children and introducing them to female bodybuilding. She raised the new sport to an art form; introducing dance and fetish wear into her posing routines. Limber and charismatic, Kay can also be credited for creating the field of fitness competition.
In 1988, just as she was making a switch towards acting, Kay was involved in a fatal car accident. She died at the young age of 42.
