The Picture of Kellie Everts in Esquire is in the public domain
Dan Lurie and Kellie Everts – the Beginning
From Dan Lurie’s Book “Heart of Steel” Dan Lurie with Dave Robson, Author House 2009 – Page 313
Dan Lurie wrote: Kellie Everts
The picture of Kellie Everts in Playboy is in the public domain
A young lady with a great physique, Kellie was as motivated to compete as any male bodybuilder I had worked with. I would promote her to the world and in doing this become the first publisher to profile a female bodybuilder.
In 1974, I received a call from Esquire magazine photographer Jean-Paul Goude, asking me who I would recommend as a subject for an ‘Amazonian’ spread he was planning. I instantly told him, “Kellie Everts is your lady.” In my mind she was the only female bodybuilder around at the time. In fact she was the first real female bodybuilder ever, a fact not lost on me when I put her in my December 1974 MTI. That was the very first article any muscle magazine had done on a female bodybuilding up until then.
To my mind, one thing is for sure: she was the first female to break through to make women’s bodybuilding widely known to mainstream audiences.
Kellie Everts appearances: July 1975 Esquire Magazine, “Muscle and Grit, Religion and Tit, That’s what Kellie Everts is Made of.” This was the landmark pictorial which was the first time in the world an established mainstream magazine featured a female flexing muscles and lifting weights just like men. It created a sensation.
Kellie Everts May 1977 Playboy, hoisting a barbell in the air with her bikini flying off – Playboy said women need not fear lifting weights would turn their muscles into “magic mountains,” and “To the barbells, girls!” It was six months after this that Henry McGhee presented his female bodybuilding contest which was supposed to be just like the men’s {Canton, Ohio, YMCA Nov. 1977}
After the Esquire article Kellie appeared on national TV shows: Mike Douglas, To Tell the Truth and important local shows, AM New York {three times, once with Arnold Schwarzenegger, AM Washington, Stanley Siegel three times – all prior to the first female bodybuilding shows.
After the fbb shows started, she appeared on Real People 1979 {before Laura Combes} and with Lisa Lyon 1981, the Tom Snyder Show, both doing muscle posing routines.
She won many trophies during the 70’s ‘Golden Era’ at the IFBB and WBBG Contests, winning Best Body over Anna Maria Alberici in Miss Americana 1972 {Arnold Schwarzenegger was a judge} and second place, the same during 1974 – second place Miss Americana and Best Body at the Felt Forum with Arnold Schwarzenegger. She got Miss Body Beautiful USA 2nd place 1973 and first place 1974.
There was also the important Sports Illustrated article 1980 “Miss Well WHAT?” with many interesting observations re what was going on with female bodybuilding in 1979 – the confusion, frustration, no one knowing what to train for or look for. Both the judges and the contestant were up in the air. Was it shape? beauty? muscles? size? definition? Were the women to be judged differently than the men? Some of the men thought so. Look at the title – it says it all.
