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It may be a question of physical strength: men are supposed to have it, and women aren't. "Anything that sweats, or has sweated, or is about to sweat does not interest me sexually," says John McGrath, an Atlanta sportswriter. "I also have a hard time being attracted to anyone who can beat me up." Paul Corkery, a Los Angeles novelist, thinks the strong woman is chasing form without the function: "It's as if they're all in training for the Olympics. They're all muscled up with nowhere to go."
Women can move proudly into the security of then-new bodies — they can jog into shape, lift weights for body tone, wear themselves out in the disco bliss of Jazzercise. But what about men? "Jazzercise is a blowout," one Atlanta woman says. "Remember the first dances you went to, where all the girls ended up dancing with other girls because the boys couldn't dance? So this gives me a chance to dance, which my husband hasn't done since our wedding. But my husband still won't dance. Come to think of it, I'm back to dancing with the girls. Haven't made much progress in the past 25 years, have I?" Wendy May, 34, who teaches aerobics in Atlanta, might argue that progress comes first, then the education of the recalcitrant male: "The discovery is not that it's sexy to be healthy but that it feels good. I think most men are frightened by muscles, maybe even by fitness. Now, though, I don't think they have a choice. They may as well decide it's sexy, because it's here."
The new body is here, and men may decide it is sexy for one basic reason: it can enhance sex. When Olivia Newton-John sold millions of records purring, "Let's get physical," she wasn't talking only about pushups. A woman who is more aware of her physicality will probably be more aware of her sexuality. The inspiration of the fitness gurus was to set exercise to the disco beat and make the regimen fun; sex is, after all, a form of exercise for two. Says Helen Gurley Brown, who, as editor of Cosmopolitan, is paid to think about Topic A: "Women are becoming real sexual athletes now. Health gives women stamina that allows them to give full range to their sex drive."
Patrice Donnelly, 32, is a professional athlete who displayed her acting ability and an intense sexuality in Personal Best. Her director, Robert Towne, says that Donnelly received mail from both men and women. "Patrice has the sleek active body I find beautiful," says Towne. "Her grace matches any ballerina's." Donnelly runs two to four miles three times a week and lifts weights three times a week for three-hour sessions. The results show: her 5-ft. 8½-in., 127-lb. frame has only 8% body fat (a woman of average size carries about 20%). "Men have always loved my body," says Donnelly. "My boyfriend loves to show it off. He'll say to friends, 'Hey, watch Patrice flex!' But I exercise for the inside and the outside. The more athletic I am, the more feminine I feel."