Dua Lipa’s recent British Vogue cover was supposed to be a tribute to her music career, her growth as a visual artist, and her entry into adulthood. However, it quickly turned into another excuse to revive an all-too-familiar issue: the hatred towards strong women, fragile masculinity, and transphobic attacks disguised as “aesthetic opinions.”
Strength, Muscles, and the Reaction to a Confident Woman
On the cover, Dua Lipa is shown with her arms raised, wearing a satin bra that highlights her figure. You can see her muscles. You can see her confidence. You can see that she no longer needs to ask permission to take up space. And for that very reason, she became the target of mockery, attacks, and even conspiracy theories about her gender identity.
The headline reads, “I feel invincible.” But it seems that many are more bothered by what they see than by what they read. Since when did showing strength become suspicious? Always, especially when the one showing strength is a woman.
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Why Does Seeing a Muscular Woman Bother So Many?
A muscular woman represents a symbolic threat. She challenges the notion that masculinity equals power and femininity equals fragility. Suddenly, it’s no longer about whether Dua sings well, acts well, or writes well—it’s about whether she “looks like a man.”
Many of the attacks come from men who can’t stand seeing a stronger body than theirs if it’s not in a male body. The logic is absurd but dangerous: if a woman doesn’t look fragile, she’s not “real.” And if she’s not “real,” then she’s “a man.” And if she’s “a man,” then it’s time to mock her. Or sexualize her. Or both.
The result: transphobia disguised as confusion, misogyny disguised as humor, and a lot of people defending their masculinity by attacking women… and trans people, too.
The Transphobic Theories as Social Punishment
The viral tweet that sparked the controversy claims that a theory is circulating in the U.S. that Dua Lipa “is trans.” There’s no basis for this. Dua Lipa is a cis woman, and she’s never hinted at being anything else. But that doesn’t matter. The “accusation” is not a mistake: it’s symbolic punishment. It’s the internet’s patriarchal way of reminding her that if she steps out of line, she’ll be questioned.
We’ve seen this with Michelle Obama, Serena Williams, and Lady Gaga. Every woman who challenges traditional femininity falls into the same pattern: if she’s not fragile, if she’s not docile, if she’s not thin, then she’s “a man.” As if physical strength is a betrayal of gender.
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And the worst part: in their attempt to punish a famous woman, they also drag trans people into the conversation. They use being trans as an insult, as if it were something shameful, something to shout out to hurt, not to understand.
The Real Issue Is Not Dua Lipa’s Body
The comments on social media say it all: “you ruined my fantasies,” “forget the porn, get outside,” “if that’s true, finish me off.” This isn’t just mockery—it’s a deep fear of desire, confusion, and loss of control.
What hurts them isn’t that Dua Lipa has muscles. It’s that she has them, and they don’t. What makes them furious isn’t that she looks strong, it’s that she looks confident. Because if a woman can have power without needing their approval, then what do they have left?
Dua Lipa’s body doesn’t threaten anyone. It only exposes what many are unwilling to see: that their insecurities are so huge that any woman who stands tall in front of them already disarms them.
This article was originally written in Spanish by Alan Cruz in Cultura Colectiva.
