I"ll toss this in here, especially since I see that Bob is reading this...
Does the IFBB, IFBB Pro League or the NPC (any of them) have a MISSION statement?... The names of these organizations suggest a purpose that would be embodied in respective Mission Statements.
At the risk of stating the oh so obvious, "Bodybuilding" and "Physique" suggest that these concepts would likely be clearly defined, governed, and/or the focus of the organization(s), as described eloquently by the mission statement (or a statement of purpose, or something of the like....) Sounds to me like something the Weiders might have done. (I've seen a Vision statement, but it really addresses lifestyle, not so much competition.)
If you've got a well-written mission statement (that's revised appropriately as needed), this kind of waxing and waning about basic things like what are essentially the RULES of the competition (physique criteria) don't occur: Can you imagine if referees just started awarding a 4 point shot to guys who could hit a jumper from behind the half-court line?... ("Wow, that was better than a three pointer - give those guys an extra point for that!" ) This isn't much different that the slowly creeping physique definitions in women's BB'ing... UNLESS, for instance, the mission statement supports the maximum development in terms of muscularity of women... (With a mission statement, even unusual questions that might be relevant now that might not have been 30 years ago, like even whether women bodybuilders are classified or defined as "women" biologically (chromosomes?...) or simply by being female in gender, could be answered if there is a mission statement which addresses this, one way or another. Mission statements are nice reference points when you're not sure what the hell to do...)
So, the philosophical complaints ("This physique shit ain't bodybuilding") vs. business arguments ("Hey, promoters with more entries can hold more shows so bring in the bikini competitors") could be a hell of a lot more easily resolvable by whether or not new divisions fall within the Mission statement. A mission statement that clearly defines bodybuilding might dictate that Bikini just isn't what the NPC is about, for instance...
I'll be PC here and say that at this point, it really does seem that creating new divisions (women's physique in the NPC) when old ones seem to fall out of favor (e.g., women's BB'ing) suggest that the organizations (NPC) might just be lacking in guiding principles that demand support and definition of the nature of the endeavor it proposes to govern. In other words, when the governing body of a particular endeavor can't decide what that endeavor actually is and stick to its guns, something's bass-ackwards. OTOH, if the NPC is just generally about creating competitive arenas / divisions for body comparison (without a focus on development beyond the ordinary), then heck, make 15 divisions if folks will step up to compete. Literally, without a mission statement, there could just as easily be a "hottest redhead" award and a "best buttocks award," etc. like at a wet T-shirt contest, and it might fit within the parameters of the NPC without guiding principles stamped out in black and white.
Anyone know if such a mission statement / statement of purpose once existed, does exist or, heck, might even be something the powers that be would consider deriving?...
-Scott