Along with Claudia Wilbourn and Rachel McLish, Bentley was among the first role models of bodybuilding for women and the benefits that it can bring to them.
Although she admired muscular, fit women, Bentley felt uncomfortable admitting that she weight trained to achieve her toned body.
She would often say that she was a gymnast, or a swimmer, and would not attribute her physique to weight training workouts, due to the discomfort she felt from the way people perceived her.
Bentley continued with two more victories, winning the World Couples Championships (with Chris Dickerson) and the Frank Zane Invitational.
[2] Bentley retired after the Olympia when she realized that the up and coming women of bodybuilding were starting to have huge muscles like men (i.e. taking anabolic steroids) and that turned her off.