It depends in what circles you take part in. If you're into this game, the natural circle is VERY well known. If you're just interested in FLEX magazine or other such pointless drivels, then sure, the natural BB world is less publicised. Most people who actually know more than a little about this sport realise that there's more to this sport than just lifting weights. So natural trainers get a HUGE amount of respect in the community of BBers.
If people think that BBers are all just there to be big, then they are so wrong. That's where the ignorance of the population - they think BB = gear, which leads to the crap along the lines of "you can't get big without gear" etc...
I don't know why I'm defending it, I'm not even into bodybuilding, I'm a weight lifter!
I just hate seeing ignorance being propagated.
FWIW I'm a huge fan of the 70s/80s bodybuilders - sure they were still dabbling in illegal bits and pieces, but Franco Columbu to me epitomises that aspect, he was one of the world's strongest men at the time, with a total lifts of nearly 900kg in the big 3. He cleaned up his act and carried on and boy did he do well. Lean, well proportioned.
I'm not overly impressed with the mass monsters these days I must say. The 70s and 80s produced some of the most aesthetically pleasing and "normal" bodybuilders the world has ever seen.