As women in society there has been many issues surrounding body shaming, or rather, what defines the “perfect” body. It has been a battle that feminists have fought for a while, but what isn’t talked about as much is the parallele of this issue in sports. Female athletes suffer from body shaming, from men, from the media, and even other women/girls.
As female athletes we, just like male athletes, workout to gain muscle in order to protect our body during competition and also to perform at our highest level. But society then tells us that we are too masculine and that our muscular bodies are not attractive, yet we are doing this because it’s what our sport needs.
For me, I have always suffered from body shaming from my peers. I was always “too muscular” or “not feminine enough,” instead of being recognized for my talents in what I do, I was being judged on how I look. As a senior in high school we had a yearbook page for the “Hall of Fame ” where students voted for things like: cutest couple, most likely too… , biggest flirt, worst driver, etc. there are a lot of categories. I remember getting my yearbook and I was excited because I was the only girl in my high school who play multiple sports and was on scholarship to the number 1 ranked softball team in the nation (University of Washington). I was expecting to win most athletic… but instead when I opened it I was voted Most Intimidating… To some it wouldn’t be a big deal, but when you have put your whole life into sport and have given up everything a normal teenager does, you hope to get some recognition. Instead a girl that everyone loved and was “more feminine” than me won most athletic…
Being strong, or muscular is beauty because confidence is beauty. Female athletes aren’t the only ones who face body image issues, it’s all women. I know it’s cliche but it’s about what is on the inside and how you feel when you look in the mirror.
athlete-activist 