A few days ago, I was scrolling aimlessly through my twitter, as always, and came across a picture that was trending. The picture showed Aly Raisman, Simone Biles, and Madison Kocaine taking a well-deserved beach day in Rio. In the picture, you notice that the gold-medal olympians are in fantastic shape. All of them have similar body styles; with chiseled arms, abs of steel, and toned legs that many girls would die to have.

As I scrolled through the comments, I was shocked by some of the things I was reading. One comment I remember vividly read, "I want a six pack but not this kind of six pack." Another comment read, "it's not normal to look like that." Some left it simple and short, and just commented "ugly."

Now don't get me wrong, some of the comments were nice and heartfelt, but the negative comments really stood out to me for a number of reasons.

First of all, these Olympians are at the peak of their performance and gymnastics career. You can't achieve the kind of advanced tumbling they do to achieve gold medals without being in incredible in shape. These girls look insanely ripped because they have to be in order to win.

Second of all, these olympians are representing America. As Americans, we are supposed to stand by them and support them, and body shaming doesn't fall into the category of support. Maybe these gymnasts read the comments on their pictures, and maybe they don't; but if they do, I'm sure they would feel a little self conscious about their bodies, if they were to read the negative comments. A small part of us always feels self conscious when people point out our flaws. It's just human nature.

The comment that said, "it is not normal to look like that" may have some truth to it. It is not normal; it is extraordinary. The goal is not to achieve normality. The average American will probably never have abs like they do. It may not be not normal, but it is incredible.

The fact that they are in shape the they are proves the capacity of the human body. It shows us how we could look with years of hard work and commitment. It is truly a beautiful thing that our bodies have the ability to do that.

Instead of body shaming our Olympians, we should be celebrating their bodies. We should be celebrating their achievements and their physical fitness that has allowed them to win. Because of their physical shape, they are able to bring home gold medals to America.

Their bodies, like our own, are a work of art, and are an example of what hard work and determination can achieve.