I don't know if you have ever seen the commercial by U by Kotex with Jessamy Stanley in a yoga class. But basically, she is promoting this brand but also explaining that plus size women like herself can be just as flexible as the person next to her. She explains that it does not matter what your size or skin color is, everyone can be as flexible as they want depending on what you do. If you dance or do yoga, you to train your body to be flexible.
Take me for example, I am a plus size woman and I have done cheerleading, soccer, baseball, and now do drum corps. I cheer-lead at my college Penn State Harrisburg. So you can imagine how flexible I am. I'm not saying I'm the most flexible in the world, but it is pretty crazy just how flexible I am. The only downfall to this is that I get more comments on my body and my limit of flexibility.
I am also a dancer, I spin flags in addition to cheerleading. I will admit not everyone I know on my teams is extremely flexible, but we all have our limits and it is good to have limits and goals. I enjoy pushing myself further and further every rehearsal or practice so I can be an inch closer to the group or and inch wider when I open up to a second position (in drum corps). Even being able to lift my leg to my head would be a goal that I have because, to be honest, I am almost there. I have been dancing, spinning and cheerleading for a while now so I know how to stretch my body. Here is a tip for you: if you do not stretch, you will hurt yourself. Trust me it has happened to me before. So I stretch because not only is it testing my body with the weird things that I do during the summer but it also helps my body for when I am sore from rehearsal or practice.
I often get a lot of comments from people that are surprising. They will look at me and tell me "honestly, I did not know you were that flexible because you do not look like you would be." I get that one the most. So, what makes you think just because I am a bigger woman that I cannot be flexible? Guess what, you can be any size and be flexible. I know some people who are three times smaller than me and cannot even touch their toes. I also get a lot of surprised looks when I do stretch and I can do splits and heel stretches or bring my foot to my face. This is not new for me, I have always been this way. My flexibility comes naturally but also from me stretching.
The next time you want to judge someone based on the way they look or the sports that they like to participate in, think before you speak. Just because I am a plus size woman does not mean you can sit there, look at me, and pretend to be shocked that I am crazy flexible. Instead, you could just ask me "Hey, how did you become so flexible?!" and I will gladly tell you. Come up to me and say something about how you are so shocked and flabbergasted because of my body size and I will make sure you know your place.
End the societal stigma of assuming one cannot do things because of their body size.
