Of course the Olympics are an inspiration for everyone; we all love to see these red, white, and blue clad athletes put everything on the line to earn the title of Olympic champion. Watching this competition in action makes everyone feel like they can run a little faster, jump a little higher, and dream a little bigger. I can say from my perspective, I have spent countless hours before the TV watching sports I’ve never played, cheering for people I’ve never even heard of before, and feeling a sense of pride when these athletes’ goals come to fruition. As a collegiate student-athlete myself, watching the Olympics has encouraged me to train even harder in my off season.
I must say, however, there are two athletes that have inspired me above and beyond all the others. These two women are shot put gold medalist Michelle Carter and +75 class weightlifter bronze medalist Sarah Elizabeth Robles. Out of all the Olympic athletes competing in Rio, why have I singled out these two specific athletes? Well, like me, Carter and Robles are female athletes who do not fit the stereotypical body type of a female athlete.
I have struggled with my weight and body image my whole life. It does not help that I am a female playing lacrosse, a sport where the women are traditionally a tall and thin build. In fact, a large mental block I had to overcome during my freshman season stemmed from the fact that I did not feel like an athlete. I felt like an inferior athlete to my teammates because I looked so much larger than them. To some extent I’ve been able to mitigate these insecurities, but every now and again I get that swell of frustration in my chest when looking in the mirror. It’s very apparent that I’m the largest of my teammates and because of that I feel a great deal of shame and embarrassment.
From my time spent with other female athletes at my school, not necessarily in my sport, I’ve learned that they too have unhealthy views of their body type. I’ve often heard the phrase “hashtag skinny” accompany statements such as “I haven’t eaten anything today”. Of course at times, I’ve also heard “hashtag skinny” used ironically- most notably I can a recall a time a teammate used this phrase after my team put downed more pizzas than any of us would care to admit. However, the fact that my peers use this phrase at all is evidence of a larger issue. Society has deemed it more socially acceptable to starve and be skinny than to just be happy and healthy with your body as it is. The negative body image I have is the result of the societal conditioning that taught me I need to change my body ever since I was a little girl.
However, I felt these negative feelings waver as I watched Michelle Carter throw shot put to earn Olympic gold. At five feet nine inches and 256 pounds, Carter certainly doesn't look like the stereotypical female athlete either. A few days later I watched as Sarah Elizabeth Robles put up a combined total 286 kg (about 630 pounds) to earn herself a bronze medal. She carries 315 pounds on her five foot 10 frame. I was amazed. These two women were successfully competing at the highest level in their respective sports and they seemed completely comfortable in their skin. I even read an article from the Los Angeles Times where Robles was reported saying, “to challenge ‘normal’ ideals is an important thing. It’s cool to be me. I’m big and strong and putting it all for good use.” Robles recognizes the importance of challenging female body type stereotypes and says to athletes like me that it’s ok to be different.
The purpose of this article is not to justify my weight or to convince myself that I do not need to lose weight. I don’t deny that losing weight will make me a more competitive athlete in my particular sport. However, watching athletes like Carter and Robles defy the stereotypical female athlete build and still be successful and happy is a powerful message to young athletes like myself. So as the 2016 Olympics come to a close, I personally will be walking away with a little inspiration of my own. Carter and Robles have taught me that I can be an athlete and love the body I’m in. I can’t thank them enough for that.
