Credit: AI Johnson
Strong Women
Body positivity: 5 elite athletes share tips on learning self-love
By Tiwa Adebayo
5 years ago
Professional sportswomen know a thing or two about pushing their bodies to the limits. But how do you develop a nourishing relationship with your body when you’ve been trained to see it as a tool? Writer Tiwa Adebayo talks to five elite athletes about their journeys towards self-love and how the rest of us can learn to better appreciate our bodies.
Professional athletes are often encouraged to see their bodies as tools, well-oiled vehicles for sporting success. Although sport can provide an important refuge from unrealistic and misogynistic beauty standards, women still frequently face scrutiny on the global stage and are under pressure to push their bodies to the limit – causing female athletes, in particular, to struggle to find a balance between performance and body positivity.
The road to self-acceptance can be seemingly endless but going from an Olympic level of physical fitness to everyday life and even motherhood does bring about a certain perspective. We spoke to five elite athletes on what they’ve learnt during their body image journeys so far and their advice for other women hoping to practise self-love.
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