That girl up there grew up loving sports, with a body meant for sports some may say. Naturally born with muscle definition. With that came name calling like thunder thighs and comments about being more muscular then a man. These comments came from females and males.

Truthfully deep down those names and comments hurt and eventually I dropped out of all my sports I participated in.
I hadn’t thought about it in years.

Until last week, during the closing keynote of #BlogHer16 it started with Dove’s #MyBeautyMySay and it was exactly what I needed to hear! It always breaks my heart seeing young girls believing they’re not good enough.

I occasionally write about positive body image but Dove’s presentation really resonated with me. #MyBeautyMySay Everyday female athletes are being judged on their looks. Thunder thighs you call me? What does that have anything to do with me kicking a soccer ball twice as far as you?

I grew up playing soccer (among a few other sports) but I just remember getting many comments about my muscular thighs even from girls on my team. I never let my feelings show about hurtful those words were but it definitely does lower your self-esteem. How is that a flattering name?! Or how manly I was ~ tall, muscular arms and legs even without trying. I wish I could go back and ask them, what does it matter to you the way I look? I will be joining the My Beauty My Say movement because I want to end this harsh judgement about female athletes and how their looks have nothing to do with the way they play the game.

For anyone who’s ever experienced this needs to step forward to stand up for the girls who are going through it now or may go through it. Let’s end this harsh judgment. In the media, in the school, from our peers. “It is time to be there for our girls. Their true self-worth lies in their minds and within their hearts.” by Jess Weiner