PARIS – Ilona Maher and Chase Jackson know they don’t have the body type most people think of when they hear world Olympian. And they are good at that – because they are committed to changing the stereotype.
Maher, a social media star and member of the US women’s rugby team, looks 5 to 10 pounds, 200. Jackson, an American professional shooter, is also is 5-foot-10. Maybe it’s not the vision one has of the Team USA star. Women in Olympic advertisements are usually smooth, with long, toned legs, gray hair and acceptable muscles, no longer.
In other words, it looks like all the media that women around the world use, especially in America: One of the impossible standards.
What if there was another way?
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In the next few weeks, Maher and Jackson will be performing on a stage that elevates their niche games to something that the world appreciates. Their hope is not only to win awards at their special events and attract new fans, but also to elevate the ongoing conversation about women’s bodies.
“I always want to get people into rugby, I think it’s the best game in the world,” said Maher, who helped the U.S. women to a 2-0 record in rugby league play on Sunday. play a game on Monday, then advance to the knockout stage.
“But I also want to get girls and boys to play any sport, because I think sport has the power to change lives and show what your body is capable of – it’s not just that you can get negative feedback and attention.”
‘There’s not just one way to look like an athlete, there’s not just one way to be beautiful’
For Jackson, a former high school sprinter who won the New Mexico state title in 2012 in the 100 meters, it took a while to understand that “power is good.”
“When I was younger, you know, I was always towering over all the boys in my group, like I’m not an easy singer,” Jackson said, “It was hard. It’s like, ‘I’m 12, can’t you say that?’
Her journey to body acceptance didn’t happen overnight.
“It took a lot of time to have the confidence to get out there (to shoot for the ring) and wear what I wanted,” Jackson said. “We grow up being shown this one body and if it is not yours you will feel pain. I think it was important for me to talk about because I want people to know, there is not just one way to look like an athlete, there is not just one way to be beautiful. That’s really an important message.”
Both have made an effort to share that message with followers on social media. Maher is very active online, having amassed over 2.7 million followers on TikTok and Instagram combined. Social media took off in Tokyo, when athletes who were arrested had to think outside the box to communicate with fans, as COVID forced the exclusion of spectators.
Her status has exploded and crossed over into mainstream culture – she jokingly calls herself “America’s Sweetheart,” though that may not be far from the truth – in part because of how her title of beauty How much body goes into each post. His words touched young women in particular. It’s on purpose.
“I’ll say one positive message, and the next thing it goes down while they’re scrolling through (social media) is something that’s bringing them back to old beauty habits,” Maher said. So it’s important to me to keep saying what I believe and for these little girls to see.”
Naya Tapper, one of Maher’s rugby teammates, echoed Maher’s call for women and more body types in all sports, stressing the need for diversity. He said that for him, tennis star Serena Williams was always emotional.
“He was the first person to get it into my head that muscles are a good thing for women,” Tapper said.
‘I’m a girl, and I like to be a girl’
But that’s not all these athletes have to say. That’s what they show, too.
On TikTok last week, Maher modeled an Olympic bikini. She has written eloquently about how “all body types can be Olympians,” and has shown a variety of body types throughout the Olympic Village in many of her videos.
Meanwhile, Jackson, who will be performing on Aug. 8, wants people to know that “I’m a girl, and I love being a girl.” She shows this every time she competes, wears a lot of makeup and is very artistic when it comes to eye makeup. (Like many women around the world, she learned the tricks of the trade through YouTube tutorials.)
Jackson travels with so many products, they need their own separate suitcase. She keeps an eye out for drag queen-endorsed products because makeup knows how to last when performing in hot, sweaty places.
“I love makeup and in 2022 it became something like, why don’t you show that?” he said. “It’s been very important for me to advocate creativity and show girls, you don’t have to be active just to make people respect you as an athlete. You can be a woman if you want.”
He said that it is many years, especially those who are wearing the veil of masculinity. She wants people, especially young girls who may be interested in the sport, to know that it is not the only option.
He hears from those girls sometimes. They send her messages on Twitter and Instagram, showing her new products they bought, or a special makeup technique they learned from her. One of those comments, he said, could erase hundreds of negative comments.
The biggest takeaway from those messages: Other girls hear him. They want him, and Maher, and anyone else willing to use traditional aesthetic ideas, to keep talking.
Email Lindsay Schnell at lschnell@usatoday.com and follow her on social media @Lindsay_Schnell
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