Katelyn Ohashi has stunned people again. This time, though, it was not her performance that made social media users’ pupils dilate, but her photos in ESPN’s Body Issue. The annual photoshoot not only showcases athletes’ incredible bodies, but gives them a chance to speak out about their vulnerabilities and the problems they face.
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"Doing the Body Issue is important because I'm able to take full ownership over my body and not allow anyone else to have power over how I feel about myself. I feel really accepting of the things I used to be insecure about. I have gone through eating disorders and body shaming, and here I am today standing naked in front of a camera doing this shoot for millions of people to see”, she told ESPN.
The reactions of social media users were not long in coming…
— stuart folley (@stuartfolley) September 4, 2019
— Sean Filkins (@FilkinsSean) September 7, 2019
Ohashi admitted that it took a lot of courage to do the nude photoshoot and said that she was very nervous to pose naked in front of the cameras.
— Anthony Schneider (@Anthony85922389) September 14, 2019
In her essay in ESPN’s magazine, Katelyn opened up about how she faced pressure about participating in the Olympics, saying that it was never her goal.
"The Olympics was the ultimate goal, but it was never my goal. It was put in front of me because of my talent, and my coaches kept pushing me toward it. I felt like I couldn't give up because my family had made so many sacrifices. I became miserable. My voice was so suppressed. I still loved the sport, but the joy was diminished", she said.
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Ohashi’s decision to attend the University of California at Los Angeles not only brought back the joy of doing gymnastics, but also helped her overcome her eating disorder and body shaming.
“It took a full year for me to miss gymnastics. That's when I called Miss Val at UCLA. I started taking ownership of my path. I told her I didn't want to do the Olympics anymore. I changed my path to college gymnastics and knew I wanted to go to UCLA. That's what brought me back", the athlete explained.
Katelyn Ohashi became a household name after a video of her performance at UCLA’s championship went viral. The video received nearly 60 million views.
