Probably the most dominating figure in gymnastics of our time, Simone Biles is an inspiration for many young girls. Aspiring gymnasts wish to embody her skill, and she sets a great example with how she carries herself as a top female athlete.

Biles has, throughout her career faced a lot of obstacles regarding public perception of her body. She shared in the past how it made her self-conscious and how she learned to love herself.

Simone Biles opens up about body-shaming

Back in March 2020,?Simone Biles?partnered with global prestige skincare brand SK-II for the ?Beauty is #NoCompetition? campaign. She took part in several talks held by the brand, sharing her perspective on beauty standards in gymnastics.

Many young girls gathered at New York?s Lower East Side Girls? Club to listen to the Olympic champion share her experiences. One of them questioned Biles if she?d ever received rude comments regarding her body, and the answer was yes.

Biles?said,??They focused on my hair. They focused on how big my legs were.??The Olympic champion has?shared?in the past, how the bullying made her self-conscious about her muscles. They teased her for her strong arms and called her a ?swoldier? because her body didn?t fit their beauty standards.

But she learned to be grateful for her body and realized she owes her success to those muscles.??But God made me this way, and I feel like if I didn?t have these legs or these calves, I wouldn?t be able to tumble as high as I can and have all of these moves named after me,??she continued.

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Biles became a spokesperson for body positivity

SK-II joined hands with top Olympic athletes like Liu Xiang, Ishikawa Kasumi, Ayaka Takahashi, and Misaki Matsutomo, along with Simone Biles, for the #NoCompetition campaign. To battle this notion of beauty standards, Biles used her platform to call out toxic competitiveness in beauty.

?You?re still going to thrive. You?re going to become somebody amazing and great. You guys are all beautiful, inside and out,??she told the girls in New York. Biles has always been careful about choosing her sponsorship deals, and this one was important to her.

The five-time world champion had to walk a long road toward self-love. And she wishes to spread that message to all the little girls that look up to her. In fact, after her withdrawal from the Tokyo Olympics, she has also become an advocate for mental health.

Even if Biles is staying away from competition, for the time being, her influence and impact haven?t diminished. Her story is an inspiration and will be for the coming generations.

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