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PARIS – Ilona Maher and Chase Jackson know they don’t have the body most people imagine when they hear about Olympic world champions. And they’re happy about it – because they’re determined to change the stereotype.
Maher, a social media star and member of the U.S. women’s rugby team, is 5 feet 10 inches tall and weighs 200 pounds. Jackson, a shot putter, is also 5 feet 10 inches tall. This probably isn’t the image anyone would imagine of a Team USA star. The women in Olympic ads are often sleek, with long, lean legs, blonde hair and a fair amount of muscle, but nothing more.
In other words, it seems like every other piece of media consumed by women around the world, especially in America: one of impossible standards.
What if there was another way?
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Over the next few weeks, Maher and Jackson will be performing on a stage that will elevate their respective disciplines to a more global level of recognition. Their goal is not only to win medals in their respective events and attract new fans, but also to elevate the conversation around women’s bodies everywhere.
“I always want to get people excited about rugby, and I think it’s the best sport in the world,” said Maher, who helped the U.S. women’s team to a 2-0 record in their rugby group stage matches on Sunday. The Americans face France in their final group game on Monday, then move on to the knockout round.
“But I also want to encourage girls and boys to take up any sport, because I believe that sport has the power to change lives and show what your body can do – it’s not just there to be objectified and looked at.”
“There’s no one way to look like an athlete, and there’s no one way to be beautiful.”
For Jackson, a former high school runner who won the New Mexico state title in the 100 meters in 2012, it took some time to understand that “strong is beautiful.”
“When I was younger, I would watch all the boys in my class like I wasn’t a precision dancer,” Jackson said. “It was hard. When people would say something like, ‘You look strong as a bull!’ It was like, ‘I’m 12, can’t you say that?’”
Her journey towards accepting her body didn’t happen overnight.
“It took a long time for me to be able to feel confident in myself before I went out on the shot put and wear what I wanted,” Jackson said. “We grow up seeing one body, and if that’s not your body, you’re going to feel uncomfortable. I think it’s important for me to talk about this because I want people to know that there’s not just one way to look like an athlete, there’s not just one way to be beautiful. That’s a really important message.”
Both have made an effort to share this message with their social media followers. Maher is particularly active online, amassing more than 2.7 million followers on TikTok and Instagram combined. Her social media accounts took off in Tokyo, when quarantined athletes had to think outside the box to connect with fans as COVID-19 forced spectators away.
Her profile has exploded into mainstream culture—she’s jokingly dubbed herself “America’s Sweetheart,” though that couldn’t be further from the truth—in part because of how much her body-positive theme has seeped into every post. Her words have resonated with young women in particular. That’s intentional.
“I say a positive message and then another message as they scroll through (social media) and it’s something that brings them back to the old ways of beauty,” Maher said. “So it’s important for me to continue to say what I believe in and see these young girls realize that.”
Naya Taber, one of Maher’s rugby teammates, echoed Maher’s call for more women and different body types in all sports, emphasizing the need for diversity. She said tennis star Serena Williams had left a lasting impression on her.
“She was the first person to get into my head that muscles are beautiful for women,” Taber said.
“I’m a girl, and I like being a girl.”
But it’s not just what these athletes say, it’s also what they brag about.
Last week, Maher took to TikTok to show off Olympic bikinis. Specifically, she posted about how “all body types can be Olympic,” and showed the body diversity across the Olympic Village in several of her videos.
Meanwhile, Jackson, who will compete in the shot put qualifying on August 8, likes people to know that she’s “a girl, and I love being a girl.” She proves it every time she competes, wearing a noticeable amount of makeup and being especially artistic when it comes to her eye makeup designs. (Like many women around the world, she learned the tricks of the trade through YouTube tutorials.)
Jackson travels with a lot of products, so she needs a separate travel bag. She keeps an eye out for brands that drag queens endorse because those cosmetics know how to stay put while performing in hot, sweaty environments.
“I love makeup and in 2022 it’s evolved into something like, why not show it?” she said. “It’s become really important to me to champion creativity and show it to girls, you don’t have to be rough and tacky just to make people respect you as an athlete. You can be feminine if you want to be.”
She said that for years, shooters in particular have been covering themselves with a veil of masculinity. She wants people, especially young girls interested in the sport, to know that this is not the only option.
Sometimes she hears from these young girls, who message her on Twitter and Instagram, showing her the new products they’ve bought, or the specific makeup techniques they’ve learned from her. One comment, she says, can wipe out hundreds of negative comments.
The most important thing she learned from these messages is that other girls listen to her. And they want her, Maher, and anyone else willing to challenge conventional ideas of beauty to keep talking.
Email Lindsay Schnell at [email protected] and follow her on social media. @Lindsay_Schnell