Olympic Swimmers Discuss Body Image: ‘It’s Very New Territory to Walk Around in a Swimsuit’
One of the most difficult things about being a swimmer is that the body is on display in a swimsuit.
This can lead to uncomfortable moments, and even mental health concerns over body image.
Several Olympians discussed this with Olympics.com.
Italy’s Federica Pellegrini was one of the country’s most visible stars in any sport after winning Olympic silver in 2004 at age 16, and had a long and successful career, claiming eight World Championships medals in the 200 freestyle, swimming into her 30s.
“I had a 20-year career in swimming, so I’ve basically been living in a swimsuit for every day of that,” she told Olympics.com.
“Your body changes a lot from the age of 12 to your 30s, and everyone around you is watching you, especially if you are successful like I was lucky enough to be at such a young age. This period was really tough for me because all the media in Italy were focused on me at every moment and picked up when my body started changing. It was a time when I didn’t necessarily like what I saw in the mirror. So I had trouble in my early years being in swimsuits every day. It wasn’t easy.”
U.S. Olympic medalist Regan Smith, agreed, but said it was a little easier for her since she grew up in a suit in social settings.
“I feel grateful that I grew up in a swimsuit. I had all my birthday parties growing up at my swim school. And so it was very normal for me to have all that skin exposed,” Smith told Olympics.com. “But I completely sympathize. It’s very new territory to walk around in a swimsuit, and you are showing quite a bit of your body. I recommend focusing on things that make you feel really confident.”
It is not just an issue for women, either. Men’s swimmers are wearing small and tight suits that can also be uncomfortable.
“It’s about accepting yourself as you are,” Great Britain’s Ben Proud told Olympics.com. “Body exposure affects many swimmers, regardless of their gender. Recently, we’ve seen a lot of younger swimmers going through tricky times. We need to find a way where people can swim and be competitive, but in their own way. We don’t want everyone to be the same.
“We’ve got to ensure that people are feeling happy when they swim and are having fun. They’ve got to be who they want to.”
