{"id":496351,"date":"2022-02-02T06:00:45","date_gmt":"2022-02-02T13:00:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/?p=496351"},"modified":"2022-02-02T06:00:45","modified_gmt":"2022-02-02T13:00:45","slug":"national-girls-women-in-sports-day-amy-bilquist-a-leader-in-discussion-of-body-image-issues-in-swimming","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/national-girls-women-in-sports-day-amy-bilquist-a-leader-in-discussion-of-body-image-issues-in-swimming\/","title":{"rendered":"National Girls & Women in Sports Day: Amy Bilquist a Leader In Discussion of Body Image Issues in Swimming"},"content":{"rendered":"

National Girls & Women in Sports Day: Revisiting Amy Bilquist and the Evolution of Body Image Issues in Swimming<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

For National Girls & Women in Sports Day, Swimming World is revisiting important moments and issues involving women’s sports. Today, we look back on the evolution of body image issues in swimming.<\/p>\n

The following article originally ran in June, 2020:<\/em><\/p>\n

Amy Bilquist<\/strong> isn\u2019t afraid to try something new \u2014\u00a0a new exercise or new training sequence.<\/p>\n

She isn\u2019t afraid to show everyone, either.<\/p>\n

As the U.S. national champion trains for the 2021 Olympics, the COVID-19 pandemic has forced her to try new things out of the water. Sometimes that involves her twisting, stretching or contorting her long, elegant body into positions that leave her body vulnerable.<\/p>\n

But instead of hiding those exercises, she is showcasing them on social media, posting pictures of her adventures in the weight room and the great outdoors, where she has been forced to do most of her training during the pandemic.<\/p>\n

It takes a great deal of self-confidence to embrace allowing your body to be on display in a strong way, not worrying about what your face looks like or what parts of your body might look different.<\/p>\n

Bilquist hasn\u2019t always had that incredible self-confidence, but it has become a huge part of her persona on social media, as she tries to help build the idea that an extremely athletic body is an extremely beautiful body.<\/p>\n

\"amy-bilquist-exercise

Photo Courtesy: Amy Bilquist<\/p><\/div>\n

That is not always what society tells us.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs I have grown, I have become more accepting and confident of my athletic body. I feel much more confident posting a photo of myself working out than a selfie,\u201d Amy Bilquist told Swimming World<\/em>. \u201cI feel more comfortable with that because I have come to accept that my strength and athletic ability is beautiful, and it has opened a lot of doors and helped me get to a lot of places.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is a tug-of-war sometimes because I can get all fancy and put on makeup and do a selfie, but I feel much more inclined to post a picture of myself doing something athletic.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bilquist has posted several of those pictures during the pandemic. She has done everything she can to keep things fresh, especially when she wasn\u2019t in the water.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor me as an athlete, I am always someone who likes to try something new and keep mixing everything up. I don\u2019t like getting in the rut of the same exercises,\u201d she said. \u201cIn the weight room specifically with J.R. (Rosania)<\/strong>, I got back in when I was able to train with him again. I wanted to do new things and work other parts of my body to become a well-rounded athlete again.\u201d<\/p>\n