-by DCCF Member, Elizabeth Ann Duncan
In case you missed it, Ronda Rousey recently gave us the girls-with-muscles quote of the year. To keep the profanity count down, I will link the full quote and advise that its NSFW:
To extrapolate on Rousey’s idea: DNBs are in it for the looks and the admiration of others. I like to think of CrossFit girls and women as DSomethingBs. Our purpose might not be to knock people out in a matter of seconds, but our muscles are useful and they are for ourselves. We develop them to get better, stronger and healthier every day. We are also femininely BA AF.
Maria Sharapova, a tennis player who I am told is the highest paid female athlete thanks mostly to her lucrative endorsements was recently quoted saying “I always want to be skinnier with less cellulite; I think that’s every girl’s wish.” I will spare you a lengthy rage blackout and simply say, THAT IS NOT MY WISH. (Maria also stated that weightlifting was ‘unnecessary’ for her sport, which is a fallacy that has probably contributed to why she hasn’t beat Serena Williams since 2004, but I digress.) Also, even if this is her own wish, it is not a wish I want being put in the minds of young women, and generalized to make them think that every girl feels as such.
I have had periods of my life where chasing a pitiful aesthetic has been my main goal. I’m not a doctor but if I’ve learned one thing about weight loss it is that you can lose more pounds sitting on your couch (restricting your food intake) than you can busting your ass in a gym. However, if you choose this route you may learn as I did that this is mis.er.ab.le. I know what lifestyle I have to live to be lean, and it is mis.er.ab.le. To the DNBs of the world: I hope you’re happy. I found that seeking society’s approval and doing nothing but agonizing over food did, well, nothing, for me.
I no longer want to be associated with skinny. And you know what’s funny? People still try to give you the skinny compliment even after you stop wanting it. My waistline can fit in a size 2 (despite my legs/ass needing many additional sizes) and people will say ‘Oh my gosh! Look at your skinny little waist!’ And I find myself correcting them. I recently had a suiting skirt hemmed and the lady was so perplexed at what size fit and what size didn’t and finally I just said to her “I know, my waist is small but thighs are big.” These muscles are a byproduct of being a DSB. I’m not ashamed of them. The big legs mean big squats. The big legs will hopefully get me out of my own bed when I’m elderly and keep me independent. No DNB has legs like mine. The big legs have a purpose.
So thank you, Ronda, for sending this message to all of us DSBs, who come in all fitness types, shapes and sizes. There is nothing inherently masculine about wanting to be strong. We need more potty mouth role models like you these days.
Elizabeth Ann Duncan (“E.A.”) is an attorney by trade and an amateur CrossFit Nerd by choice. She has been part of the CrossFit community for 3 years and has been blogging about it for 2. Her opinions, in life and in this article, are unapologetically feminist.