Elizabeth Smart is showing she’s not just mentally and emotionally strong, she’s also physically strong.
The 38-year-old child safety activist posted on Instagram showing off her physique at a recent bodybuilding competition. “When I posted the pictures in my story of me standing on stage in a bikini it probably shocked many of you, and I understand the shock because had you asked me if I would ever compete in a bodybuilding show a couple of years ago I would have said, ‘absolutely not! Never in 100 years!’” she wrote in the caption.
“This is actually the fourth competition I’ve done, but I was too afraid to post it before. Worried that I would be judged, not taken seriously, somehow perceived as less than or now unworthy to continue work as an advocate for all survivors,” she continued. “Then this past weekend it struck me how eerily familiar these feelings and thoughts are for too many survivors. I think it’s easy to be labeled as one thing, and honestly, that’s not me, nor do I think it’s any of us. We are more than just one topic, one idea, one label.”
Smart wrote that she has many interests, and she doesn’t want to regret not pursuing her interests. “This was a big change for me, it was hard, it pushed me, challenged me not to give up. I am so proud of myself for doing this. I am so proud of my body, and I want to celebrate it. My body has carried me through every worst day, every hellish grueling experience, it’s created and nurtured three beautiful children, my body has risen to every single challenge life has presented it with, and carried me through so I refuse to be ashamed of it,” she wrote.
The kidnapping survivor, whose story was told in Netflix’s “Kidnapped: The Elizabeth Smart Story,” wrote that she refuses to feel embarrassed for trying new things, and she wants to embrace life to the fullest extent. “I only hope that we all find the courage to chase new experiences, goals, bettering ourselves, and most importantly happiness,” she concluded the post.
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