HOUSTON – As the Olympics draw near, we’re thinking of our hometown hero Simone Biles a little more, and a video that accompanied her Glamour cover details how the gymnastics star deals with myths.
Here are some of our favorite highlights from her video about gymnastics myths. Biles broke them all down into three categories: sport, lifestyle and physique.
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Sport
Assumption/misconception: Gymnastics is not a sport.
Biles: “I hear this a lot, but I feel like every four years, everybody tunes in to watch gymnastics, so it’s gotta be a sport, at least.”
What a burn, Biles. Burn.
Assumption/misconception: You have to be rich to get into the sport, lessons are expensive.
Biles: “It actually is a very expensive sport, and it also has to do with it being all year-long. We don’t have a season, and then we can take a break. And you have to kind of train your whole life for it. So, yes, it does get to be expensive.”
Assumption/misconception: You constantly have a wedgie from your uniform.
Biles: “Yes and no. You can get wedgies. But, you usually just pick them. Beauty’s a pain, so we get over it.”
Lifestyle
Assumption/misconception: How did you meet your current boyfriend? Was it on a dating app?
Biles: “So, before I started dating my boyfriend, he didn’t know who I was. It actually was on (the app Raya). No, we don’t have to talk about it. It’s fine. He’s competitive at games and in life in general, but I’m not. But whenever I beat him, I make it known that I beat him, because it just gets on his nerves.”
Assumption/misconception: They don’t have time to take care of their mental health.
Biles: “For me, I got to therapy, And I think it should be talked about a lot more because it’s not something to be ashamed or afraid of. Everybody has something different that works for them. And that’s what I just found works for me.”
Physique
Assumption/misconception: They have body image issues.
Biles: “I feel like that’s not a misconception about gymnasts. I feel like that’s everybody in general. Everybody struggles with body image issues, wanting to look different, thinking you’re not skinny. I feel like that’s everybody in life.
What do you think is Biles’ most important comment in the video? Let us know what you think in the comments.