A Love Your Body Interview with Kathleen Antonia

Loving your body is not a one-size-fits-all proposition. We all need to find the inspiration that moves us personally to find peace in our bodies.  I love the response to the question, “If you had to narrow it down to one thing, what has helped you love your body most?” from my friend Kathleen Antonia. She shares how the power of proving others wrong led her to a deep exploration of her body’s strength, and helped her change minds about what women’s bodies are capable of.

What helped me love my body most? Rebellion. My sister remembers it clearly. She was eight years old. I was six. My father, the protein chemist, was explaining biological reasons why women are weaker than men.

Sis’ reasoned that given Dad’s authority, experience, and education, he must be right. I repeated, “Uh uh,” and ran outside to play football or baseball with the neighborhood boys … whom I knew weren’t stronger than me.

Cut to age thirteen when I beat my father arm wrestling and boys used my strength to tease teammates: “Kathleen can bench more than you.” When I got to college and finally broke into the 1,000 club (1,000 pounds of combined bench, squat, and deadlift), I cared not that I weighed 191 pounds. In fact, I was intrigued by the idea that I might break the 200 barrier. I ate what I wanted, and I adored my strength.

I loved that my body could lift a bar with so much weight on its ends that it curved in the middle.

I loved that men who vomited at the mouth about women’s inferiority would subsequently try to keep up with my lifting routine and then disappear for months while they recovered from whatever injuries their egos inflicted upon them. I loved that my body spoke for me, that it broke down imagined barriers in the minds of all who witnessed it in action.

  Yes, I love my body most when it ends arguments about females being weaker than males just by walking itself into a gym.

Awesome. Thank you so much for sharing your love your body story, Kathleen!

About Kathleen Antonia:

In addition to lecturing in Stanford University’s Program in Writing and Rhetoric, Kathleen Antonia Tarr is a Women’s American Football League draftee, World Record holder in the indoor half marathon row, and UC Berkeley (B.A., rhetoric) and Harvard Law School graduate with years of civil and human rights legal practice and advocacy under her belt. Kathleen has published everything from creative non-fiction, commentary, and law review (“Above and Beyond: veterans disabled by military service” – cited by the United States Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit) to PSAs, web series, and a feature length documentary (“Getting Played: who’s playing you?!” – Honorable Mention recipient at the 2010 International Black Women’s Film Festival). In addition to filmmaking, producing, and directing, her television, commercial, film, and voiceover acting credits include jingles for Mattel and characters for Electronic Arts Games, Namco, and PlayStation. kathleen_antonia.homestead.com

The post Love Your Inner Rebel appeared first on Kimber Simpkins.