Hey there, beautiful

Are Muscles Pretty?

By Andrea Leitner|Updated on June 27, 2023 (originally published on March 28, 2022)

As a college athlete, there is the constant desire to be better at your sport, whether that be in quickness, technical skills, or strength. You're constantly in the weight room getting stronger to prevent injury, to be more explosive, and to be able to hold off opponents. While strong thighs and arms are appealing to be successful in your sport, are they something that is seen as appealing in society? Body positivity is something that has evolved in the recent century, yet there is still an “ideal” body image that many athletes struggle to meet.

In my experience as a soccer player, having strong legs was always something that helped in my sport. Leg strength helps you be explosive, sprint faster, kick a ball with more power, etc. While these things assisted in being a successful athlete, it didn't help my body image outside of soccer. Jeans never fit me right: too loose in the waist and too tight in the thighs. Shirts were always too tight on my arms. High boots were too tight on my calves, and so on.

This caused me to buy clothes that were double my size and hide my body. I didn't want to look like a man – I wanted to look like a dainty girl. But, in reality, my muscles were a sign of my hard work and dedication, which is beautiful in every way. The constant idea that every girl needs to have washboard abs while being curvy, having thin legs yet large glutes, and arms with no sign of fat is not only unrealistic, but unhealthy.

With the help of social media, the idea of what someone's body should look like has expanded. People are more into fitness and strength than ever before, but there will continue to be that stigma that being skinny is ‘feminine' and ‘pretty,' which is far from true. Being pretty can mean whatever someone wants it to mean, and it shouldn't be limited by social norms.