Even Olympic Athletes Get Body-Shamed

Three-time Olympic medalist Lindsey Vonn slams body-shaming trolls: ‘I am 100% natural and 100% Lindsey’

Lindsey Vonn is a well-decorated athlete. She was not only the first American woman to win gold in downhill at the 2010 Winter Olympics, but she’s also amassed a staggering 82 wins, including three Olympic Winter Games medals and eight world championships medals. Now, Vonn may have retired from skiing, but she has one more accomplishment to add to her long list of achievements: troll slayer. Vonn recently took to Instagram to address the “ruthless” body-shaming comments left by vile trolls on her bikini pics — via an empowering message of body positivity.

“I’ve posted quite a few swimsuit pics lately, which is scarier than it seems,” Vonn starts. “Even as an athlete there are ruthless comments and media stories that tear apart my body and I admit it sometimes hurts me.”

Vonn’s Instagram post shows unposed, unfiltered photos of a healthy, beautiful, strong woman enjoying her vacation. But apparently the sight of skin drew the body-shamers out of their sad, dark corners like moths to a flame.

“I’m a normal person and sometimes I slouch, my stomach folds over, my cellulite shows on my butt, or I don’t fill out my swimsuit top just right….But, I always remember how my body has helped me achieve amazing things in my life and I am proud of how strong I am,” Vonn writes.

Vonn’s photos are littered with disgusting comments such as “she thinks she’s a lot hotter than she thinks… fat knees” and “put that fat ass in a tent” and “BOOB-LESS.” And they only get worse.

But Vonn isn’t having it.

“I’m not a size zero and that’s perfectly fine with me,” Vonn continues to write. “One thing I can promise all of you is that I never Photoshop my photos and am proud to officially never had any plastic surgery of any kind. No Botox, no fillers, no mini surgeries. Literally nothing. I am 100% natural and 100% Lindsey.”

This isn’t the first time Vonn has addressed body image and her body insecurities. Not only does she write about it in her 2016 book Strong Is the New Beautiful, but she also told Today at the time that while she may be very confident on the mountain, on the red carpet, not so much. “I’m just not your typical body type, so I have insecurities,” she said. “I’m very self-conscious.”

“I think I’m strong when it comes to working out, and everything I do on the mountain I feel confident in myself, but a lot of times I really don’t feel that confident,” Vonn continued. “I have my insecurities like everyone else, and being on the mountain is the only time I feel 100 percent sure of myself.”

It’s a message she has for others who might also feel self-conscious or “down about their appearance.”

“Stay strong, stay healthy and love yourself no matter what the haters say,” she writes on Instagram. “Special thanks to all of you who have been positive and supportive… let’s keep up the culture of body positivity going!”

Yes, please.