Elizabeth Smart just added “bodybuilder” to her résumé, People reports. The child safety advocate, now 38, revealed on Instagram Tuesday that she quietly competed in the Wasatch Warrior bodybuilding and fitness event in Salt Lake City last week—her fourth such contest, though the first she’s shared publicly. The photo shows Smart onstage in a bikini, a sight she admitted likely “shocked” many followers, noting that a few years ago she would have sworn she’d never compete in bodybuilding. Smart, kidnapped and subjected to daily rapes, physical abuse, and starvation by her captors for nine months when she was 14, said she’d been reluctant to post about the competitions, fearing she’d be dismissed or seen as less credible as an advocate for abuse survivors. She linked that anxiety to something many survivors feel: being defined by a single label.
Calling bodybuilding “a big change” that pushed and challenged her, Smart wrote that she’s proud of the body that endured her abduction, carried her through “every worst day,” and has now birthed and raised three children. She said she refuses to be ashamed of that body—or of trying something new—and urged others to pursue experiences, self-improvement, and “most importantly happiness.” Followers were supporting Smart in the comments, Today reports. Smart’s coach also posted her own photo and praised Smart, Extra reports.
