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Plot Summary
A formidable figure standing at 5'8" and weighing more than 300 pounds, Cheryl Haworth struggles to defend her champion status as her lifetime weightlifting career inches towards its inevitable end. Her journey as an elite athlete presents physical and personal challenges, including popular notions of power, strength, beauty, and health. A PBS Indies / Independent Lens selection.
Customer Reviews
Excellent movie!
I went to see this film at Cinema Under the Stars in San Diego, CA and had the opportunity to participate in a short Q&A with Julie Wyman (the director) afterward. As a female athlete who has struggled a lot with body image from childhood I identified with Cheryl and how she is pulled in two directions… On one hand, she wants to be a strong, self-confident, self-possessed athlete. One of her favorite things about herself is her natural ability to lift heavy weights, something she has done since she was very young. One the other hand, she is not insusceptible to society's expectations of what a woman should look like and should do, and some of her insecurities are visible in moments where she is feeling despondent about her injuries, size, or perceived lack of femininity.
Wyman mentioned during the Q&A that her initial thought was that Cheryl would be proud outlier and defy traditional gender/body image expectations… what she discovered was, I think, a more subtle and thought-provoking narrative. Cheryl Haworth is a STRONG individual, an elite athlete with a natural gift for a traditionally "masculine" sport, who at the same time strives to be graceful, has an artistic sensibility, and is very thoughtful and somewhat vulnerable. She is a truly multidimensional woman, and I identified with her very much.
I would show this film to my students if I was a middle school or high school teacher, because I think it would provoke interesting discussions about gender roles, women in athletics, and body image. I will also be recommending this film to many of my friends!
Yes!
Cheryl, you are a funtastic being!!
You may feel like you don't fit, but as you know, that's only by society's standards. Like you, I have worked to remain conscious, that I am the one most applying those standards... to myself. You belong here as much as anyone else and I think you are a prize to this life that we all share.
Keep being strong, whatever that look like!
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