https://www.ansa.it/english/newswire/english_service/2026/08/17/gymnast-esposito-says-best-response-to-body-shaming-is-winning-2_c37a0b22-8045-4b3a-b9e2-19d6e7aabfb2.html
Unbelievably, this incredible 19 year old Italian gymnast who won 1 gold and 2 silver medals at the Europeans last week had been trolled on social media in Italy after some of her training videos were shared before the competition. Comments like 'She'd perform much better if she lost 10 pounds ... she's too heavy ..... she's too big ...' etc.
She said she doesn't respond with comments, just results. She was shamed particularly for the video of her training on the beam - which she won gold in.
I've also been really riled by the comments like 'But gymnasts need to be much more powerful these days so their bodies will look different to how gymnasts of 20 years ago looked'.
Still NO! Why is it acceptable to make any comment about their bodies or justify why these incredible young women don't fit the mould of what (society or whoever the fuck they are says) a woman should look like?
Just hideous! Sometimes, people make me sick.