On this episode, we caught up with the first African-American woman to win the Ms Figure Olympia, Latorya Watts.
If you’ve been on fitness Insta in the past few years, you might’ve noticed a trend lately: More and more women are hitting the gym, hard. They are lifting heavy weights, tracking their muscle gains and showing off their mind-blowing athletic feats.
The hashtags speak for themselves:
#StrongisSexy
#MusclesAreBeautiful
#StrongistheNewPretty
Women of all shapes and sizes are beginning to embrace their strength in a way society has never seen before.
Unfortunately, not everyone has caught on to the trend, particularly when it comes to accepting athletic women of color. Female athletes like Serena Williams and Simone Biles are often criticized for looking “savage” and “ugly” just for having muscular builds.
But there’s one woman who has proved that perhaps society is beginning to change how they see the female black body. And that woman is IFBB Pro Figure athlete LaTorya Watts.
In 2015, She became the first African American woman to win the Ms. Figure Olympia, one of the world’s most renowned figure competitions. She returned the next year to win it again and placed second in 2017.
While Watts was unable to compete in the 2018 Olympia due to a medical condition, her dedication to the sport over the years has broken down barriers for other women of color to succeed. Last year’s competition saw three women of color take the bikini, figure and fitness titles, and we here at Rule Breakers are excited for where this trend is going.
Amazingly, we got a chance to talk to Watts right after the 2018 Olympia to reflect about why she thinks the bodybuilding arena is changing. In this week’s podcast, Watts also talks about her journey, the intricate balance of training for figure and what she’s had to overcome as a minority in the industry.
So click the play button and listen to one of the greatest athletes to walk the stage.
And PS: Don’t be afraid to like, subscribe, comment and join the Rule Breakers conversation.
