Aly Raisman: ‘Just because I pose in a bra and underwear, it does not mean I always feel confident about my body.’
She’s sticking it to insecurity.
Olympic gold medalist Aly Raisman is continuing to speak out to empower women. The Needham native, 24, is once again acting as an Aerie#REAL Role Model for the clothing brand, which stopped retouching its models in 2014. This time, she appears alongside Special Olympics gymnast Chelsea Werner as part of an Aerie campaign to improve the bra shopping experience. “It’s important to me that all women and girls know that just because I pose in a bra and underwear, it does not mean I always feel confident about my body,” Raisman told People in an interview about the initiative. “Everyone should be proud of their bodies no matter what size they are, period.”Raisman also discussed her own insecurities when shopping for undergarments. “I remember walking into other stores at a young age and as I am waiting to try on a bra, I was surrounded by all the same body types and I didn’t look like the models,” she told the publication. “I was short and muscular and I felt that my muscles weren’t feminine enough.” Raisman frequently talks publicly about women’s issues. Beyond speaking out about body confidence, she’s given a voice to survivors of sexual abuse by opening up about her own story of abuse by former USA Gymnastics team doctor Larry Nassar.
