At age 22, Aly Raisman has already accomplished many people’s lifetime achievements. As an Olympic gymnast, fashion designer and role model, Raisman is one of the best to ever compete at the games and is truly an amazing person, on and off the stage. That’s why Raisman was a no-brainer for this week’s spotlight!
1. She Is Planning on Going To the 2020 Games
Raisman has competed at the 2012 and 2016 Summer Olympic games and it was assumed she would retire after the latest. However, it seems like Raisman is actually going to try to make it into another. As a part of the “Fierce Five”, Raisman won two gold medals and a bronze medal. While a part of the “Final Five”, she won a gold medal and two silver medals. Now she’s looking to add to that collection according to an interview Raisman did with Ellen DeGeneres.
In the interview, she was asked about Tokyo and Raisman had this to say, “That’s the goal. I’m going to take off a little bit of time, just because I think I need a little bit of a break. I took a full year off in 2012. I’m going to do the same thing, take a year off, and then I’ll begin training again.” Raisman will be 26 when the next games are here so hopefully she will be able to make the National Team and compete with the other three ladies in 2020!
2. She Was On Dancing With The Stars
One thing I personally did not know about Raisman was she actually on Dancing With The Stars. Right now, we’re all watching Laurie Hernadez dazzle us away, but don’t forget about Raisman. After her amazing run at the 2012 Olympics, Raisman decided to take her talents to the dance floor and it paid off pretty well for her.
She finished in 4th place behind winner Kellie Pickler, runner-up Zendaya and NFL player, Jacoby Jones. She hasn’t let the 4th place finish keep her from cheering on her teammate, though.
3. She Designed Her Own Sock Line
Aly Raisman isn’t just sitting around when she’s not competing. She partnered with Feat Socks, a sock company to make her own unique socks. Since Raisman is so popular, most of her socks usually sell out pretty quickly, but she has designed some funny ones especially after the Rio Olympics. The one that got the most attention was Aly’s parents while they were watching her compete.
She doesn’t just get all the profits herself. Raisman has designed for Breast Cancer Awareness and every time she sells a pair, she donates a pair to a breast cancer survivor. She also designed socks for Prostate Cancer Awareness month and she will also donate a pair to someone suffering from the disease.
4. She Is Extremely Body Positive
Raisman posed for the ESPN Body Issue in 2015 when she was 21 and she spoke openly about her body. She, like many other female athletes, have been criticized for how her body looks but Raisman doesn’t let it bother her anymore, “I eat really healthy, I work super hard, so I’m really proud of the way that I look…It’s cool to see all these athletes. We all do different sports. Our bodies are so completely different, but everyone’s body is so amazing.”In a society obsessed with the female form, it’s awesome to see Aly embracing hers!
She also spoke openly about her body during an Instagram post. Raisman posted a picture from her old Reebok campaign and talked her struggles especially when she was young.
5. She Loves Being A Role Model
This one might be a little bit obvious but Aly Raisman loves her job and she loves having a lot of little girls look up to her. Being a role model isn’t something she probably signed up for, but Raisman embraces it. Being a gymnast, she knows how much talk there is about eating disorders especially for gymnasts but she’s trying to change the stigma.
She spoke with Cosmopolitan about working to help girls with eating disorders, “. I sometimes visit girls who have eating disorders at Walden Behavioral Care. I understand that as girls, sometimes you feel insecure or self-conscious, so it’s great to be able to talk to them and help them as much as I can. No matter what body type you have, you’re beautiful.” She also knows that she has to be under a microscope but she doesn’t let it bother her that much but she know what to do and what not to do.
Raisman might be a role model for young girls, but plenty of older woman also look up to her. She’s already accomplished so much and I can’t wait to see what she does next! She’ll absolutely kill it in Tokyo and there’s no intention that she is going to start slowing down.
