Welcome, friend! This month’s Non-Fiction feature is Haley Shapley’s Strong Like Her: A Celebration of Rule Breakers, History Makers, and Unstoppable Athletes. This book explores women’s athleticism and empowerment throughout history. I already mentioned it to you in my International Women’s Day Must read books last month. Now is the time to look at many of the thoughts it generated. 🙂
Strong Like Her: A Celebration of Rule Breakers, History Makers, and Unstoppable Athletes
Haley Shapley | Goodreads
Beautiful and powerful, Strong Like Her presents the awe-inspiring account of women’s athleticism throughout history.
Journalist Haley Shapley takes us through the delightful untold history of female strength to understand how we can better encourage—and celebrate—the physical power of women.
Part group biography, part cultural history, Strong Like Her delves into the fascinating stories of our muscular foremothers. From the first female Olympian (who entered the chariot race through a loophole) to the circus stars who could lift their husbands above their heads and make it look like “a little light housework with a feather duster,” these brave and brawny women paved the way for the generations to follow.
Filled with Sophy Holland’s beautiful portraits of some of today’s most awe-inspiring athletes, Strong Like Her celebrates strength in all its forms. Illuminating the lives and accomplishments of storied female sports stars—whose contributions to society go far beyond their entries in record books—Shapley challenges us to rethink everything we thought we knew about the power of women.
Strong Like Her – Book Review
The Road to Strong Like Her – My Fitness Story
When I first joined the gym in 2019, it was something I checked off my list a few times a week. I did glute bridges, inchworms and squats with weights. I would spend some time on the row machine and some on the treadmill. That was all. Then, the pandemic happened and there was no gym to go to. My husband and I started doing half an hour workouts a couple times a week but the routine broke after we moved to a house. I knew I wanted to return to exercising and it took me a year and a half to come back. Now, I look forward to my weight training sessions, three mornings a week. I love how it makes me feel and I can see my progress. I am finally getting comfortable with 12 lbs for overhead exercises. I am looking to level up to 15 lbs sometime this year.
It was around my one-year regular exercising anniversary that Haley reached out to me about reviewing her book. I had never looked into the history of sports or athletes until I read Strong Like Her. Powerlifter, Meg Gallagher graces the book cover. Everytime I look at my copy of Strong Like Her or even think about it, I feel a rush of joy and strength because of this photograph. Her words are an inspiration:
I try to never forget that the reason I’m in the gym is because I love my body and I want it to be strong.
Meg Gallagher
What are the benefits of developing physically? This is one of my favorite lines from the book:
As a woman’s belief in her physical prowess grows, it does more than improve how much she can achieve athletically- it also elevates her overall well-being, including emotional, social, and economic health, and these are all signs of strength to strive for. No longer is her body an object to be judged; it’s a vessel to be cultivated, and celebrated.
Strong Like Her, pg 7
I have felt this.
Haley recounts her changing relationship with her body from a young age and her aspirations to be smarter, smaller and coordinated amongst others. Over time, she learned that while numbers on the scale were as aspect of her life, she was motivated by the number she could deadlift. I relate to that.
Strong Like Her is an exploration of women’s athleticism, going back to Ancient Rome and their paintings all the way to the present. It’s a well researched book that showcases the women who took the first steps (truly) into sportsmanship. Did you know that pedestrianism was a popular sport in the United States in the 1870s and 1880s? That’s where the first prominent woman athlete, Ada Anderson, revealed herself, mesmerizing crowds with her walk. I knew very little about the events and athletes mentioned in this book and now that I know them, it feels so good to know how women have been striving to get stronger.
Perceptions of the Body
Haley took me on a journey through time. She connected history and interpretation of scholars to the real life stories of the women who pursued strength. It felt like I was there, watching Ada Anderson, feeling the buzz in the air at Muscle Beach. Haley explores concepts I had never linked to women – the effect of the circus on athleticism being one of them. The pressure to have a successful marriage and kids was prevalent for many years. Physiques of women were analyzed and those who did not fit into the petite mold that society expected were not looked upon kindly.
I appreciated that Strong Like Her touched on societal expectations as well the role women play in body perceptions. When I was young, I was considered a stick figure. Now I am older and am considered not bulky enough. I have learned to ignore the comments as I know what I am doing for my body and how I feel in it. As I read, I pondered the effect that the way women talk about other women has on their perception of their body.
J. C. Herz writes in Learning to Breathe Fire, a book about the history of Cross Fit. “Women are the ones who look at another woman’s body and make negative remarks to her face, or communicate disapproval with a furrowed gaze or the curl of a lip. Women’s bodies reflect a social order that’s largely upheld by other women.”
Strong Like Her, pg 149
A side effect of reading for fun is to learn and challenge the perceptions I have, whether they stem from my upbringing or ideas I have embraced as an adult. Growing up, during menstruation, I was always told to not pick up heavy things. Don’t move furniture. I wasn’t surprised to learn how menstruation has been used to deter women from fitness. You can imagine the perceptions around pregnancy if this was the case with menstruation.
Reimagining Women’s Role in Sports and Society
Throughout history, discussions surrounding women’s participation in sports have often intersected with societal expectations regarding attire and behavior, often based on what would not incite lust from men around them. I read about the debates around dress codes for sports like tennis as well as swimming and how athletes such as Annette Kellermann were pivotal to normalizing swimming suits for women that would not be obstructive.
Moreover, the historical struggle for women’s suffrage highlighted the societal belief that physical strength should correspond to political influence. In the late 1800s, women like Sandwina, renowned strongwoman and circus performer in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, were challenging this idea. The mid-20th century saw the rise of outdoor gym and beach areas, Muscle Beach, where bodybuilders, weightlifters, and fitness enthusiasts gathered to showcase their athleticism. Pudgy Stockton played a significant role in the development of Muscle Beach as a training ground for bodybuilders and fitness enthusiasts. She had a column called Barbelles in Strength and Health magazine. Maybe one of the first instances where a woman publicly encouraged other women to train, she ensured they understood that genuine advancement required dedication and effort.
I was blown away to learn that an official had pushed Kathrine Switzer out of the Boston Marathon in 1967 because women had never run it before. I love her words about running a mile a day:
“The mile a day was like magic because it changed everything,” she says. “It was like a secret armor that was my victory under my belt every day that no one could take away from me. If I got in a difficult situation, I could always say to myself, ‘You ran a mile today and he didn’t.'”
Strong Like Her, pg 104
Strong Like Her touches on numerous realities that women faced as they grew into fitness and the popular sports of the time. Haley took the opportunity to challenge popular sports and I learned that there are sports where women have more advantages than men such as gymnastics and sprinting.
Strong Like Her as a Whole
Strong Like Her should not be mistaken for a historical book. It’s a well thought out critique of the perceptions that stopped women from getting into and staying in sports as well as a celebration of the women who made it regardless of the pushback they felt and the inspiration they offered to girls in their time and today. For example, Lei Wang is the first Chinese woman and the first Asian American to have achieved the Explorers Grand Slam (to reach the North Pole and South Pole, as well as climb the Seven Summits). We share the same upbringing that focused on education and career, and not sports or physical activity. The efforts it took to reach these goals takes a lot of courage and I loved reading her challenges and triumphs. It felt so good to be seen in the experiences of the women in this book and, hence, possible to imagine that I too can be that strong should I put my mind to it. If beginning is the hardest then I am already on my way.
The hallmark of a balanced book is one where credit is given to whom it is due. Strong Like Her also highlights the men who invited their woman partners to the gym, because back then, an invitation was needed. I learned about Jan and Terry Todd as well as Pudgy and Les Stockton.
With over 20 portraits of present day athletes by Sophy Holland, the photos effectively capture the strength and resilience of the athletes with grace. I spent hours looking at these photos. Though their stories are not interwoven into the main narrative, I loved a quote from each of them that was included in the photograph and enjoyed learning about them and their achievements in the appendix of the book. The chapters also have photos of historical female athletes which were equally captivating. The one of Jan Todd lifting 1000 lbs and Elaine Craig with her gorgeous and well-built body blew me away.
Continuing the Legacy
We enjoy many freedoms today that were won by women from decades ago. The call to action made by Strong Like Her is to not forgot. To not become complacent and satisfied with what we are now allowed to do. To keep growing. To be aware that for women in sports, the authorities still set up discriminatory rules and proving that one is a woman has been a long standing tradition.
Strong Like Her is about revealing the strength the women have possessed for all time. The idea isn’t to motivate the reader to pick up heavy weights though if one has been considering, reading about the athletes and seeing photos of those who were weightlifters is going to be motivating. The intention is to forge a new connection with our bodies. Love them. Forget about all that we have been told, what we can and can’t do and just go for it. We are capable. We don’t need anyone’s permission.
Knowing the history of the women who have come before puts everything into perspective, and it keeps us aiming for equality in the areas, such as paychecks and publicity, where it’s still lacking. “Some strong and angry women in my generation brought down some very big barriers for women in sports,” said Dr. Karyn Marshall, the weightlifter, in a TEDx Talk. “We fought for it. Today’s women are complacent, more entitled than insistent-that’s why we’ve stopped accelerating. We’re stronger than ever. We need to get angry again, we need to fight again.”
Strong Like Her, pg 174-175
Quotes and Closing Thoughts
In reality, everything’s for you if you’re willing to put in the time and effort to learn and make progress.
Liefia Ingalls, Strong Like Her, pg 168
We’re going to leave a lot of legacies for our kids in different ways above and beyond what we say. Moms being healthy and active is a very powerful thing for kids to see.
Maggi Thorne, American Ninja Warrior Competitor, Strong Like Her
All her working life, my mom went for a walk each night. Now in her 50s, she goes for Zumba a couple times a week. My step mom and mother in law have their unique go-to ways to stay fit as well. May I too continue to love and grow with my body when I’m their age. It is never too late to become active. It is also ok for our personal fitness routines to evolve with time. If we dare, we can find inspiration in the women in our lives.
Strong Like Her inspires and empowers me to build my strength and to do this for myself, my inner strength. It is a must-read for anyone interested in women’s history, sports, and gender studies. Add it to your Goodreads shelf.
Stay tuned for the interview with Haley Shapley tomorrow!
Many thanks to the author for a review copy of this book for an honest review.
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