Elizabeth Smart felt terrified during her first bodybuilding competition, with rehearsed poses and costume details creating unexpected problems. A ring snagged her hair extensions, forcing her to rip through the extension and continue posing while judges rated her body. She says bodybuilding is not about trophies, and after years of competitions she has gained confidence in her body. Smart describes her abduction at age 14 in 2002 and the months of captivity involving repeated sexual assault, humiliation, and psychological manipulation. She characterizes trauma as a detour, a path never planned or wanted, and says survival involved holding onto small memories and moments.
"In 2002, Smart was just 14 years old when a self-proclaimed prophet abducted her at knifepoint from her Salt Lake City bedroom while she slept beside her younger sister. For months, the world watched the search for her unfold. Her face was plastered across television screens and the front pages of newspapers. All the while, she was living in the woods just miles from her home."
#bodybuilding #trauma-recovery #confidence-and-self-image #survival-and-resilience #personal-transformation
Read at www.npr.org
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