Jordan Chiles Opens Up About Facing Racism And Overcoming Adversity In Gymnastics
Jordan Chiles, the 23-year-old Olympic gymnast, recently shared her experiences with racism and adversity in a revealing interview with Teen Vogue for their July/August issue. As she prepares for the Summer Olympics in Paris, Jordan reflects on the challenges she faced as a young Black girl in gymnastics.
In the interview, Jordan recounted a significant incident of racial discrimination from her childhood. “Some lady in the crowd basically was like, ‘She doesn’t deserve to be on the floor. She doesn’t even look like anybody else,’” she told Teen Vogue.
“People were racially attacking me without me even really knowing,” she added.
Although she was too young to remember the event herself, her mother recounted the story to her. “I’m young, so I only know the story because my mom told me,” she explained, adding, “Security had to step in and defend her right to compete, telling the woman, “Ma’am, she’s doing everything just like everybody else.”
Jordan also shared other instances of racism throughout her career, including having medals taken away and being told that her mother wasn’t her mom. “I’ve gotten told that I wasn’t Black,” she revealed.
Despite these hurtful experiences, Jordan has turned them into teachable moments for the next generation of athletes. “I can tell the younger generation, ‘Look, if this ever happens, use your voice, say what you need to say. And if you get kicked out of the gym, you get kicked out of the gym. But at least you were able to stand up for yourself,’” she advised.
Jordan also discussed overcoming body-shaming and doubt in her abilities, which at times made her consider quitting gymnastics altogether. “I was traumatized when I was younger. I was getting weighed. I was told I could only eat certain things. There were a lot of things that I was told because I had to ‘look a certain way.’ But as I’ve gotten older, I’ve realized we’re human,” she shared.
“Our bodies go through different changes. I’m a woman, so obviously, when it comes to hormonal situations or my cycle, I can’t control that,” she added.
Her journey to self-acceptance and confidence began around the age of 14. “Around 14 years old, I was like: ‘You know what? I’m not going to listen to anybody. I’m just going to do me, go out there and have fun, and just live life to the fullest.’ That’s how I overcame people always telling me to dim my light,” she shared.
