So because parkour is such a ridiculously male dominated sport, the “correct technique” for a lot of these movements that you’re taught when you become an instructor plays to a male body’s strengths: upper body strength, higher center of gravity, etc.
She demolishes this course by moving in ways that make sense for her body. She doesn’t muscle her way up to her over a wall, she just throws a leg up over the wall. She doesn’t use upper body strength to do the salmon ladder, she uses her hips!!! And it’s fucking incredible.
So many girls and young women walk away from parkour because every movement caters to the strengths of men, because doing what makes sense for their bodies is seen as “bad technique” to be trained away.
If pre-transition me had seen this I would have cried tears of joy.
I also love this because I often see people assuming muscular, fit women aren’t strong because they don’t look like body builders. It is harder for woman to bulk up like men do, but we can still be very muscular and strong.
I remember when BSG came out I was thrilled with how appropriate Starbuck looked - her build reminded me of my sister, who was a fast jet navigator at the time. Someone else complained to me that they hadn’t found someone who looked, to them, believably fit and strong. I was livid. I still am.
Muscular fitness in a woman doesn’t always look the same as muscular fitness in a man. That doesn’t mean the women aren’t fit and strong.
i’m not 100% sure because i can’t see her face up close, but i’m pretty sure this is olivia vivian, who went viral for her tries of australian ninja warrior, and in fact, was in one ep of ninja warrior: us vs the world. she was the first woman on australian ninja warrior to finish stage one and two in the finals. she is a former elite gymnast.
