If I had the great opportunity to bear my own children and overcame the obvious physical and mental impact that act had upon my body in order to become or remain a world-class athlete, I would highlight the fact that I was a mother. I guess in my world being a mother is much greater than being an Olympic athlete.

As I mentioned, I can see the other side of this in that someone who worked so hard could be described or must be described as anything other than an athlete could be construed as diverting from the greatness of the person’s ability. I just choose to mention that I am a father every opportunity I get… It is what I want to define me, not if I could at one point in my life run, jump or swim faster than anyone else in the world.

On the sexuality thing, every man I know that has a great body is more than willing to take off his shirt and most likely his pants. The difference is in the desires of those looking at the body. Many men get stimulated very easily and I can get stimulated by a beautiful lesbian mom as much as I can by a gorgeous college athlete, but not as much as when my wife gets out of the shower.

I guess my overall point is that while it is sad that we have to define people by things other than their accomplishments, we must remember that being a mother is truly one of the most amazing accomplishments humanity has… because if we didn’t have that, you and I wouldn’t be here to chat about this.

I prefer the word “mother” to “mom”, as I consider it more proper and complimentary. Mothers raise children, moms drive minivans.

That notwithstanding, I think it is alright to mention that someone is a mother, unless they prefer it to not be mentioned. Motherhood is an important role in life. I have great respect for good mothers. I had one as a child and I am married to one now.

I think I understand how some women would see the “mom” thing as uncomplimentary. The physiology of it does suggest that the fact that the athlete gave birth is quite irrelavent. If the mother has young children, and is raising them, well the time and effort required to do that alone is overwhelming. To be able to do that and train as an athlete is astounding.

Any woman with abs like that should be proud of them, mother or not!

It could be a reflection of how mother-hood is often used by some to legitimate a lack of achievement, activity and such like post pregnancy – say an excuse.

or even it could be an appreciation of the physical toll childbirth takes, how easy it is to take child-rearing and use it as an excuse to check out and not strive.

it could even be an exhaltation to those who think that having children is the end of any ambition, athletic or otherwise that such thinking is not only self limiting but contradicted by reality!

Some other historical women Olympians and anxieties about sexuality and bodies (just items I’ve collected, nice to have a place to put them together):

***1920 Olympics: US swimmer/diver Aileen Riggin and US diver Helen Wainwright were very young (Riggin was 14) and so tiny (Riggin was under 70 lbs) that they won an exemption from wearing the official “women’s” swimsuit. (Riggin took the gold in springboard diving that year, and more medals four years later in Paris.)

***Helen Herring Stephens (1918-1994) was a US track star at the 1936 (Berlin) Olympics, winning two gold medals. So, just a teenager at the time…and so muscular that _Look_ magazine printed a photo of her with the caption “Is this a Man or a Woman?” (She sued and won damages.)

***1992 Olympics (Barcelona): Algerian runner Hassiba Boulmerka wins the gold in the 1500m, the first gold ever for Algeria, any sport, male or female–but she was treated with spitting, jeers, and death threats on her return home, because she didn’t dress modestly enough while competing.

***”I only gave up cycling for the three months that the bump stopped me from squeezing behind the handle-bars.”
–Beryl Burton, on bicycling while pregnant

English bike racer Burton (1937-1996) would surely have dominated women’s cycling events in the Olympics–but those events weren’t added to the games until the 1980s. Instead she was the world record holder in various time trial events outside the Olympics, and a force in the sport for decades.