“I’m unbelievably proud to be representing the girls, and I’m hoping to show that strong girls can also look like me”
BY AMANDA WAH, IMAGES BY SAM SHEK
“I’ve got quads, I’ve got biceps, and I’ve got a sick sleeve of tattoos. How many girls do you see who look like me on TV? I’m not your stereotypical girl. People like me need role models to look up to, to show everyone that nobody’s the same – and what better place to do this than on Gladiators? Where it’s celebrated to be strong, powerful, fast – BIG. I want to show the world that it’s OK to be different.”
This was part of my submission video to become a contender on Season 2 of BBC’s Gladiators – right before it cut to a montage of me showboating my weightlifting skills, gymnastics, walking on my hands and playing with my kids, in the hope of making it onto the show.
Little did I know then, that my childhood dream would soon become a life-changing reality, and that summer, I’d be stood atop the infamous Duel podium in front of 4,000 people, pugil stick in hand, face-to-face with a six-foot Amazonian blonde (Diamond), trying my hardest not to get smashed off…
A lot of us grew up watching Gladiators the first time around, back in the 90s – having our minds blown looking at these incredible, muscle-bound superheroes in shiny Lycra, looking like no other humans we’d ever seen. It was probably the first and only time we saw truly massive women on mainstream TV, celebrated as heroes as they flexed and flipped and wrestled with the contenders. I suspect it was an awakening for many a baby gay… (Who was your favourite, and why was it Jet?)
Fast forward to the relaunch by the BBC, and the lineup is no less impressive. Female athletes at the top of their game in elite weightlifting, Olympic-level sport, bodybuilding – make for a formidable lineup. Especially when you’re staring down the barrel of five of them in Gauntlet, armed and ready to take you down.
Far from being jeered at for the size of their physiques, far from being labelled “mannish”, these women are celebrated and revered by millions of viewers every week for their strength and skill at the events. Children know their signature poses off by heart (my own daughter has them down!), and the crowd is full of little girls who idolise them as goddesses and role models.
It’s clear that Gladiators showcases these unashamedly hench women, and as a show, it’s a huge advocate for power, strength and confidence for any young people watching from home. But what I wanted to bring was a less femme energy to the whole thing. To be the one representing the baby butches that might be watching… the one with the sharply barbered fade no makeup, and bigger biceps than most of the dads in the audience.
I’m unbelievably proud to be representing the girls, and I’m hoping to show that strong girls can also look like me – and hopefully give any girls watching with a similar masc presentation a touchpoint on primetime telly.
Would it be my dream to become the UK’s first butch gladiator? I’ll admit, that would be pretty cool. But for now, I’ll be making the most of living out my childhood dream in that blue lycra co-ord – oh, and ideally not faceplanting that iconic travellator again. Wish me luck!
Gladiators continues tomorrow at 5.50 pm on BBC One and iPlayer. Catch up on previous shows of Gladiators on BBC iPlayer and add to your watch list.
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