Retired athlete has mic-drop response to people trolling her for posting photos and videos in swimsuit

There are a million ways to criticize people and a few to appreciate and respect them. Many celebrities and artists are trolled and mocked for simple things they do or objectified based on their appearance. Ignoring their talent and contributions to the world, they’re often criticized on stereotypical and stigmatic grounds. Retired Chinese swimmer, Liu Xiang, faced harsh mockery for posting pictures of herself in a swimsuit online, per South China Morning Post. The athlete, who has been part of the national swimming team and achieved several world records, had posted a few images and videos of herself in a swimsuit on Douyin, a Chinese social media platform. She received unacceptable backlash but had a spot-on response.

As a swimmer, many of her posts on sociak media like Instagram, feature Xiang in pools or swimsuits, exposing much of her body. While this is a regular occurrence for athletes, many people have trolled her online. Others even recklessly objectified her. Xiang recalled several people calling her a soft-porn livestreamer. The athlete had enough of the trolling and took to a post on Weibo with some spot-on pictures to with a perfect comeback. She commenced her post with an epic counter question for trollers. “How can there be a problem with sharing my life and the lifestyle I love? If I don't wear a swimsuit when swimming, should I wear cotton pants and a down jacket?” she confidently asked.

Xiang revealed that she had been swimming since the age of 5 and the skill has been an “inseparable” part of her life. “I love myself in a swimsuit, and I love to see girls in swimsuits! My self-media content is to pass on the concept of sunshine, positivity, healthy and loving life to more people, making swimming more scientific and interesting. Am I doing it wrong?” she questioned. She went on to clarify that she doesn’t post to showcase a perfect or imperfect body but rather to express herself freely. “Girls show their real, athletic and healthy selves. This is my attitude towards life,” she remarked.

The athlete noted that she operates her own account and intends to share her photos as a simple capture of her life. “I love every photo and video I post, love my current life and love myself especially. If someone asks me if I will dare to post videos in a swimsuit in the future, my answer is, ‘Of course!’” Xiang concluded. That was not all, to feed the satisfaction of the reckless commenters and body-shamers, the swimmer also edited a picture of herself to please their eyes. She shared a few pictures of herself and then dropped the hysterical edited image. It consisted of Xiang photoshopped in a pool with a thick brown jacket to cover her entire body to show people how ridiculous their remarks were. 

Several fans had the athlete’s back and supported her response. @CAO_YU said, “Swimsuits are not at all pornographic, how dare they question you? Just be yourself and share what you love.” @Angelshining added, “Those projections do not need to be received nor do they need to resonate. I have always been encouraged by you who worked hard and broke the Asian 50m freestyle record. That day, I was waiting for the bus with my phone, watching the live broadcast and was moved by you. Sincerely wish you another track in life, continue to be happy and wonderful.”