Smart, 38, said she competed in four competitions before going public with her hobby
Credit: Robyn Maher/Instagram
NEED TO KNOW
- Elizabeth Smart placed in three categories at a bodybuilding competition, including first in the Fit Model Novice Category
- Smart described competing in a bikini as terrifying but said it was a liberating way to celebrate her body
- She hopes her journey inspires other survivors to embrace their bodies after trauma and challenges
Elizabeth Smart put herself in a vulnerable position when she entered her recent bodybuilding competition.
The 38-year-old advocate and sexual assault survivor placed first in the Fit Model Novice Category at the Wasatch Warrior bodybuilding and fitness competition in mid-April in Salt Lake City, Utah. She also took second place in the Fit Model category and ranked third in Fit Model Masters 35+.
“It was terrifying. It was absolutely terrifying,” Smart admitted to CBS Mornings' Gayle King on Monday, May 4. “And you're right, I grew up always just being so modest. I don't think I wore a bikini until I was on my honeymoon. So stepping up on stage in a bikini felt like the most vulnerable thing I could possibly do.”
The mother of three shared that she was “shaking” when she first stepped on the stage and even had a minor wardrobe malfunction while posing.
“I had these beautiful long mermaid hair extensions in that I'd never worn before in my life,” she explained. “And you have all this big jewelry on. And you go through like this whole posing routine, and there's a point where you flick your hair back over your shoulder. And I hadn't ever practiced it with the long hair and the big jewelry, and my ring got stuck in my hair onstage. And so I just had to rip it out.”
Credit: Mackenzie Paralee Holsombake/Instagram
For Smart, the decision to participate in the contest was a “liberating” one as she embraced all her body has been through and done for her.
“I think there were a lot of things I felt,” she said. “In my line of work, I have met so many victims of sexual abuse and violence who feel like their body betrayed them. And we see a lot of self-harm, eating disorders, feelings of self-loathing, loathing their body. For me doing this, I feel like it has been a celebration of my body because it has carried me through every worst day, every bad experience.”
Credit: CBS
Adding that her body helped carry and deliver her three children, Smart noted, “I am so grateful to my body for being where I am today that I want to celebrate it and I shouldn't be ashamed of it, and I shouldn't be ashamed that I've taken care of it and worked to build it strong. And I'm very proud of myself.”
Smart previously shared that the contest was actually her fourth competition, but she hadn't shared the others publicly.
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"I was too afraid to post it before,” she admitted on Instagram. “Worried that I would be judged, not taken seriously, somehow perceived as less than or now unworthy to continue work as an advocate for all survivors."
Smart competed under her married name after tying the knot with Matthew Gilmour in 2012.
At the age of 14, Smart was abducted and held for nine months, where she was subjected to daily rape, physical abuse and starvation. Authorities found her in March 2003 in Utah, and she has since become an advocate for child safety.
If you or someone you know has been a victim of sexual abuse, text "STRENGTH" to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 to be connected to a certified crisis counselor.
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