Photo: DJENEBA ADUAYOM
Olympic snowboarderChloe Kimis not shying away from the dark side of being in the public eye.
In an interview withShapemagazinefor its upcoming December issue — on sale Nov. 12 — Kim, 21, got candid about the toll the spotlight has taken on her mental health.
“I felt pressured to be perfect all the time, and it drained me,” the Olympian admitted. “I was genuinely angry for a while because I was so concerned about what everyone else would think about me. It became toxic.”
She said, “That’s when I realized, I need to take better care of myself, and if I don’t want to do something, I can’t force myself to do it. It was very empowering for me, feeling like I finally had more control over my life. Right now I’m in a much better place.”
The athlete also talked about how she has learned to draw the line between her professional and personal life back home in California.
“I definitely think I switch mentally,” she told the magazine. “I completely tune out, and I become a different person. I’m Chloe Kim, the snowboarder. But when I’m home, I’m Chloe Kim, the Cali girl. There’s a different Chloe when I’m on snow, and I love her. She’s the best.”
DJENEBA ADUAYOM
The snowboarder is not the first Olympian to speak out about mental health issues, following in the footsteps of athletes likeSimone Bilesand Naomi Osaka.
Gymnast Biles stepped away from several events in the Tokyo Olympics this past summer to focus on her own wellness, while tennis champ Osaka made headlines for amplifying the conversation aboutathletes' mental healthafter shewithdrew from the French Openin May.
“I was really proud of Simone Biles, andNaomi Osakaas well, for prioritizing their mental health. I hope that people realize that as athletes and Olympians, we face a lot of pressure. It’s important to slow down, take a step back, and validate your emotions. Respecting yourself is so important,” Kim toldShape.
Kim, herself, has made headlines for using her platform to do good, speaking out against anti-Asian bigotry that increased drastically at the start of the pandemic.
She previously toldESPNin April that therise in anti-Asian hate crimesand hateful social media messages had taken a toll on her mental health.
Kim, who is Korean American, admitted toShapethat it was hard to publicly share her experiences. She explained, “In my everyday life, if something bothers me, I have to be really comfortable with a certain person to share my discomfort. So you could imagine how I felt when everyone was pressuring me to do it on social media”
Now, with the support of Alex Morgan, Sue Bird and Simone Manuel — with whom Kim foundedwomen-focused media companyTOGETHXR — the winter sports star feels she’s learning how to speak out.
“Growing up, I didn’t have anyone in the Asian American community to look up to in my sport,” she said in the interview. “It’s cool that we’re solving that problem and advocating for diversity so we can reach more young women like me.”
ASIAN AMERICAN PACIFIC ISLANDER HATE CRIME LANGUAGE (for bottom of post)If you’ve been attacked or have witnessed an attack, please contact your local authorities. You can also report your incidenthere. To learn more and to report crimes, go to:Asian Americans Advancing Justice,Stop the AAPI Hate,National Council of Asian Pacific Americans,Asian Americans Advancing Justice-LA, andAsian Pacific Policy & Planning Council.
source: people.com
