At the tender age of 14, Elizabeth Smart was thrust into the national spotlight when she was abducted from her home in Salt Lake City and held captive for nine months before being rescued. Now she’s entering the limelight for an entirely different reason. The 38-year-old child safety activist posted a photo showing her physique at a recent bodybuilding competition. It was the fourth competition she participated in, but was too afraid to post before. Worried that she would be judged and not taken seriously made her keep her new hobby to herself. She explained how she changed her mind: “Then this past weekend it struck me how eerily familiar these feelings and thoughts are for too many survivors. I think it’s easy to be labeled as one thing, and honestly, that’s not me, nor do I think it’s any of us. We are more than just one topic, one idea, one label.” She went on to explain that bodybuilding has challenged her not to give up and she refuses to be ashamed of it. Smart said she refuses to feel embarrassed for trying new things, and she wants to embrace life to the fullest extent. “I only hope that we all find the courage to chase new experiences, goals, bettering ourselves, and most importantly happiness.”
