Aly Raisman talks about teen bullying for being ‘too strong’

Aly Raisman has an unexpected message to childhood bullies: “Thanks.”

The two-time Olympic gymnast posted a picture of herself to Instagram Wednesday evening showing off her muscular arms as part of Reebok’s campaign against body shaming, #perfectnever, which is a part of its larger Be More Human campaign.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BMmlZk8goNl/?taken-by=alyraisman

“Shoutout to all the boys from 5th-9th grade who made fun of me for being ‘too strong,'” Raisman wrote. “Thanks for forcing me to learn to love myself and my body. My muscular arms that were considered weird and gross when I was younger have made me one of the best gymnasts on the planet.”

“Don’t ever let anyone tell you how you should or shouldn’t look,” she continued. “There is no such thing as a perfect body type.”

Within two hours of sharing her experience with bullying, the Needham native’s post received over 1,600 comments.

New friend Olivia Munn also gave Raisman a shoutout on Twitter for sharing her message of support for others and “#GirlPower.”

https://twitter.com/oliviamunn/status/796459541869264896