Photo: Jared Siskin/Patrick McMullan via Getty
McKayla Maroney is reflecting on the toll that speaking out against abusers can take on a survivor.
On Instagram Monday, Maroney posed in a Britney Spears T-shirt and said sherelates to the pop star’s struggles. She said that “speaking up about abuse is extremely exhausting physically, mentally and emotionally.”
“From a young age I was taught to work hard, and persevere,“she wrote in the caption. “Gymnastics taught me to be tough, resilient, and to overcome all obstacles… and if you know me, or have been following me, you probably have picked up that I’m naturally just a positive, bubbly person, who leans more towards optimism, and having faith because that’s what makes me happy.”
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“So calling out abusers, and dwelling on all the dark negative pieces of my past felt extremely wrong for me,” Maroney continued. “I hated the depressing tone my life took on, and how the media portrayed me. I never wanted to be seen as a victim, I just wanted Larry Nassar in jail, and the people who enabled the abuse to be held accountable. I wanted to MOVE ON, and go back to being myself, but I needed to learn the power of my voice, boundaries, and WHEN to be resilient.”
The Olympic gymnast said Spears' story “resonates with me so much, because just like Britney, I also had to ‘fake it till you make it’ to survive my 2012 Olympics.” Spears, who iscurrently trying to end her longtime conservatorship, wrote on Instagram last month that she “lied and told the whole world I’m OK and I’m happy” and that “I’ve been in shock. I am traumatized.Fake it ‘til you make it, but nowI’m telling you the truth, OK? I’m not happy.”
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She also wrote that “media is hugely to blame,” and that she and other athletes were “used” for “money” and no one bothered to “protect us.”
In May, Maroney said in atweetthat she is writing a book: “I’ve been responding to more gymnastics questions if anyone needs any advice. I’mworking on a book right now, and I’m extremely excited to share my story, and all the things I learned from being an elite gymnast. It felt too hard to write about before, but I’m ready now.”
Nassar, 57, is currentlyserving a life sentenceon charges of child pornography and sexual misconduct.
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.
source: people.com
