This rugby player is fighting Asian beauty standards by showing women it’s OK to be strong
German-Chinese national athlete Sofie Fella urges girls and women to transcend traditional Asian femininity norms and build strength
To understand why German-Chinese athlete Sofie Fella felt compelled to design a T-shirt featuring the Chinese character da – Mandarin for “big” – one must understand the rigid expectations of Asian femininity.
In cities like Shanghai, Fella’s hometown, the “ideal” body is more than an aesthetic – it is a signifier of virtue. This mindset is encouraged from a young age.
Even as a Harvard University rugby player and now international competitor – she plays for the German national team – Fella has not been spared the scrutiny that follows Asian women throughout their lives.
Though now celebrated for her strength on the field, Fella started her athletic journey in a ballet studio, one that provided a brutal introduction to body scrutiny.
“We had a scale in our classroom, and you had to weigh yourself in front of other people,” she says. “The messaging was clear: small is beautiful. Don’t be too muscular; that’s manly. I was always bigger than the petite Chinese dancers, and I was taught to shrink.”
