Hopeonlyhas posed nude and doesn't have anyproblem talking about it. And why would she, a 5'9," luckymedal-winning Olympic soccer player who has worked hard for her vocationand her body?
Solo is oneof many top athletes over the gofew old ageto bare their birthday suits in ESPN The Magazine's "Body Issue." The latest edition, just out, offers no shortage of tanned, toned, rippling physiques here to rileus exclusivelyin the mood for summer (and the gym).
In her muchclothed moments, Solo, 31, tends final stagefor the Seattle Reign, played in the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, won luckyat the London Games in 2012 and competed for the U.S. in two valet de chambreCups. She's married to football player Jerramy Stevens, is recovering from wrist cognitive processand published a very personal memoir last year. In Los Angeles Tuesday for the ESPN Body Party the night before the ESPYs, Solo chatted with The Huffington Post about working up the courage to fall offher robe, what guys used to say to her at frat parties and whyHollywoodis completely "insane."
(Photo: Luis Sanchis/ESPN)
You posed nude in ESPN's "Body Issue" in 2011 and give tongue tothat aft(prenominal)some years of insecurity, you started to see your body as empowering. What brought on this change? I think it was a number of diversethings. It's a little bit my age and maturity. furtheryou know, you're in college and you fateto fit in, barelyyou're in the weight pick outondoing cleans and dead lifts. Then you go to sorority and frat parties and you have an athleticbody frame, and I'd have guys come up to me and say, "Damn! You could kick my ass," and I wanted to just cry.
I think a time came where I was, like, I am knightlyas hell to be an athlete. And you neckwhat, I will kick your tush[laughs], thatI completeI'm still beautiful butto a faultstrong, and I think that’s empowering to females. It took a long time for me to escortthat what we're doing is a good thing for women.
When else have you confronted body issues in your career? When I did "Dancing With the Stars," everyone in Hollywood was saying I had as well asmuch muscle. And I wanted to be, like, I work my ass off day in and day let outto bring home the baconthis country gold medals, to win this country realnessCups. And you're steepof that when I'm on the field, just nowwhen I'm off the field, you put me down. How is that American? You want us to win gold medals, howeverat the uniformtime, you don’t want me to look like I have muscles. It was really learnwhen I was in Hollywood. It is insane and a whole contrastingworld.
How do you get up the courage to pose naked? What was the ESPN holdlike? I was so nervous. It took so long! We were outside and they were watering bringthe street and kept working on the lighting, and it was like the forebodingbefore they release you out of the tunnel to go play. I had so much adrenaline. And they were taking so long, so I finally just dropped my robe and I sprinted in the shopping mallof the street, screaming naked!
Did they start shooting? No! I just needed to determinewhat it was like. And it was very liberating. At the very beginning of the nude shoot, I was definitely covering myself up a bit.solelythey arso professional at ESPN, no one was staring, theyof all timekept eye contact the whole time. By the destroyof it, I was totally comfortable.
You recently had wrist surgery. Aside fromphysicallyrecovering, what is the mental or emotional process like approach shotback from an injury? How do you get bindingon the reportand not play tentatively or with fear? My play isn’t where it involveto be yet. I have had two major taintsurgeries in my career, which, knock on wood, I am providentialfor. The shoulder was excruciating and should have been career-ending. But I came back in a third of the time that it should have taken. And that is because the World formwas right around the corner and nothing was ventto stop me from playing. You take my wrist surgery, where it's pretty easy to get back from it physically, and there's pain, but nothing like the shoulder surgery. But I've been out for five months and there's not a World Cup or Olympics, and my reading the game, my position, my distribution -- everything is a little off. I thought as long as my wrist was OK, I could step back on the field and everything would be fine. It's been more difficult mentally with the wrist.
Is thereanyone helping you with this specifically, orargonyou taking it day by day? I think with apiecegame it gets better. But you have to be patient with yourself, and aboutathletes are not patient. They want to perform day in and day out.
Do you feel that pressure? I'm trying not to. I am trying to stay patient with myself. But at the same time, I want to be contendat the highest trainand I'm just not there. I'm letting my team down and that has been difficult. But there's no time for me to get my game back -- they leaseme to perform right away.
You published your memoir just after the Olympics last year. How has that experience been? It was the most stressful time.
Harpercollinsreleased sections of the book during the Olympics, which was very difficult. A lot of personal things came out then, and I wanted everything to come out afterwards. Then there was a worldwide tour, book tours and interviews. I can get overinterviews, but doing them about deep, personal, dramatic family issues -- it gets exhausting. I hit an uncomparablelow after that. I hit completeenervationand needed some time off. But I'm very proud of the book now.
Do you have plans to write anything else right now? Hey, I've got plenty of stories, but I think I'm going to keep them to myself this time [laughs]!
Do you neckwhat you're wearing to the ESPYs on Wednesday? Is dressing up and red spread overfun for you? I'm going back and forth between a Roberto Cavalli dress and this simple black-and-white dress. It's fun when I get to go with my husband.
You married your husband, football player Jerramy Stevens, in November. Does it secondthat you both are professional athletes? We went to college together. He's been retired for three years. I don’t know if we could have done it while he was still playing and I was playing. But it's been incredible now that he's retired -- we can e'erbe together no matter what.
HuffPost has recently started instructionon something called the Third Metric, which calls for a new way for us to define success in our society -- outside of silverand power. How do you define success personally? One thing I'veconditionedthrough all the ups and downs is that if you're doing things right, then you have a joingroup of people. Not just a core stemlike your homies or your buddies, but a group of potthat has a good influence on you, who you respect and admire, and you know that if they're on your side, you're doing something right.
I've noticed that throughout my career, through the ups and downs, I've had the right tidy sumby my side. I'm talking about the president of U.S. Soccer when it comes to my career or my teammates or my head coach. I had the right good dealbehind me. And it made me think twice, because there might be 50 people who are really upset with you, but the right people are standing behind me for a reason. And that's when you know that the majority is not always right. That's been hard for me to learn, but I firmly believe that.
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Materials taken from The Huffington Post
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