The Body Issue Cover Model, Amanda Bingson, with her hammer (Photo ESPN)

Meet the Amanda Bingson, the Olympic hammer throwing phenom for the USA, recently rocked the body confidence world when she appeared nude as one of ESPN’s Body Issue cover stars. At only 25 years old, Bingson has become a full-blown track and field star after picking up the sport in 2009. She holds the American record for hammer throwing and is a hopeful to make her second Olympic appearance at the 2016 games in Rio De Janiero, Brazil.

I spoke to the very funny, refreshingly open, and self proclaimed “country” athlete who often competes with a flower in her hair and gets a manicure every two weeks to protect her greatest assets, about becoming an overnight role model to otherwise body conscious women and girls everywhere.

Tara Tersigni: Let’s start with the most obvious topic, the ESPN Body Issue, so f***ing cool.

Amanda Bingson: Right! [Laughs]

How did ESPN approach you for the issue?

My publicist is the one that kind of put it all together. No one ever really says, “Oh hey we want a track athlete,” “We want a hammer thrower for this.” We pretty much have to go out and find things. Then they were like, “Oh yeah, by the way, ESPN wants you to be in their Body Issue and I was like, “Holy sh**! This is real life? No they don’t — stop lying to me!”

Did you get nervous? You’re naked in the magazine!

Yeah, it’s pretty funny because this was my first photo shoot, my first interview, my first everything. I’m perfectly fine because it’s all sink or swim for me. It was just, “Oh hey you’re first introduction to the world in media is going to be ESPN Body Issue.” As for being nervous, it was definitely hard, but growing up in Vegas, where I’m so desensitized to the body and the naked body. In Las Vegas billboards are everywhere, sex is just everywhere, and I’m kind used to it. I don’t think of it as a bad thing. When they talked about what we wanted to do for the issue I made sure to tell them I want to do purely action shots. I wanted to really be an authentic kind of feel for the hammer. I think doing that made it a lot easier and made me a lot more comfortable, because it wasn’t just me standing my boobs up. You know?

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That’s why you’re the perfect person to be on the cover of the Body Issue. Did you ever think, “Ah all my s***’s out and everyone can see it?”

No, it’s so funny cause, I was in my robe and I had my publicist give me a little rub down on my shoulders, like I’m about ready to go for a fight. Then I was like, “Okay, I’m ready.” I literally threw the robe off, did a complete spread eagle and was like, “Alright, it’s all out there let’s go.” My Mom called and asked, “You’re wearing underwear and some pasties right?” and I’m said, “Nope. Everybody knows I’m a natural ginger ma. Everybody knows. There are no secrets in our life.” I was just like man, if we’re going to do it, just do it. Don’t half ass it. I’m just like, “It’s a vagina. everyone’s seen one, it’s OK.” It is what it is.

I mean it’s the Body Issue, if you can’t handle it you shouldn’t be in it.

Exactly! You’re sitting taking pictures of naked people and being on set with naked people you’d be pretty comfortable with yourself.

You have become the poster child for body confidence practically overnight.

Right? It’s weird.

Did you expect that?

No, god no! When they said ESPN called me up, I thought I’d be like in the background, in the ads and everyone will kind of skip by me. And then they said, “You’re going to be on the cover.” I’m like no! I do not have a cover body. This is not what people want to see. And the way it’s turned out is just crazy insane! I did not know that it was going to get this much positive attention; which I’m not mad about. I think it’s awesome and I think it’s great, because we need something like this. I just didn’t ever expected that it would be me doing it.

You said you were inspired by the positive feedback, how are you going to help or try to help other girls out there?

A lot of the kids that have been responding to me and writing messages, I tell them you have to find what fits. I’ve been telling them you have to find something that you’re great at, that you love doing, and that needs to be what you’re proud of. What I’m doing is opening people’s eyes to different worlds that are out there that they can be a part of.

Where does that confidence come from? Did you have to build it over time or have you always been like this?

I think I definitely had those spots where I was just like, “Okay, I’m too fat. I need to lose weight,” because people weren’t as harsh as they are today with social media. I think growing up, I’ve always been bigger. I’ve always been athletic and I’m part German and Filipino, so I actually have a bigger frame. I’m also French and my sister got the French body, just a small, little petite thing. My parents own a construction company in Las Vegas, so I was always in the backyard pouring concrete, doing all this manual labor, because I was bigger. I remember asking my dad, “Hey how come my sister gets to sit in the office where the A/C is and play on the computer while I have go outside and sweat?” and he told me, blatantly honest, “Amanda you’re just built for it. You know you’re sister can’t do the things that you can do physically, and we need help around the office and you need to learn some lessons.” I think that’s where started and it’s not just me being fat, it’s just me being different and having a different body type. I got into sports and my size was always a good thing. It’s always trying to find that perspective and how to look at things. As long as you can find the good ways, which I pretty much did, it just got better and better and I got more successful in sports.

Amanda and her sister when they were young (Photo Instagram)

Do you look up to any specific people, in or out of sports that were role models to you in that sense?

Queen Latifah! She’s gorgeous. A guy who I had a crush on in high school, he had mentioned Queen Latifa, and I looked for her and I saw that she was bigger than all the other girls. So definitely that was huge for me because it just gave me a confidence to think people find this look sexy. But, my parents — my mom and my grandma as well, they’re just badass chicks.

Did your mom or grandma teach you any beauty lessons growing up?

I definitely get my beauty regimen from my father more than my mom. My mom was definitely a tomboy growing up and didn’t really wear makeup, didn’t do her hair, didn’t do anything else like that. My dad, who grew up in LA, is a man’s man for sure, but he always has to look good. His hair always has to be just right. If he goes on his motorcycle he has a mirror in his bag so he can check his hair and make sure he always looks good. Appearance is always the first thing you see and if you take care of yourself then other people are going to take you a little bit more seriously.

Do you have a beauty routine that you follow?

I get my hair done every once and a while, I get my nails done every two weeks, because I like having pretty hands. As you can imagine throwing a ball and lifting heavy stuff your hands get pretty torn up. I think if you look good, you feel good. If you feel good, you’re going to do good.

Recently there have been stories about the women’s World Cup soccer team, that they wear makeup when they go out and play. How do you feel about that?

Dude, I go to the nines in a competition. I always I wear more makeup in competition than I do in real life! That’s a fact. I put on concealer, eyeliner, and lashes. Because the way I look at it is that if I’m not going to be the best at least I’m going to look the best, you know? Then if I happen to do well, even better because now my pictures will turn out great and I don’t have to worry about looking disgusting.

Amanda in competition throwing the hammer (Photo Getty Images)

How do you incorporate that beauty routine into your training routine?

During training I don’t put on any makeup. I don’t do anything. I wake up, put my hair in a bun, and call it a day ‘cause I’m going to go sweat it off.

Not even the manicures every couple weeks?

Oh no, manicures I do. I have to otherwise my hands will get pretty torn up and then they get bad to where I can’t throw. So, I actually have to get my nails done.

So if you’re going out, not competing and you’re not training, what makes you feel the most confident when you leave the house?

Oh man, I have so many different styles. I’ll be a punk rock one day and the next day I’ll be some country bumpkin. If I’m going to go out and get into some trouble, I’ll definitely have some stilettos on because in my world, at 5”5 and 210 [pounds], I’m the smallest person out on the track. So I wear stilettos because I just try to see eye-to-eye with people. And probably black, because black is just sexy with a couple of accessories, like a bracelet or something. If I am about to have a good time then country boots, nice, well-fitted jeans, and a white tank top.

What do you do for fun like? How do you let your hair down after some intense months of training and competing?

My idea of a good time is pulling up to the river, parking the truck, having a six-pack in the back, listening to music, and chilling with friends. I’m straight country. Give me a six-pack of beer and a couple good friends I’m down.

Related:

ESPN’s 2015 Body Issue: Strong is Sexy

Curves: The New Book That Celebrates Every Type of Body



OITNB’s Jackie Cruz: Confidence Is The New Black

