powerlifter Molly Kelly and her thoughts on lifting and body-image

There’s a tattoo poking out from under Molly Kelly’s gym shorts that says a lot about her—a colorful princess captioned by the phrase, “Strong for a girl.” It’s an aside she hears often, especially in the gym.

“I can do a 300-pound squat, a 315-pound deadlift, a 135-pound bench,” says Kelly (CAS’15), who competes in the male-dominated sport of powerlifting. “Right now, as it stands, I have the Connecticut record for the squat for my age class; I’d like to break the American record for my squat. So no, I’m not strong for a girl—I’m just strong.”

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