Natalie Portman’s buff superhero a gain for muscly women everywhere

Natalie Portman’s ripped physique in Thor: Love and Thunder has redefined the meaning of strong and – spoiler alert – it doesn’t just look like Chris Hemsworth. The hammer-wielding badass beauty has proven that women can be buff and sexy too. There’s no need to trade one off for the other.

And to quote another woman championing the confidence of larger-bodied ladies, Lizzo, it’s about damn time!

Women have long been discouraged from presenting masculine traits, as if strength and size were reserved only for men. Femininity has been something I’ve always struggled with. I might blame my Mediterranean genes or my passion for food and pumping iron, but my frame has always been far from petite and demure.

As a weightlifter, I am proud of my toned muscles and my functional fitness – which comes in handy whenever I need to move furniture or lift bags of heavy groceries. I feel most empowered, mentally and physically, when I am pumping iron. There’s no greater feeling of accomplishment than in that moment under the barbell, pushing the limits of my physical strength – sometimes more than my body weight.

Lifting a personal record is an indescribable feeling. It’s not about keeping up with the men in the gym, even though that is pretty gratifying – I’m not gunna lie!

But I’ve lost track of the times I’ve been warned against getting “too big”. God forbid I get strong enough to beat a man at an arm wrestle! I could never understand why muscly women cop so much negativity.

When I was single and looking for love on dating apps, my weightlifting photo was often the one that got the most response – but the comments were usually mean. Some men would send me messages just to insult my size or tell me I look like a “bloke”.

I once received a DM that simply read, “you’re digging your grave with that one”. It was so disheartening to realise that society’s perception of beauty and strength were mutually exclusive.