The phrase “like a girl” has long been casually thrown around in everyday conversation, often used to put someone down or belittle their abilities.
“You run like a girl.”
“You throw like a girl.”
For years, the phrase has reinforced outdated beliefs that equate femininity with weakness or fragility.
But across the world of sports, women are pushing back. They’re reclaiming their power and reshaping the very definition of femininity. Among them is Aliana Lao, a decorated athlete in CrossFit and weightlifting. Her athletic journey proves that doing something “like a girl” can mean something completely different.
Growing up, Aliana dabbled in a lot of different sports. But it wasn’t until her early teenage years that she would be introduced to CrossFit, a sport that would eventually shape her athletic path.
“I started CrossFit when I was 14 years old, then two years after that, I was scouted to the national weightlifting team in 2016. From 2016 to 2018, I competed nationally and internationally for the weightlifting team,” Aliana shares.
Aliana credits the early start of her strength-based athletics journey to her supportive parents. She notes that she was “super lucky” that they exposed her to the field at such a young age. With their encouragement, Aliana pursued her interest in strength sports, an environment historically dominated by men.
Gyms and strength training spaces have often been perceived as male-dominated, which can be intimidating or unwelcoming for many women. Growing up, Aliana regularly trained alongside male athletes. Yet she insists that such a detail never really felt like a real hardship at all.
“I was lucky to have grown up with very supportive male figures in the gym…so it never felt like I was competing against them,” she says.
For Aliana, the real challenge was the lack of female peers. “It was challenging in the sense that I couldn’t really express my femininity at the gym because I didn’t have other women to train with,” she explains.
There simply weren’t many women training alongside her at the time. Still, Aliana persevered and went on to achieve remarkable success in both CrossFit and weightlifting. She went on to join the National Weightlifting Team and later became a two-time National CrossFit Open Champion in 2023 and 2024.
But while Aliana’s accomplishments highlight her strength and dedication, her journey goes beyond medals and records. She is also breaking stereotypes about what femininity can look like in a strength-based sport.
Early in her career, Aliana had a very different view of femininity. “I used to think that strength and femininity were mutually exclusive,” she says. She often felt pressured to present herself seriously in the gym in order to earn respect. For this athlete, it took years to redefine what femininity meant to her.
“It took me a long time to confidently embrace the fact that I actually can wear matching gym fits and makeup and be my fun, dancing self during training and still perform competitively,” she explains. “Now, the most feminine part about lifting is having the audacity to contradict norms and doing so unapologetically.”
Aliana’s experience reflects a broader shift in how women in sports are redefining the meaning of femininity. For them, strength and softness can co-exist.
“In terms of mindset, I’ve learned to soften up over the years. But soft doesn’t mean weak. It means allowing myself to go through the natural ups and downs of being a high-level athlete with a bit more grace and feminine energy,” she shares.
This growth led Aliana to a perspective she now shares with other women: fitness is about more than appearance. It’s about health, longevity, and, most importantly, empowerment. “There are so many other benefits that go beyond the mirror,” she explains.
Her efforts to empower women in strength athletics naturally lead to a larger goal: reclaiming what it means to do something “like a girl.”
For years, the phrase “like a girl” has been used as an insult. But athletes like Aliana are changing that meaning.
There is strength in femininity. Doing something “like a girl” can mean doing it with discipline, resilience, and confidence. Through athletes like Aliana, the phrase is slowly being reclaimed.
Photography Kyrra Kho
