Today I learned: Who is the beautiful pole vaulter that the Internet once fell in love with

Remember seeing this picture in or around 2008?

It's Allison Stokke, and apparently she doesn't want to be a sex symbol.

It's a tough sell, given that apparently the famous picture wasn't an angle or lucky one off, she is actually that beautiful if not more.

source

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imgur

sportsworldnews.com

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pintrest

I actually think she's way more beautiful naturally (like the 2nd last picture) than in the professional ones (like the last one).

I don't mean to come off like I'm sexualizing her. For the record I'll share something that's borderline TMI (lol): I don't consider myself completely hetero. Growing up I realized I had attractions to other guys. To girls too, but also to guys once in a while. And I remember basically falling in love with the famous picture of her, lol.

I think you can appreciate and celebrate someone's beauty while still realizing that they are much more than that. Especially because a small part of her beauty reflects who she is -- it's not easy to have a form like that and to be a killer athlete at a sport like the pole vault, which takes a grueling degree of concentration and emotional toughness in addition to all-around fitness. So to me she is more goddess than sex symbol and deserves to be celebrated :)

She is a really good pole vaulter, and broke records in high school according to her Wiki page. Ya she has a Wiki!

"My response back then, in 2008 -- was I flattered? In some ways, sure. But I was overwhelmed, too. And I think my response to being overwhelmed was to just stay away from it entirely. But now, I'm trying to figure out how to reclaim it and own it and push it in the right direction. And benefit from it -- in terms of fueling my training. And if I try to ignore it, it will take on a life of its own. Which is what I did in college: ignore it. And I lost control of my own story."

(quote taken from ESPN article)

Rock on, Allison! Seems she has a great way of handling the attention. I wish her all the best, and it was cool to learn more about the person behind that famous picture.