ABSTRACT
In 1995, sports journalist Joan Ryan published the book Little Girls in Pretty Boxes, an account of the physical and psychological problems behind the making of elite gymnasts and figure skaters. This text presents a collection of disturbing narratives gleaned from almost one hundred interviews of female gymnasts and figure skaters. Twenty years later, with advancements in child protection, and the international spread of the #MeToo movement, one would expect that gymnasts’ stories would be different from those presented in the late 1990s. Unfortunately, similar stories are still being shared in media outlets today. This chapter presents a thematic analysis of recent gymnast narratives from media content (e.g., news articles, public testimonies, videos) focusing on the voices of gymnasts and the discourse of sexual and psychological harm experienced from persons in positions of authority and trust. An analysis of the stories shared through various media sources resulted in four themes: tumbling in silence, the façade, invisible scars, and the importance of their stories. The chapter concludes with a critique of where we are and where we need to be with regards to preventing these stories from being repeated in future generations of gymnasts. Recommendations for future research are also posed.
