American Ninja Warrior: A Platform for Strong Women

By Katherine Gardner on July 16, 2016

Watching American Ninja Warrior every week has become a sort of tradition in my family. Witnessing countless contestants tackle some of the craziest obstacles possibly ever created while listening to the show’s energetic hosts cheer on the competitors has never failed to entertain us. One unique aspect of the show that continues to keep me hooked is the increasing number of strong women who are taking on the same grueling course as the guys and giving them a run for their money.

(nbc.com)

It’s no secret that the vast majority of contestants on this show are men. This influx is understandable considering the show’s extensive focus on upper-body strength and the commonly accepted belief that this type of strength is exclusive only to the manliest of men. Not any more. The number of female contestants is beginning to rise as more and more women are proving to match the strength and agility of their male competitors. And because both men and women are running the same exact course as opposed to a course that has been simplified or altered for women, female victories are all the more sweeter.

One contestant who amazed everyone watching this week was Jessie Graff, a 32-year-old professional stuntwomen and fan favorite on the show. After witnessing countless people attempt to conquer this incredibly challenging course, with one particular obstacle known as “The Wedge” proving to be nearly impossible to beat, the crowd was beginning to believe that no one would be able to get past it.  That is, until Jessie Graff, dressed up as a real-life Wonder Woman, stepped up to the challenge. Graff breezed through the first few obstacles and, to everyone’s surprise, breezed just as easily through “The Wedge,” making her one of only two contestants to complete it throughout the entire two hour episode. Although she fell on the following obstacle, what she had accomplished during her run was record setting and secured her a spot in the finals. This amazing performance by Graff proved wrong anyone who believed that this course was too hard for women to be competing on, and proved to thousands of viewers that women are just as capable of doing anything that men can do – even when it comes to strength.

(nbc.com)

After Jessie Graff’s unbelievable run, and after the success of contestants like Meagan Martin, Kacy Catanzaro, and Michelle Warnky, women have proven to be fierce competition as well as an inspiration to young girls and women everywhere. This show gives girls an example of women who are both strong as hell and incredibly beautiful, disproving the myth that being strong somehow equates to bulkiness or masculinity. It encourages women to start working on their own strength training because if Jessie Graff can destroy the Salmon Ladder with ease, then what’s stopping you from working on your pull-up game? I look forward to seeing even more women competing on American Ninja Warrior in seasons to come and continue to show the world what girls are made of.

Follow Uloop

Apply to Write for Uloop News

Join the Uloop News Team

Discuss This Article

Get Top Stories Delivered Weekly

Back to Top

Log In

Contact Us

Upload An Image

Please select an image to upload
Note: must be in .png, .gif or .jpg format
OR
Provide URL where image can be downloaded
Note: must be in .png, .gif or .jpg format

By clicking this button,
you agree to the terms of use

By clicking "Create Alert" I agree to the Uloop Terms of Use.

Image not available.

Add a Photo

Please select a photo to upload
Note: must be in .png, .gif or .jpg format