The Official Collette Interview
Collette (simply using her first name) is a 21 year old former track star, U.S. National Olympic Weight Lifter and one of the biggest inspirations to all young women. One look at Collette and you’ll see a hard-bodied sculpture with the look of the girl next door, and even the look of a future Hollywood Actress. She has the twinkle in her eye that compares her to the ultra-positive actress Jennifer Love Hewitt. I’m not sure if that’s by coincidence or by design, but whatever it is, Collette has definitely got it!
Collette intrigued me with her seemingly soft spoken demeanor and results driven charisma. She seems to be a true champion of confidence. And that confidence factor is what plagues over 60% of young women today. Many young women aspire to have the lean chiseled body type of Collette, but go about achieving it through binge dieting, crash dieting, diet pills, anorexia, bulimia, and other tragic conquests. I my self have seen the personal effects bulimia and anorexia does to young women. My soon to be sister-in-law has admitted to bulimia and my girlfriends’ child hood best friend is a 60 pound 21 year old bulimic. There’s a lot of psychological and post-traumatic issues that contribute to these types of extremities but looking at Collette gives me insight as to how young women can achieve the “Hollywood Body,” so many girls desperately die for.
Collette says, “I love weight lifting and working out because of the rush I get. I love the confidence it gives me. It clears my mind and makes me a better, happier person. It also gives me lots of energy!” I find that to be so inspiring. I’ve never heard someone, especially someone so young correlate happiness with working out. I think if young women and even older women and men look at a healthy lifestyle as a route to happiness, it will truly change their lives and keep them dedicated to persevere any obstacle in life. Even outside of the weight room.
Q 1: What initially made you want to become a sports competitor?
A 1: I’ve been extremely active ever since I was a kid. I started competing in sports when I was eight years old and continued to compete throughout grade school, high school, and college. My father was a track & field athlete at Notre Dame. You could say the competitive drive runs in my genes
Q 2: Many young children and teens have disabilities or are told, “They’re not good enough to make the team.” How would you encourage them to keep striving towards their goal?
A 2: Anyone who puts someone else down is usually doing it as a cover-up for their own insecurities. Confidence and love for yourself comes from within yourself as well as from your family and close ties around you. Surround yourself with supporters! It’s especially difficult during the pre-teen and teenage years when it’s easy to think that what others think about you is the only thing that matters. Don’t give into that mentality – it’s beneath you! Smile and walk with your head high. Fake it till you make it baby!
Q 3: You have over 14,000 fans on bodyspace.com alone with at least 1,000 new hits/week. Many of them consider you some what of a sex symbol. How does that make you feel and do you embrace it?
A 3: I embrace my sexuality. It’s a part of who I am. I have always exuded sexuality and I will never apologize for that. It’s a beautiful thing.
Q 4: What words of encouragement can you offer young women who take extreme measures to lose weight?
A 4: It is not worth it! PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE be safe and love yourself! If you are having difficulties, talk to someone or write your feelings down. Do not be ashamed or embarrassed. Get outside, compete in sports, spend time with your family, read, write, draw – whatever you need to do – fulfill that creative outlet. Do whatever it is that makes you happy because that is what matters! I have found that having people who love and support you in your life is a necessity.
Q 5: Where have you gained the greatest inspiration to keep you so motivated in life?
A 5: My mom and dad have definitely been huge inspirations to me. My mom is my best friend – she is such an inspiration. She owns her own business and is very independent and loving. She has shown me that women can do anything. I can always hear her singing in a joking voice to my father who eats it up: “I can do anything you can do better.” She kicks butt and I’ve learned from the best! My father is also a best friend and a confidante. In addition, he has also acted as a coach and my workout buddy when I was competing in track & field. I have been very fortunate to have such great mentors who are smart, loving, supportive, and give great guidance.
Q 6: Do you feel the media is to blame for young women’s physical insecurities?
A 6: I would not say blame, but I would say media intake is correlated with insecurities in young women. There are unhealthy ideals portrayed everywhere. The more young women see these unhealthy ideals portrayed, the more likely they are to want to be like that. I think this is especially present in celebrity media. Celebrity is equated with happiness, fame, and fortune and people look up to that whether the celebrity likes it or not. If those celebrities are waifs, what kind of message is that sending? I saw a t-shirt that said “Rehab is the new black.” I think that kind of sums up what our media has made of these starlets. I’ve experienced it firsthand. Agents always tell me to lose weight or my face is too rounded or my butt is too big. SAYS WHO?! I happen to like that I have a big butt! You want to know why? Because it’s strong! Because if I weighed 90 lbs, I sure as heck would not be able to squat almost twice my bodyweight! I think that is far more impressive than fitting into a size 0, don’t you?!
Q 7: What gives you the drive to hit the gym on days you don’t feel like going?
A 7: When I don’t feel like going to the gym, I’ll think about how good it is going to feel afterwards. If I have a workout planned and I don’t do it – I feel guilty! I hate that feeling! If I need some extra inspiration, I’ll think about some great workouts I’ve had in the past or listen to some music to get me going.
Q 8: What music pumps you up for a good workout?
A 8: I love techno. What can I say, I’m from New Jersey!
Q 9: What words of inspiration can you give young women to chase their dreams as you have?
A 9: Do what makes you happy! You are always going to be faced with obstacles, but keep your eye on the prize. Those obstacles are going to make you stronger. You may not see it at the time, but have faith in that goal and in yourself and keep on trucking!
Q 10: What’s in the future plans of Collette?
A 10: I graduate from college this year! Then next year, I plan to attend graduate school to earn my master of fine arts in motion picture producing followed by a career in the film industry. While my goals are to run the show behind the camera, I do have a passion for being in front of it as well. We’ll see what life has in store for me Whatever it is, I’m going to approach it with a positive attitude and have fun with it!
How to reach Collette: (For those reading this post outside of the bodyspace.com community)
- Bodyspace.com Profile:
http://bodyspace.bodybuilding.com/Collette/
- Picture Gallery:
http://forum.bodybuilding.com/photo/showgallery.php?ppuser=241234&cat=500
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