Why did GRRRL decide to ditch traditional sizing and opt for naming and sizing its activewear after athletes and their body types ?
It ’ s an antiquated system that ’ s been in practice since the 1940s . At GRRRL , we decided to transition to a size chart that transcends international sizing issues and to help break the stigma around being a number . As women , we ’ ve been conditioned to always want to be a smaller size . We ’ ve discovered that by focusing on being a powerful athlete instead of a number , women have successfully been able to break free from the mental obsession of obtaining a false perfection .
You ’ re a bodybuilding legend , the woman with the world ’ s deadliest thighs ( according to Stan Lee ), and a Queensland State Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu champion , among many other things . You write on your website that “ physical strength ... has been the number one contributing factor to building selfconfidence .” What inspired your approach to fitness — building strength rather than losing weight ?
I ’ ve been obsessed with muscle since I was a little girl . Having an older brother who I idolized , I started moving weight around from a young age . But even starting to move weights from a young age didn ’ t protect me from diet culture . I was so desperate to have legs like Kate Moss that , by the time I turned 17 , and despite being at a Catholic high school , and the student body president with a 4.0 GPA , and in a Christian rock band , I started using methamphetamines to lose weight .
For the next eight years , I spent my life in a constant cycle of debilitating addiction and destruction . It wasn ’ t until I found the gym again that I finally turned my life around . I ’ m 11 years clean and sober today . Weight lifting and being strong literally saved my life .
You recently published a memoir in which you write about your past struggles with self-love , addiction , and surviving rape , and , eventually , triumphing . Without revealing too much — because we want our readers to check out your book — who or what inspired you to “ take back your power and learn to love yourself ”?
Without sounding too much like a Hallmark card , I truly believe that it was , and still is today , a power greater than myself . There is no way I should be alive today . I do my best to use different words than the term “ God ” because so many of us have a dogmatic relationship with the term and religion . But for me today , I know there is a God , and I ’ m not it . That ’ s the simplicity of my spirituality . But I do believe that God — the Power of the Universe , Mother Nature , or whatever else you want to call it — has put me on this earth to specifically help people understand that they are enough and worthy of love , regardless of what status or shape they ’ re in . Additionally , I ’ ve been out here to live out my role of helping to crush the stereotypes around addiction and what an addict or alcoholic looks like .
Kortney is transforming GRRRL — not just an activewear brand but “ an army of women [ who ] fight for each other ”— into a force to be reckoned with . GRRRLARMY , GRRRL ’ s online community , is among several of the brand ’ s initiatives to empower women worldwide . It is a network-slash-safe space for women who want to connect with other women , share their experiences , build local relationships , and “ feel unconditional love .” Find GRRRLARMY on Facebook or look up # grrrlarmy on Instagram .
Learn more about the GRRRL revolution and shop the activewear on GRRRL . com . Plus , get your copy of Kortney ’ s memoir Crushing It on Amazon or at Barnes & Noble .
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