Kamikaze Magazine December 2013 | Page 10

    Brittney   Griner   3,283  Points   18  Dunks     A  post  player  standing  at  6  feet  8   inches,  weighing  199  pounds,  and   tallying  3,283  points  in  college   and  18  dunks,  one  might  think   that  this  athlete  deserves  to  head   to  the  pros.  However,  from  these   statistics,  one  also  might  think  we   are  describing  a  male.  Brittney   Griner,  a  23  year-­?old  woman  from   Houston,  Texas  has  turned  heads;   not  only  has  she  had  a  remarkable   basketball  career,  earning  her  the   1st  overall  pick  in  the  WNBA  draft,   but  she  also  wears  a  men’s  size  17   shoe  and  has  an  arm  span  of  86   inches,  making  her  taller  than   many  male  basketball  players.   Griner  sports  a  variety  of  tattoos  on   her  body  and  unfailingly  shops  in  the   men’s  department  for  clothes.  She   has  recently  revealed  that  she  is   homosexual  and  since  doing  so,  her   life  has  only  changed  for  the  better.   Despite  her  physical  features  and   sexual  orientation,  Griner  has  shown   that  it  is  okay  to  be  who  you  are  and   not  conform  to  the  societal  pressures   and  expectations  that  have  been   created  of  being  a  woman.     Throughout  her  younger  life,  Brittney   has  been  faced  with  bullies  and  even   in  college  she  was  the  topic  of  critics,   much  of  which  stemmed  from  her   physical  features,  and  incomparable   basketball  statistics.    However,  now   in  the  WNBA,  Griner  has  never  felt  so   alive  and  confident.       Defying   Gender  Norms   One  Dunk  at  a   Time