Good for a Girl: A Woman Running in a Man's World

Content Warning: This section refers to disordered eating as well as female abuse in sports.

Fleshman’s memoir is a reflection on the difficulties of retaining a positive relationship with running as a woman despite the misogyny of the athletic world and the immense pressure of professional athleticism. As a child, Fleshman discovered and embraced the sport of running. During puberty, however, Fleshman and other girls began to struggle against their own bodies, finding new limitations that impeded their progress. For women, both physical and societal barriers exist in professional sports, reducing the likelihood that women can continue to find joy and power from running. Fleshman explores how it is possible to sustain this love of running with the right tools and with the development of better societal standards for female individuals in sports.

Fleshman first experienced her love of running as a child, easily winning the mile race each week in PE class: “[E]very week, at the sound of the bullhorn, I would take off with the pack, and within two minutes, I would be alone, gliding along the row of trees on the far end of the field, flying beneath the branches” (15). The verbs “gliding” and “flying” characterize Fleshman’s movement as both powerful and effortless.