After a screening of the documentary “Breaking Boundaries,” shown as part of the 32nd Annual African Diaspora Film Festival, panelists discussed some of the issues covered in the film. Nastasya Generalova, who was raised by her Russian mother in California, spent her youth and teen years competing in rhythmic gymnastics, rising to one of the top spots in the U.S. Despite her successes, though, Generalova, whose absent father is African American, endured comments about her body and performance style.
“One little thing makes such a difference in the sport,” said Wendy Hilliard, founder of the Wendy Hilliard Gymnastics Foundation and the first Black rhythmic gymnast to represent the U.S. internationally.
“It’s really difficult when you don’t have people [who] look like you,” said Alexis Page, a former Team USA rhythmic gymnast, now the program manager of athletics and fitness at Trinity Church Wall Street. “I was third in the country (as was Generalova). It’s lonely and it’s hard. When you have nobody [who] looks like you … it’s tiring and you’re in a sport where you’re not included from head to toe. You’re told that your hair has to look a certain way and your hair is damaged because you’re trying to make it look a certain way. Your shoes don’t even match your skin color.”
Generalova is a few years younger than Page and recalled how Page was supportive and willing to be a source of information. “It’s a lot of mental work,” said Generalova. “You doubt yourself and think, ‘I’m not meant for this.’”
Both she and Page said it was incredibly motivating when young girls told them they were inspirations. “I think I did it more for the culture and the people than at that point for myself,” said Generalova, who competed until 2019. “I wanted my personal style to be remembered over first, second, or third.”
Throughout the film, Generalova mentions hearing comments about her weight: Even though she was thin, her body type didn’t match the Eastern European ideal. Today, she works for the One Love Community Fridge in Brooklyn, which addresses issues of food insecurity.
“A lot of gymnasts, at least during our times, didn’t have the most healthy relationships with food; I was one of them,” said Generalova. “It took time to understand that food is nutrition; it’s not an esthetic … My work today helps my inner child.”