Laurie Hernandez, an American gymnast and the youngest member of the “Final Five” team that took home the gold in the 2016 Rio games, describes her training as striving for perfection.
“There is a book telling you what perfection is—the Code of Points,” she says. “It tells you what each skill is, how much it’s worth, what deductions get taken off if you do X, Y, or Z. And then you train until you get to what perfection looks like. What nobody tells you is that you are separate from the thing that you’re working toward. When you strive for perfection and you don’t reach it, it doesn’t mean that you have failed as a person.”
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Hernandez, who endured emotional abuse from a former coach and developed an eating disorder, is now speaking about the importance of mental health during Webster University’s 7th annual Diversity, Equity & Inclusion conference. Hernandez’s keynote, which is free and open to the public, will begin at 7 p.m. Tuesday at the Loretto-Hilton Center for the Performing Arts (130 Edgar). You can also stream it online by registering here. St. Louis Magazine caught up with Hernandez before her talk to discuss the importance of mental health.
Your talk tonight is going to focus on mental health. Can you connect the dots for us with regard to that topic and diversity, equity, and inclusion? Do you feel like needing help with mental health is something that’s still stigmatized in some communities?
Yes. A lot of times, it’s within the culture. We notice, especially within Hispanic and Latin culture, that talking about your emotions is not a thing. My mom will be the first to tell you that in her household, you don’t talk about your emotions, you don’t talk about your feelings, you don’t talk about things that are going wrong, you actually do the opposite. You hide them, you make sure that nobody knows. So that way you are perceived as strong and everybody leaves you alone. That was how she was raised….We see that a lot in our culture: “Don’t talk about it. You don’t want to be weak. We’re already perceived as weak.”
You sort of overcompensate for someone else’s preconceived notion or even a stigma.
Right, and it’s not just within the Hispanic community. It’s all people of color, especially the Black community. If you’re complaining about something that’s happening at home, especially with your parents, and you get hit with a, “Well, there’s a roof over your head, and I’m feeding you. Is that not enough?” No, the emotional side of it is very important. It’s not that they’re saying they’re not grateful. It’s that you have to be able to talk about what’s going on.
You are one of the only Latinas to represent the United States in the Olympics since 1936. You started gymnastics when you were around age 5 or 6. Did you notice a lack of Latinas in the sport from an early age? Or is it only at the elite level where there’s a difference?
I think after 2016, and especially when I came back to train for 2020, I noticed a lot more Latinas in the sport. And I had not seen that growing up. It wasn’t that I thought I couldn’t do it because I didn’t see myself. But little me noticed the lack of representation. And it was like, “Well, OK, if that spot’s not taken, I’m gonna go sit over there.” There’s this gymnast, Mattie Larson, and she would compete, and she had these beautiful curls. I remember being so little and pointing and saying, “Mom, she’s my favorite.” And my mom said, “Yes, I know why.” I was reaching for people who looked like me.
What is the message you want someone to leave with after your talk tonight?
Mental health is much more important than we let on. The homeschool program that I did, it was a Christian homeschooling program. Mental health was not a class I [took]….They teach you the Pythagorean theorem, but they don’t teach you how to manage stress. And when you turn 30, the chances of you using that theorem is very low. The odds of you being stressed out are very high.
I haven’t heard the words Pythagorean theorem since I was 16.
Yes, so we learn all of these things. And I’m not saying that one is more important than the other. I’m just saying that the mind is just as important. Your mental health is just as important as school, as your body, as everything else. Taking care of yourself is not always bubble baths and getting your nails done—which are wonderful—but sometimes it’s getting yourself to move when you don’t want to. Sometimes it’s getting yourself to go outside when you don’t want to. Sometimes it’s doing your homework and stopping procrastinating.
