‘If you’re surfing, you are a surfer’: Plus-size women have a champion in Hawaii
- Elizabeth Sneed launched Curvy Surfer Girl to showcase plus-size women like her who surf.
- “It was very hard to divorce the idea that the body that I had and being an athlete could exist in the same space,” Sneed said.
- These days Sneed carves up waves three to five days a week, sometimes with women from around the world.
WAIKIKI, OAHU – It’s a few hours before sunset. Mellow waves consistently kiss the shoreline. With a few strong strokes, Elizabeth Sneed pops up onto her yellow longboard with ease. She smiles.
Sneed is doing something she’s always dreamed of: surfing.
It’s something that certainly didn’t happen overnight. In 2020, Sneed was feeling the effects of a breakup and had suffered the loss of her grandmother. The pandemic left her without a regular 9-to-5.